fighters

Two Russian Su-30 Flanker multirole fighters have been damaged in an overnight arson attack on the military airfield at Lipetsk in the region of the same name in southwest Russia. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR), the raid was launched by “a representative of the resistance movement in Russia.” If that’s the case, it underscores the varied tactics being used to strike Russian military aircraft on their bases, coming soon after two separate drone attacks on Belbek Air Base in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Уражено ворожі винищувачі Су-30 та Су-27 ― відео та деталі унікальної операції ГУР в ліпєцку

In its initial statement, the GUR said that a Russian Su-30 Flanker multirole fighter and a Su-27 Flanker interceptor were damaged in a fire at Lipetsk Air Base (also known as Lipetsk-2) on the night of December 20-21. The agency later clarified that both targeted aircraft two-seat, more advanced Su-30s.

While the GUR claims that is masterminded the operation, which required two weeks of planning, the agency also says that the sabotage was “directly implemented by a representative of the resistance movement to the criminal Russian regime.”

In a statement, the GUR explained: “Studying the patrol route and guard change schedule allowed them to infiltrate the aggressor state’s military facility unnoticed, hit the Russian jets in their protective aircraft hangar, and then leave the airfield unhindered.”

The GUR has released a video that purports to show the attack, which it describes as the result of “careful preparation, composure, and professionalism.” The airbase is located around 200 miles from the Ukrainian border.

The footage includes a view inside the cockpit of an apparent Su-30SM, as well as a fire being started at one of the main undercarriage legs of the same type of jet, which then spreads to engulf one of the engine intakes. One Su-30SM is also armed with underwing air-to-air missiles. Clearly visible is one of the canard foreplanes on the Flanker, confirming it is a Su-30SM, rather than a Su-27UB or a Su-30M2.

Also seen in the video are close-ups of the aircraft’s individual red-painted ‘Bort’ numbers, ‘12’ and ‘82.’

The GUR puts the estimated total cost of the two affected fighters as “up to $100 million,” although this is presumably based on them being totally written off, something which remains unclear. Indeed, the agency only states that the jets were “disabled.” Ukrainian media reports also state that the aircraft were “put out of action,” but once again we don’t have any concrete evidence about their current state.

Lipetsk Air Base has a very significant role within the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS).

The 4th State Air Personnel Preparation and Military Evaluation Center at the base is tasked with conducting military evaluation of initial batches of new tactical combat aircraft, training pilots in the combat application of the aircraft, and developing air force tactics, which are then used by operational units.

At Lipetsk, the 4th Center is responsible for the 968th Research Instructor Composite Aviation Regiment (968 IISAP, in Russian), which receives the first batches of new tactical aircraft. The regiment was first to receive the Su-34 Fullback, in 2010, the Yak-130 Mitten, in 2013, the Su-30SM Flanker, in 2014, and the Su-35S Flanker, in 2019. It was to also the first to receive Su-57 Felon fighters, so that pilots could undergo theoretical training on the new type.

The regiment has squadrons of Sukhoi fighters (Su-27, Su-30SM, and Su-35S), tactical bombers (Su-24 Fencer and Su-34) and attack aircraft (Su-25 Frogfoot), as well as a detachment of An-26 Curl transport aircraft.

Lipetsk Air Base has two runways; the main runway is around 9,800 feet long, while the second, shorter runway has long been unused and is used for storage of several dozen MiG-29 Fulcrums, and smaller numbers of MiG-31 Foxhounds, and Su-27s.

The video evidence available suggests that at least the Su-30SM that was targeted was very much an active aircraft, based on its armament as well as its relative modernity.

There is also a strong suggestion that the aircraft targeted were part of the VKS effort to combat Ukrainian long-range one-way attack drones, including those headed toward Moscow.

Su-30SMs ‘Red 82’ and ‘Red 12’ belong to the 14th and 31st Fighter Aviation Regiments, not normally based at Lipetsk. The presence of these jets at the base, at least one of them armed with air-to-air missiles, would be consistent with a forward deployment for quick reaction alert (QRA) duties.

This would not be the first time that a Russian airbase has been targeted by pro-Ukrainian or Ukrainian saboteurs.

In the aftermath of reported explosions at Russian airbases in occupied Crimea, in the summer of 2022 — most dramatically, the blasts at Saki Air Base that left at least 10 jets seriously damaged or destroyed — there were reports citing Ukrainian officials claiming that a team, possibly made up of Ukrainian special operations forces, local partisans, or a mixture of both, had attacked the installations.

In October 2022, we reported on an apparent sabotage raid against a Russian airbase in the Pskov region, in the far west of the country. This was filmed by the operatives before they detonated explosives placed on attack helicopters at Ostrov Air Base. The explosions destroyed two Ka-52s and one Mi-28N, according to the Ukrainian defense intelligence service.

In May 2023, meanwhile, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed a sabotage attack against a Russian strike or reconnaissance aircraft at an aircraft factory in Siberia. This was reportedly an arson attack, although it’s unclear if the aircraft in question was actually airworthy at the time.

In September 2023, there were reports that one of Russia’s most important airbases, Chkalovsky, located less than 20 miles from Moscow, was struck by saboteurs. In a statement on the raid, the GUR said that “unidentified saboteurs” were responsible for the attack on what it described as a “heavily guarded airfield,” which left three aircraft “badly damaged.”

As we have noted in the past, the ability of saboteurs to penetrate frontline Russian airbases clearly points to major security loopholes.

On the other hand, even Russian airbases housing other strategic assets have been subject to incursions in the recent past, by apparent criminal elements, while other airfields have been penetrated by drunken soldiers in command of an armored vehicle, for example.

What remains far less clear, and something we are unlikely to learn more about for the foreseeable future, is how the Ukrainian military and intelligence services work or at least coordinate with partisans in Russia. We do know that Ukraine conducts extensive activities, including sabotage efforts, in areas of the country that Russia occupies, as well as inside Russia proper. Most prominent was this summer’s Operation Spiderweb, the large-scale Ukrainian drone strike against airbases across Russia yesterday, which you can read about in our coverage here. This used more than a hundred short-range drones that were launched from trucks against at least four bomber airfields.

In recent days, there have been other notable attacks on VKS aircraft by Ukrainian using drones, too.

As we reported last week, Belbek Air Base, a key Russian facility in occupied Crimea, was targeted by a Ukrainian drone strike on December 18, according to Ukraine. Authorities in Kyiv claim that drones hit a MiG-31BM, as well as elements of an S-400 air defense system.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the government’s main internal security agency, reported that the Belbek drone strike was carried out overnight by forces from its Special Group “Alpha.”

Just two days later, “Alpha” was reportedly responsible for another drone strike on Belbek. This time, the SBU said its operatives hit two Su-27s. Like the MiG-31, these were also parked out in the open.

Whatever the results of the apparent partisan raid on Lipetsk, the operation once again highlights the fact that Russian military aircraft and other assets are not safe, even if relatively far from the Ukrainian battlefields, and that drones are by no means the only threat they face,

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Austria is buying 12 M-346F Block 20 light combat aircraft from Italian defense contractor Leonardo, as part of an overhaul of its air force, the Luftstreitkräfte. Austria does already operate 15 Eurofighter Typhoons, which were procured under controversial circumstances. Those jets have notably limited capabilities compared to other Typhoons, as well as high operating costs, which have prompted attempts to offload them.

Leonardo announced the Austrian contract today. As well as the dozen M-346s, the deal includes simulation systems for pilots, training for maintenance technicians, spare parts and equipment, plus logistical support for six years. The total cost is around $1.7 billion, and the first aircraft is due to be delivered in 2028.

According to Leonardo, the Austrian Air Force will use the M-346Fs for the “defense needs of Austria’s national airspace and territory,” as well as for training.

M-346FA

The two-seat M-346 was originally developed as an advanced jet trainer, but light combat versions have long been offered for sale. Block 20 standard variants are notably well-equipped for aircraft of their size and weight. They come with a pair of large-area displays (LAD) in each cockpit, an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a Link 16 datalink, and electronic countermeasures. The jets are capable of being configured to employ various air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons options, but can also be operated as pure trainers.

In the trainer role, the M-346Fs will serve as a successor to the Austrian Air Force’s Saab 105 jets, which were retired in 2020, and are seen in the video below.

Action: Saab 105 im Flug

The M-346 has been developed by Leonardo as part of an integrated advanced flight training system. Beyond the jets themselves, this includes a ground-based training system (GBTS), which is based around the live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) concept. In this way, simulated elements and scenarios can be combined with real-life training flights.

Austria is already familiar with the M-346 as its pilots already train on it at the International Flight Training School (IFTS), which Leonardo and the Italian Air Force operate together in Decimomannu, Italy.

IFTS – International Flight Training School

According to Leonardo, the complete training system for Austria will include capabilities related to air-to-surface missions. This would be a new development for the Austrian Air Force, which is currently optimized for air defense.

It will also allow pilots to train for aerial refueling, something else that hasn’t previously been featured in the Alpine air arm’s operations. It is worth noting here that the Luftstreitkräfte does not currently operate any tankers itself.

Most notably, however, as well as advanced training, Austria will fly the M-346 in the “dual role of fighter for lower-intensity operations,” according to Leonardo.

Imagery related to the M-346F Block 20 released to date includes pictures of a demonstrator aircraft armed with wingtip AIM-9L/M Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles. It has also been seen loaded with laser-guided bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). Reportedly, Austria will integrate the IRIS-T infrared-guided air-to-air missile (already used on its Typhoons), 20mm gun pods, and LAU-32 seven-round rocket launchers for its M-346s, as well as Israeli-made electronic countermeasures pods.

While the now-retired Saab 105s had a limited air-policing role, the M-346F’s capabilities mean that certain, more expansive operational missions could be ‘downloaded’ from the expensive Typhoon and onto the smaller and more economical jet.

Nonetheless, this would still be a significant augmentation for the Typhoon force, not least because Austria is a small country and the M-346F would be capable of responding to most routine threats, especially thanks to its AESA radar.

Furthermore, the Austrian Typhoons have no beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile armament, so the M-346Fs wouldn’t be at a disadvantage in terms of weaponry, either.

In fact, an argument could be made for Austria having ordered the M-346F, or a similar light combat aircraft, rather than the Typhoon in the first place.

The Typhoon acquisition was far from straightforward. Austria selected the Eurofighter design over the Saab JAS 39C/D Gripen in 2002, but only finished paying off the €2 billion ($2.3 billion at the rate of conversion at the time of writing) purchase costs for the 15 single-seat jets (an order that was also reduced from a planned 18 aircraft) in 2014. The deal was also overshadowed by accusations of deception, fraud, and bribery, including a high-level lawsuit filed by the defense ministry against Airbus and Eurofighter.

Overall, the Austrian Ministry of Defense has been far from happy with the Typhoon. It has called into question the jet’s operating costs and lack of certain critical capabilities — including the PIRATE infrared sensor, a helmet-mounted display, and the EuroDASS self-defense suite. As mentioned above, the Austrian jets have no beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and lack any air-to-ground capability.

Österreichs Luftstreitkräfte – Luftraumüberwachung

As long ago as 2017, Austria outlined plans to phase out the Typhoons by 2023, arguing that it would be cheaper than upgrading them. Since these are the baseline Tranche 1 jets, equipped to the most basic standard, it is far harder to modernize them. At this time, it was envisaged that they would be replaced by 18 new fighters, which would also supersede the Saab 105s.

More recently, efforts were made to try to sell the Typhoons to Indonesia, as you can read about here.

Somewhat ironically, back in 2020, Austria’s Green Party called for the replacement of both the Typhoon and the Saab 105 with the M-346.

As TWZ noted at the time, “Austrian Typhoon pilots already train on the M-346 in Italy, and in many ways it would seem to make an ideal replacement for the two-seat Saab. However, it lacks the raw performance and sophisticated avionics of a modern fighter jet, which would render it less suitable for the air policing role now undertaken by the Typhoon.”

However, the M-346F Block 20 is a much more capable proposition in terms of avionics, although it remains subsonic.

As a non-aligned nation, Austria can’t rely on NATO support to defend its airspace, so having additional, more economical light combat aircraft to help do this job will be welcome.

The M-346 also has the benefit of an established user base and supply chains to go along with it. As a trainer, existing M-346 customers include Greece, Italy, Israel, Poland, Qatar, and Singapore. The Italian Air Force has also selected it as the future aircraft for its aerobatic team, the Frecce Tricolori.

Leonardo, as part of a team-up with Textron in the United States, has also been offering a navalized M-346N version to the U.S. Navy as a possible replacement for that service’s T-45 Goshawk jet trainers. You can read more about the M-346N, which was rebranded as a Beechcraft product earlier this year, here. Beechcraft is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron.

M-346 Jet Trainer Walk-Around Tour With Its Test Pilot.

The only country known to have already introduced a light combat aircraft version of the M-346 is Turkmenistan, which reportedly acquired just four M-346FA (Fighter Attack) versions, as well as two trainers. It’s unclear exactly what kinds of weapons the country’s jets carry.

However, Nigeria now looks to be lining up to buy the M-346FA, as well, with a potential deal for as many as 24 of the jets reportedly on the cards.

Buying the M-346 also further cements the Austrian Ministry of Defense’s own relationship with Leonardo, from which it previously acquired 36 AW169M Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) under two contracts signed in 2022 and 2023.

The Austrian order and the possibility of a larger sale to Nigeria are good news for Leonardo, which is continuing to evolve the M-346 from an advanced jet trainer into an ever more versatile multirole light combat aircraft.

The overall market space for light fighters based on advanced jet trainers is steadily growing globally, too. Korea Aerospace Industries has seen particular success with its FA-50 version of its T-50 trainer. The possibility of Boeing developing a light fighter based on its T-7 Redhawk for the U.S. Air Force has also come up in the past.

On the other hand, the Austrian Air Force remains stuck with the Typhoon, something of a costly white elephant when it’s considered that its primary mission is peacetime air policing over neutral airspace. Ultimately, perhaps, the Typhoon might be retired without a direct replacement, leaving the future M-346Fs to take on all frontline fighter roles.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Dec. 16 (UPI) — The two suspects in the deadly mass terror attack in Bondi Beach in Sydney over the weekend spent most of November in the southern Philippines, where they allegedly received military-style training from Islamic militants.

The Philippine Bureau of Immigration told ABC News on Tuesday that the father and son, Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, arrived in the Philippines from Australia on Nov. 1, giving Davao on the southern island of Mindanao as their destination.

“They left the country on Nov. 28, on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination,” said Immigration Bureau spokesperson Dana Sandoval.

Australian national security officials said investigators were now looking at the duo’s links to an international jihadist network after a senior counterterrorism officer said the pair underwent terrorist training on the island.

The development came hours after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared that the pair were motivated by “Islamic State ideology” after the discovery by police of flags of the jihadist group and improvised explosive devices in the suspects’ car.

Philippine and Australian officials said they were working together to establish exact details of where the pair stayed and their movements with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Philippine counterpart Maria Theresa Lazaro vowing to “keep each other closely informed” of progress in the investigation into Sunday’s attack targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah.

“The Philippines stands firmly in solidarity with Australia and underscores strong Philippine-Australia cooperation in security and law enforcement matters. We reaffirm our support for efforts that protect communities from intolerance, hatred, and violence,” said Lazaro.

The largely Muslim region of the predominantly Catholic country has been a base for Islamic militants for decades after terror camps relocated there from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in the 1990s, with the Philippine military at war with the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro Islamic Liberation Front before that.

In 2017, ISIS fighters laid siege to the city of Marawi in Mindanao for five months, prompting the central government in Manila to launch an all-out military offensive to regain control.

A New South Wales health department spokesman said 22 people were still being treated for their injuries in the hospital, nine of whom were in a critical condition following the shooting attack in which 15 people were killed.

The victims included children, survivors of the Holocaust and two rabbis.

Authorities said Akram Naveed, who was shot and wounded by police, had regained consciousness in the hospital. The elder Akram was shot dead by police at the scene.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard‘s 158th Fighter Wing will be heading down to the Caribbean to take part in Operation Southern Spear, a U.S. official told The War Zone. The move would be the latest buildup of U.S. forces in the region for the mission to counter narcotics and pressure Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. You can catch up with our previous story about this operation here.

The official could not say how many, when they will arrive or where they will go, but suggested they will most likely fly to the former Roosevelt Roads U.S. Navy base in Puerto Rico which has served as a staging ground for aviation assets and troops gathered in the region.

As we previously reported, F-35s from the U.S. Marine Corps began arriving at Roosevelt Road in the middle of September. E/A-18G Growler electronic attack jets just arrived there yesterday as well, which is possibly the most glaring sign that the U.S. is preparing for airstrikes as any over the last few months. You can read more about that deployment and its significance here.

On Wednesday, Vermont media outlets reported that wing assets were being prepared for a deployment but didn’t say where.

“Lt. Col. Meghan Smith confirmed to Vermont Public on Wednesday that the 158th Fighter Wing ‘has received a federal mobilization order,” the Vermont Public news outlet reported. “While we can’t discuss specific timelines or locations, our Airmen train continuously to ensure they are fully prepared to support federal and state missions whenever and wherever they are needed,” Smith said in an email.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott told Vermont Public on Wednesday that he did not know where the jets are going.

“Scott said during his weekly media briefing Wednesday that the Pentagon issued the mobilization orders under Title 10, the federal statute that allows the president to place National Guard troops under federal command,” according to the news outlet. “There isn’t much I can share because I don’t know a lot about any of the mission,” Scott said. “Everything from my understanding is coming out of either the National Guard or the Pentagon at this point.”

F-35A deployed to the Caribbean — the first USAF tactical jets to do so — would offer the ability to drop 2,000lb-class guided bombs on targets deep inside Venezuelan airspace. The F-35Bs currently deployed to Puerto Rico are limited to 1,000lb-class weapons. They also have significantly less range and reduced agility. No F-35s are deployed aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, it only carries Super Hornets and the USS Iwo Jima is currently carrying a small contingent of AV-8B+ Harriers.

Taking all this into account, the F-35A deployment is a major signal of what type of operations could be on the horizon.

This is a developing story.

Update: 8:29 PM Eastern –

In addition to the F-35As, more aviation assets are being deployed for Operation Southern Spear, including combat search and rescue (CSAR) aircraft and refueling tankers. You can read about that in our story here.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

Japan and South Korea scrambled jets on Tuesday in response to a joint Chinese-Russian bomber patrol over international waters near both of those nations. Though part of an annual bilateral exercise, the flights come as tensions between China and Japan are heightened over the latter’s increasing signals of support for Taiwan.

Two Russian Tu-95 Bear turboprop bombers flew south from the Sea of Japan into the East China Sea, the Japanese Defense Ministry (MoD) said. After flying between west of Japan and southeast of South Korea, they joined two Chinese H-6 series bombers near Okinawa Japan.

“They then conducted a long-distance joint flight from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Shikoku,” according to the ministry.

The bombers were joined by four Chinese J-16 Flanker multirole fighter derivatives “when these bombers flew back and forth between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island,” the Japanese MoD noted. The Bear bombers later flew back along the same route north into the Sea of Japan while the Chinese jets flew back toward China.

In addition to those flights, the Japanese said one Russian A-50 Mainstay early warning and control aircraft and two Russian Su-30 Flanker fighters were also spotted north of Japan in the Sea of Japan, the MoD stated.

“In response, fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Southwest Air Defense Command and other units were scrambled,” the MoD explained, without providing details about where jets flew.

South Korea also sent fighters aloft as the Chinese-Russian joint flight briefly flew into its Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ), according to the Yonhap News Agency.

“Two Chinese military planes and seven Russian aircraft successively entered the KADIZ at around 10 a.m. prompting the military to dispatch Air Force fighter jets in preparation for a possible accidental situation,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The JCS did not identify what kind of aircraft took part in the joint Chinese-Russian flight, but bombers and fighters “intermittently entered and left the KADIZ for about an hour before completely retreating from the air defense zone.”

Joint Chinese-Russian flights in this area are not new. Since 2019, the two countries have sent their military planes into the KADIZ once or twice a year during joint exercises, without prior notice, Yonhap explained.

The last such flight took place in November 2024 when “11 military planes from both China and Russia entered the KADIZ together,” Yonhap noted.

As we previously reported, the first such flight took place in June 2019 and resulted in South Korean jets firing about 360 20mm cannon shells in a series of warning shots after a Russian Mainstay violated airspace South Korea claims above a small group of islets, which it refers to as Dokdo. Japan also claims these as its national territory, calling them collectively Takeshima, and registered its own complaint at the time that the Mainstay had violated Japanese national airspace.

While this was the 10th joint flight, it came as China and Japan are locked in an intensifying dispute over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments that any Chinese attack on Taiwan would be considered an existential threat to Tokyo. Beijing considers the breakaway island nation to be part of China and has made it clear that it will take back Taiwan peacefully or through military means. Meanwhile, it sees growing militancy from Japan, whose armed forces are designed for self-protection in the wake of World War II, as an increasing threat.

The flareup manifested itself on Saturday, when Chinese J-15 fighters launched from the aircraft carrier Liaoning near Okinawa and locked radar on two Japanese F-15 Eagle fighters. While both sides acknowledge the incident took place, there is a dispute about who caused it and how it was handled.

Japan claims its fighters were targeted while flying a safe distance from the Liaoning and its escorts, which were conducting training missions in the area. China claims that the Japanese fighters were interfering with the training, which sparked the incident.

The issue carried into Tuesday, when China released what it says was a call between its carrier group and the Japanese warning them away. Japan had previously complained China did not answer a deconfliction hotline.

All this comes amid growing Chinese consternation about Japan’s plans to place additional weaponry on Yonaguni Island, located about 70 miles from Taiwan.

Last week, the Japanese MoD announced plans “to deploy an electronic warfare [EW] air-defense unit capable of disrupting aircraft communications on the island of Yonaguni in Okinawa prefecture,” the Japanese Nikkei news outlet reported. The publication did not identify what type of EW system. 

In November, we noted that Japan wanted to install an air defense system on Yonaguni that was likely the beginning of an increasing militarization of the island given its proximity to Taiwan. You can read more about that in our initial story here.

These flights are part of an increasing level of military cooperation between China and Russia. Last year, two Chinese H-6-series aircraft flew with a pair of Russian Bear bombers through a portion of the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) around Alaska. It marked the first time Chinese H-6s of any kind have operated in this part of the world. Similar maritime flotillas have occurred at an increasing rate, as well.

While the joint Chinese-Russian bomber patrol near Japan and South Korea has become routine and is planned to continue, the growing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo show no signs of abating.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com