Latest news with #MiGs
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
50 Years Later, Vietnam POW Shares Hard-Won Lessons of Captivity
Commentary April 30, 2025, marked the Fast-forward to May 21, and I had the honor and pleasure of attending a presentation given by a Vietnam veteran who had been a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam's infamous Hỏa Lò Prison, better known as the Preliminaries and Backstory Opening remarks were given by Halyburton's Remarks Related Stories 5/26/2025 5/26/2025 Cmdr. Halyburton spoke for over an hour, and though he's now 84 years old, he was full of pep and vigor in his speech delivery. I couldn't possibly do justice to the entirety of his talk within the short confines of this article, but I shall at least attempt to convey what stood out for me as most memorable and salient points. Halyburton started off by introducing his lovely wife, Marty, to whom he has been married for 62 years. From there, he mentioned that the first time he truly feared for his life as a POW was the Halyburton was not allowed communications with his family for the first five years of his captivity; it wasn't until after Ho Chi Minh's death in 1969 that family letters were allowed and the treatment of the POWs improved. Leadership and communication (especially the Back home, Halyburton was initially presumed to have been killed in action, and indeed a tombstone was engraved to honor his supposed death. 'Not too many people have their own tombstone, but I do, and it feels good to be able to look down on the damn thing!' he joked during his speech. 'Marty found out I was alive about the same time I found out that I was dead!' One day, his captors told him 'You must care for Cherry.' The 'Cherry' in question was then-U.S. Air Force Maj. (later Col.) However, the captors' assumption proved faulty, as Halyburton and Cherry became very close friends, and Halyburton credits his cellmate experience with Cherry as being a life-changing event: 'I saved his life, but it also saved me in terms of my outlook on life as a POW.' Book-Signing and Personal Conversation Afterwards, Cmdr. Halyburton stuck around for a book-signing, inscribing copies of both of his books, ' For example, the gentleman standing immediately in front of me in the line—who coincidentally was one of my fellow U.S. Air Force Officer Training School graduates—asked the author if he knew why When my turn came, being the military aviation technology geek that I am, I asked Halyburton a question true to my geekish nature. I asked him what his professional opinion was on how much of a disadvantage the early versions of the F-4 Phantom had against the North Vietnamese 'Well, if we had ever run into any MiGs, it would've made a big difference,' he replied. 'Because we had to do a visual identification we were going to shoot down, and that negated Thank you for that, Cmdr. Halyburton. As I type these words, it's Memorial Day weekend. God bless all who served. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
NDTV
06-05-2025
- General
- NDTV
India's Only Woman Rafale Fighter Pilot Is Now Eyeing Space
India: The excited little girl who first touched a plane two decades ago is now flying high as the face of India's fast-modernising military and its only woman Rafale fighter pilot. "This is where my adventure began," Shivangi Singh, 29, told AFP at the Air Force Museum in New Delhi, recalling her first visit as a child when she "gawked" and "immediately knew that I wanted to become a pilot". Women were first inducted into the fighter pilot ranks in 2015, two decades after they were allowed to join the Indian Air Force (IAF). "There have been many of us," said Ms Singh, a lieutenant. "This not only reflects modernisation (of our society) but also the fact that we can now realise our dreams." Ms Singh, who is married to a fellow fighter pilot, is the first Indian woman to fly the French-made single-seat Rafale jets. New Delhi last month signed a multi-billion dollar deal for 26 of the aircraft from Dassault Aviation, adding to 36 already ordered. The jets are part of a major modernisation of the IAF to replace its ageing fleet of Russian-made MiGs. The deal comes as tensions with Pakistan rise after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 died. Pakistan has rejected any link to the assault, the worst attack on civilians in Kashmir for a quarter of a century. India has also eyed with worry China, especially since a deadly 2020 clash between their troops in Galwan Valley. 'Be Independent' Ms Singh, born in Varanasi, had to excel in both academics and sports to break into a job once seen by many as something only men could do. "My mother was a great source of inspiration as she didn't just want me educated -- she wanted me to be independent, and backed all my endeavours," the pilot added. India's Air Force had more than 1,600 woman officers, including many pilots, according to official statistics from 2023. The world's most populous nation also has highest proportion of woman commercial pilots -- at about 14 percent of the total strength. Ms Singh detailed her experience of flying, from "nervous and anxious" when she first sat in the cockpit, to the "incredibly exhilarating" moment when flying solo. The first time Ms Singh took the controls of a fighter jet, a MiG-21, was when she "realised how much skill it takes to control" to fly. Aiming For Space Ms Singh was among the first to try the new Rafale jets. After a rigorous selection process, she was in 2020 shortlisted for simulator training with French instructors before stepping into the cockpit. "Its responsiveness is impressive... the cockpit is incredibly comfortable, you feel like it was designed for you," Ms Singh added. But her dreams are even bigger. India is planning a manned space mission, and the pilot hopes that challenge will be her next frontier. "I succeeded in a field that was long reserved for men, and if I succeeded, then women can now work in any sector," she said, adding she had applied for training courses to be a test pilot. "I want to be an astronaut," she said. "So let's hope."
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
India's woman fighter pilot trailblazer eyes space
The excited little girl who first touched a plane two decades ago is now flying high as the face of India's fast-modernising military and its only woman Rafale fighter pilot. "This is where my adventure began," Shivangi Singh, 29, told AFP at the Air Force Museum in New Delhi, recalling her first visit as a child when she "gawked" and "immediately knew that I wanted to become a pilot". Women were first inducted into the fighter pilot ranks in 2015, two decades after they were allowed to join the Indian Air Force (IAF). "There have been many of us," said Singh, a lieutenant. "This not only reflects modernisation (of our society) but also the fact that we can now realise our dreams." Singh, who is married to a fellow fighter pilot, is the first Indian woman to fly the French-made single-seat Rafale jets. New Delhi last month signed a multi-billion dollar deal for 26 of the aircraft from Dassault Aviation, adding to 36 already ordered. The jets are part of a major modernisation of the IAF to replace its ageing fleet of Russian-made MiGs. The deal comes as tensions with arch-rival Pakistan rise after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for an attack in contested Kashmir in April that killed 26 people. Pakistan has rejected any link to the assault, the worst attack on civilians in the Muslim-majority region for a quarter of a century. India has also eyed with worry its northern neighbour China, especially since a deadly 2020 clash between their troops along their disputed Himalayan border. - 'Be independent' - Singh, born in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, had to excel in both academics and sports to break into a job once seen by many as something only men could do. "My mother was a great source of inspiration as she didn't just want me educated -- she wanted me to be independent, and backed all my endeavours," the pilot added. India's Air Force had more than 1,600 woman officers, including many pilots, according to official statistics from 2023. The world's most populous nation also has highest proportion of woman commercial pilots -- at about 14 percent of the total strength. Singh detailed her experience of flying, from "nervous and anxious" when she first sat in the cockpit, to the "incredibly exhilarating" moment when flying solo. The first time Singh took the controls of a fighter jet, a MiG-21, was when she "realised how much skill it takes to control" to fly. - Aiming for space - Singh was among the first to try the new Rafale jets. After a rigorous selection process, she was in 2020 shortlisted for simulator training with French instructors before stepping into the cockpit. "Its responsiveness is impressive... the cockpit is incredibly comfortable, you feel like it was designed for you," Singh added. But her dreams are even bigger. India is planning a manned space mission, and the pilot hopes that challenge will be her next frontier. "I succeeded in a field that was long reserved for men, and if I succeeded, then women can now work in any sector," she said, adding she had applied for training courses to be a test pilot. "I want to be an astronaut," she said. "So let's hope." bb/pjm/stu/cms
France 24
06-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
India's woman fighter pilot trailblazer eyes space
"This is where my adventure began," Shivangi Singh, 29, told AFP at the Air Force Museum in New Delhi, recalling her first visit as a child when she "gawked" and "immediately knew that I wanted to become a pilot". Women were first inducted into the fighter pilot ranks in 2015, two decades after they were allowed to join the Indian Air Force (IAF). "There have been many of us," said Singh, a lieutenant. "This not only reflects modernisation (of our society) but also the fact that we can now realise our dreams." Singh, who is married to a fellow fighter pilot, is the first Indian woman to fly the French-made single-seat Rafale jets. New Delhi last month signed a multi-billion dollar deal for 26 of the aircraft from Dassault Aviation, adding to 36 already ordered. The jets are part of a major modernisation of the IAF to replace its ageing fleet of Russian-made MiGs. The deal comes as tensions with arch-rival Pakistan rise after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for an attack in contested Kashmir in April that killed 26 people. Pakistan has rejected any link to the assault, the worst attack on civilians in the Muslim-majority region for a quarter of a century. India has also eyed with worry its northern neighbour China, especially since a deadly 2020 clash between their troops along their disputed Himalayan border. 'Be independent' Singh, born in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, had to excel in both academics and sports to break into a job once seen by many as something only men could do. "My mother was a great source of inspiration as she didn't just want me educated -- she wanted me to be independent, and backed all my endeavours," the pilot added. India's Air Force had more than 1,600 woman officers, including many pilots, according to official statistics from 2023. The world's most populous nation also has highest proportion of woman commercial pilots -- at about 14 percent of the total strength. Singh detailed her experience of flying, from "nervous and anxious" when she first sat in the cockpit, to the "incredibly exhilarating" moment when flying solo. The first time Singh took the controls of a fighter jet, a MiG-21, was when she "realised how much skill it takes to control" to fly. Aiming for space Singh was among the first to try the new Rafale jets. After a rigorous selection process, she was in 2020 shortlisted for simulator training with French instructors before stepping into the cockpit. "Its responsiveness is impressive... the cockpit is incredibly comfortable, you feel like it was designed for you," Singh added. But her dreams are even bigger. India is planning a manned space mission, and the pilot hopes that challenge will be her next frontier. "I succeeded in a field that was long reserved for men, and if I succeeded, then women can now work in any sector," she said, adding she had applied for training courses to be a test pilot. "I want to be an astronaut," she said. "So let's hope."
Forbes
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
A Ukrainian MiG Hurled A Bomb Thru The Door of a Russian HQ Bunker
A GBU-62 strikes the Russian HQ. Ukrainian air force capture To Russian commanders in Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine, a defunct air defense command bunker—once associated with a Ukrainian air force S-300 missile battery—may have seemed like a safe location for a field headquarters. After all, it was mostly underground and likely featured fortified doors. But for the Ukrainian air force's modified Mikoyan MiG-29s, newly equipped for precision bombing using a boutique American-designed munition, the bunker was just another target. On or just before Monday, one of the supersonic MiGs hurled a GBU-62 glide bomb, seemingly sending the winged munition right through the bunker's door. The raid 'minuses the high-ranking officer corps along with equipment,' one Ukrainian blogger quipped. 'Such strikes deprive enemy forces of clear control, and also significantly demoralize the military unit.' The aim of the HQ raid was to render leaderless the Russian regiments and brigades responsible for attacks on islands in the wide Dnipro River. 'No leadership—no landing on our islands,' the blogger explained. The aerial attack was just the latest in a long series of them as the tiny Ukrainian air force inducts new munitions and aircraft and continues its transformation into a small but potent precision strike arm. A GBU-62 under the wing of a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27. Ukrainian air force capture It's likely every one of the roughly 100 combat aircraft in the Ukrainian inventory—an eclectic mix of ex-Soviet MiGs and Sukhois, ex-Danish and ex-Dutch Lockheed Martin F-16s and ex-French Dassault Mirage 2000s—is equipped for precision bombing using a host of satellite- and inertially-guided glide bombs: American GBU-39s and GBU-62s, French Hammers and potentially even a new Ukrainian model. Of course, the Russians conduct precision bombings, too. And with hundreds more jets than the Ukrainians have, the Russians have the numerical advantage in the air. But Ukrainian jamming of satellite radios throws off Russian munitions' accuracy more than Russian jamming throws off Ukrainian accuracy, as the Ukrainian bombs have superior backup guidance in the form of inertial systems that calculate a munition's position by way of precise accelerometers. The GBU-62 that popped the Russian headquarters in Kherson is American-made but uniquely Ukrainian. Shortly after Russia widened its war on Ukraine in February 2022, the administration of ex-President Joe Biden rushed to equip old Ukrainian MiGs and Sukhois with an inexpensive but precise glide bomb combining a standard 500-pound dumb bomb with the wings of the new Small Diameter Bomb and the guidance kit from the U.S. military's non-gliding Joint Direct Attack Munition. The approximately $50,000 GBU-62 is a killer—and allows Ukraine's MiG-29 brigades to do what the Russians have done with their much more expensive Iskander ballistic missiles, each of which costs upward of $3 million. When the Kremlin wanted to eliminate a Ukrainian headquarters in a buried bunker in Kharkiv in the early hours of the wider war three years ago, it first located the Soviet-built HQ in long-forgotten archives—and then aimed an Iskander at it. Ukraine duplicated the feat with a small surveillance drone, a single old fighter and one cobbled-together precision bomb.
