12/26/2025 Dassault completed the delivery of the first three new Rafale F4 fighters to the Indonesian Air Force  The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) officially received the first batch of new Rafale F4 fighters during a ceremony held on November 28, 2025, at Dassault Aviation’s facility in Mérignac, Bordeaux. The event, led by the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force (Wakasau), Air Marshal TNI Ir. Tedi Rizalihadi S., M.M., formally marks the start of the delivery schedule for a total of 42 new aircraft, of which 30 are single-seat and 12 are twin-seat, to be supplied by the French manufacturer. |
12/26/2025 Russian Tu-95 Bombers Carry Out ‘Scheduled’ Flight North of Scandinavia  Russian nuclear-capable bombers conducted a “scheduled” flight over the Norwegian and Barents Seas, prompting “fighter jets of foreign countries” to escort them, Russia’s defense ministry said on Thursday, according to Russian news agencies. Neither the date of the Tu-95 flights nor the countries that deployed monitoring aircraft were specified. |
12/26/2025 No F-35A Fighter Debate: There Is No Way Canada Should Buy The JAS 39 Gripen  Canada’s government is reconsidering its plan to buy 88 F-35A stealth fighters and is openly weighing Saab’s Gripen as a cheaper, less political alternative. Maj. Gen. Chris McKenna stresses Canada faces fifth-generation threats and needs “overmatch,” not compromise, especially in its NORAD role alongside the United States. His message is clear: politics may change, but Canada’s pilots still need the best jet available to defend North America. |
12/26/2025 Polish Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Reconnaissance Aircraft, while Weather Probes from Belarus Violated Polish Airspace  Polish aviation intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea, and weather balloons from Belarus violated Polish airspace. The Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Poland (DORSZ) reported this. On the morning of December 25, 2025, Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the international waters of the Baltic Sea. |
12/25/2025 US military moves additional special-ops aircraft, troops into Caribbean as Trump hikes pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro  The US military has moved a large number of special-operations aircraft, troops and equipment into the Caribbean as President Trump openly considers military action to oust Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, according to a new report. At least 10 CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, used by special-operations forces, arrived in the region Monday night from Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, an official told the Wall Street Journal. |
12/25/2025 Editors’ picks for 2025: ‘Ukraine’s air force has survived. Taiwan’s almost certainly couldn’t  The Ukrainian air force went to war against invading Russian forces in February 2022 with just 125 combat aircraft concentrated at around a dozen large bases. Given Russia’s overwhelming deep-strike advantage—hundreds of deployed warplanes and thousands of cruise and ballistic missiles—few observers expected the Ukrainian brigades to survive the first hours of the war. But they did survive. And 38 months later, they’re still surviving—and flying daily air-defence and strike sorties. |
12/25/2025 South Korea’s KF-21 Boramae fighter jet to gain full air-to-ground strike capability by 2027  South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration confirmed that the indigenous KF-21 Boramae fighter will receive full air-to-ground combat capabilities starting in 2027, years ahead of the original schedule. The accelerated timeline underscores rising confidence in the aircraft’s technical maturity and strengthens Seoul’s push for greater airpower independence. |
12/23/2025 Editors’ picks for 2025: ‘More F-35s, more tankers: a reliable way to strengthen Australian deterrence’  If the Chinese navy’s task group sailing around Australia a few weeks ago showed us anything, it’s that Australia has a deterrence gap so large you can drive a ship through it. Waiting for AUKUS or hoping Australia’s troubled shipbuilding program will deliver—in the 2030s—is a recipe for annual panic about grey zone coercion as Chinese deployments become routine. |
12/23/2025 Lockheed?Martin?and?MANTECH?Partner To Advance AI Based Sustainment For U.S. Combat Aircraft Fleet  Lockheed Martin and MANTECH today announced a strategic teaming agreement to integrate advanced AI driven sustainment solutions into the U.S. combat aircraft fleet. Through this effort, we will deliver real-time aircraft performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, optimized logistics support and improved mission availability across legacy and next-generation platforms, while adhering to the highest standards of security. |
12/23/2025 Air Force designates Northrop Grumman’s Talon prototype as YFQ-48A  The U.S. Air Force announces the designation of YFQ-48A as the Mission Design Series for Northrop Grumman’s Project Talon, a semi-autonomous prototype aircraft. This designation marks a key step forward in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, underscoring the Air Force’s commitment to rapidly delivering next-generation capabilities that meet the urgent and evolving needs of the warfighter. |