1/8/2026 Fire Breaks Out at Moscow Factory Producing Engines for Sukhoi Fighter Jets  A fire broke out in Moscow on the premises of Russia’s United Engine Corporation’s Salyut enterprise, which is part of the state-owned Rostec corporation. According to preliminary information, the fire started in one of the production workshops, the Telegram channel 112 reported. According to the channel’s source, the fire engulfed technological equipment inside a building on Budyonny Avenue. |
1/8/2026 Pakistan, Saudi Arabia in JF-17 jets-for-loans talks  Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in discussions to convert approximately $2 billion of Saudi loans into a deal for JF-17 fighter jets, according to two Pakistani sources. This move is set to deepen military cooperation between the two countries, following the signing of a mutual defense pact last year, News.Az reports, citing foreign media. |
1/8/2026 Lockheed Martin F-35 reaches record deliveries and expands combat and global operations in 2025  Lockheed Martin reported a record-breaking year for the F-35 Lightning II programme in 2025, delivering 191 aircraft and surpassing the previous annual high of 142 jets. The company said annual F-35 production is now running at a pace five times faster than any other allied fighter aircraft currently in production, reflecting the scale and maturity of the programme. |
1/8/2026 Ukraine’s F-16 Pilots Think NATO Tactics Don’t Work  Though Ukrainian pilots have praised the F-16 itself, they have criticized NATO tactics for relying too much on air superiority—a luxury that Ukraine does not have. The US-made F-16 Fighting Falcon has been one of the most widely adopted fixed-wing combat aircraft of the modern era. The F-16 first flew more than 50 years ago, and although the United States Air Force is no longer acquiring the aircraft, Lockheed Martin continues to produce the Fighting Falcon for foreign military sales. |
1/8/2026 China’s First J-35A Fighter Jet for Local Air Force Takes Off in 2026  Chinese aircraft manufacturer Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) has conducted the first flight of a J-35A fighter jet intended for the Chinese Air Force in 2026. Photos of the aircraft were published by Chinese military aviation observer Ruprecht_A on the X platform. Local aviation spotters recorded the aircraft in its Chinese Air Force configuration during a test flight over the territory of the manufacturer’s airfield. |
1/8/2026 Taiwan's F-16 fighter fleet has been grounded after an 'anomaly' saw a jet and its pilot disappear  Taiwan's air force has grounded its F-16 fleet and suspended training missions on the jet after one of the planes and the pilot went missing earlier this week. The search continues for the pilot and aircraft, which officials believe went down following an in-flight "anomaly," but rough seas off the island have made efforts difficult. |
1/7/2026 F-16V Fighter Goes Missing Off Taiwan’s Eastern Coast, President Orders All-Out Search for Pilot  Taiwan mounted a large-scale emergency response late Tuesday night after a frontline F-16V fighter jet disappeared from radar during a routine training exercise over the waters off its eastern coast. The incident triggered immediate concern at the highest levels of government, with President Lai Ching-te directing all agencies to focus on one goal: bringing the missing pilot home safely. |
1/7/2026 Bangladesh, Pakistan air chiefs discuss fighter jet purchase  Air chiefs of Pakistan and Bangladesh held detailed discussions on the ‘potential procurement’ of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, reported DAWN on Tuesday, quoting the Inter Services Public Relations of Pakistan. The JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan has proved its combat capabilities during two military conflicts with India in 2019 and 2025, according to the report published online by the English language daily of Pakistan. |
1/7/2026 Ukraine revises F-16 combat tactics for frontline operations  Ukrainian Air Force pilots operating F-16 fighter jets were forced to revise NATO-taught air combat tactics after returning from training abroad, as the methods proved unsuitable for the realities of combat near the front line in Ukraine, according to a report published by Militarnyi citing official Air Force video footage. |
1/7/2026 Philippines requests KF-21 fighter jet delivery from South Korea between 2027 and 2029 .jpg) On January 6, 2026, Reportera indicated that, according to a Korea Aerospace Industries official, the Philippines requested delivery of the KF-21 Boramae fighter jet between 2027 and 2029, aligning the timeline with the Philippine Air Force’s Horizon 3 planning cycle. This request is directly connected to ongoing FA-50PH procurement, production capacity considerations, sustainment planning, and the limited availability of fighter aircraft slots on the global market. |