September, 2025 Military Aviation News
09/30/2025
The Air Force is studying whether a large flying wing-type stealth aircraft armed with dozens of air-to-air missiles could be an element of its future air superiority force, sources told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The aircraft could be based on the Northrop Grumman B-21, but the concept is at an early stage and other contractors could potentially have a shot at the work due to Northrop’s limited B-21 production capacity.
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09/30/2025
Türkiye's indigenous fighter jet program is advancing as planned and will not be dependent on any single foreign engine supplier, according to the country's top defense procurement official late on Sunday. The remarks came shortly after Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye was waiting for approval by the U.S. Congress for deliveries of American-made engines intended for the first batch of the advanced Kaan warplanes.
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09/30/2025
Swedish Gripen has been repeatedly mentioned in discussions about supplying aircraft to Ukraine, but priority was given to the F-16 platform. It seems the situation is changing now. What are the advantages of the Gripen, and what tasks can it perform?
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09/30/2025
The company is considering relocating the Super Hornet work to its other sites, starting with its facilities in Jacksonville, Florida, and San Antonio, according to the press release. In addition to St. Louis, the modification work is also currently being performed in San Antonio and Jacksonville as well as at the Navy’s Fleet Readiness Center Southwest in San Diego.
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09/30/2025
Earlier this month, a swarm of Russian drones violated Poland’s borders. Some were shot down. A few days later, another Russian drone overflew Romania en route to Ukraine. The Romanian air defence let it get away. Then, on 19 September, three Russian MiG-31 fighters intruded into Estonia’s airspace. Italian F-35s – in the area on a Nato mission – intercepted the Russians and saw them off.
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09/29/2025
NATO fighter jets were scrambled and air defense units put on alert in the early hours of Sunday in response to a major Russian drone and missile strike on Ukraine, the Polish Operational Command said in posts to X. "Due to the activity of the Russian Federation's long-range aviation, which is carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation has begun operating in our airspace," the command said in a statement.
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09/28/2025
Singapore is set to receive the first of its 20 F-35 fighter jets by late 2026, marking an important step in its Air Force modernization, according to the Singapore Defence Ministry.
The procurement of the fifth-generation stealth aircraft is part of a “long-term strategy to build up the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s [RSAF] future fighter fleet, which will comprise a diversified fleet of F-35As, F-35Bs and F-15SGs,” the ministry stated.
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09/28/2025
The bombing mission is the first time fighter jets have flown from an aircraft carrier in the North Sea to reach a target at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. "We can fly the F-18s 1,000 miles (1,600 km), and even longer with aerial refuelling. No problem to reach Finland," said Capt. David J. Dartez, commander of the Air Wing Eight which is attached to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.
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09/27/2025
Unidentified drones were observed near military installations in Denmark overnight, the Armed Forces said on Saturday, following several drone incursions near airports and critical infrastructure this week. "The Danish Defence can confirm that drones were observed at several of the Danish Defence's locations last night. Several capabilities were deployed," a spokesperson said in an email to Reuters.
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09/27/2025
Türkiye's unmanned fighter aircraft Bayraktar Kizilelma completed its first captive flight test successfully, carrying Aselsan's TOLUN precision munition, marking a significant milestone in the drone's weapons integration phase. Baykar Chairman Selcuk Bayraktar and the company shared footage of the test on social media platforms, showing the third prototype of Kizilelma carrying two SADAK-4T smart racks, each fitted with one TOLUN small-diameter bomb on external hardpoints.
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09/27/2025
Speaking before the National Assembly, Trappier highlighted that several countries — including India, Qatar, Egypt, Greece, and the United Arab Emirates — are now planning to replace their Mirage 2000 fleets with Rafale fighters.
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09/27/2025
Russia’s MiG-31 remains pivotal thanks to rugged steel/titanium airframes, periodic depot overhauls, and major upgrades. Variants like MiG-31BM add Zaslon-M radar and R-37M shots; MiG-31K carries the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, turning a Cold War interceptor into a long-range strike host.With Mach 2.8 speed, big sensors, and heavy missile loads, the MiG-31 fills a niche Russia can’t readily replace, evidenced by recent NATO-border incidents.
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09/26/2025
Ukraine’s Defense Forces shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber over the Zaporizhzhia axis on the morning of September 25, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Telegram. The aircraft was downed at around 4 am while conducting strikes on Zaporizhzhia with guided aerial bombs.
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09/26/2025
India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a landmark contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the supply of 97 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal, valued at Rs 62,370 crore (around $7.5 billion), was signed in New Delhi on September 25, 2025. It covers 68 single-seat fighters and 29 twin-seat trainers, along with associated equipment.
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09/26/2025
Amid what it described as a "hybrid attack," NATO ally Denmark said drones were spotted near an airbase housing F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. Drones also disrupted airports across the country. Danish officials reported drone sightings near multiple airports Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, with the military saying it saw drones at "several military installations."
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09/26/2025
Alaskan NORAD Region and Alaskan Command, under NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, conducted Agile Combat Employment operations at King Salmon Airport, Alaska, from Sept. 8-12, 2025. Four F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, conducted Homeland Defense operations from remote airfield King Salmon, demonstrating the capability to conduct Homeland Defense missions from dispersed locations in the Alaskan.
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09/26/2025
Helsing has unveiled the CA-1 Europa, an autonomous uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that the company says could be operational within the next four years. The full-scale design study was presented at Grob Aircraft, the German light-aircraft manufacturer that Helsing acquired in June 2025. Development and testing of the platform will take place at Grob’s facilities with support from European partners across the aerospace ecosystem.
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09/26/2025
Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has successfully completed a critical round of testing on its small turbofan engine family, paving the way for integration into next-generation Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The tests confirmed that thrust levels on these engines can be significantly increased, strengthening their suitability for advanced military applications.
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09/26/2025
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked two Tu-95s and two Su-35s operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Sept. 24, 2025. NORAD responded with an E-3, four F-16s, and four KC-135 tankers to positively identify and intercept in the Alaskan ADIZ.
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09/25/2025
Late on a Friday night, a handful of Russian fast jets veer into the airspace of one of Nato’s frontline states with their transponders switched off. Instead of flying parallel to the border and then slipping away as they usually would, this time they make an abrupt turn inland, seemingly heading towards a military facility.
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09/25/2025
Russian MiG-29 fighter jets have touched down in Iran, giving the country’s aging air force a short-term boost amid escalating Middle East tensions, an Iranian lawmaker said Tuesday.
Abolfazl Zohrevand, a member of parliament’s National Security Committee, called the MiG-29s a “short-term solution” while Tehran awaits the more advanced Sukhoi Su-35 jets, signaling a broader push to strengthen its military capabilities.
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09/25/2025
Air Force may get a reading on how many combat coded fighters it will need in years ahead as the result of a study that just began. “I know we don’t have enough right now,” Maj. Gen. William Betts, the director of plans, programs and requirements at Air Combat Command (ACC) at Langley AFB, Va., said in an interview on Wednesday.
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09/25/2025
The first time he throttled the MiG-21 to full power, soaring 20km above the Earth at twice the speed of sound, the young fighter pilot felt utterly weightless, as if the sky itself had let him go.
"At Mach 2 you can feel the lightness in the stomach. The MiG-21's turns at that speed are vast - banking sharply can carry you over many kilometres before completing a full arc," recalls Air Marshal (retired) Prithvi Singh Brar. He joined the Air Force in 1960, switched to the Soviet jet in 1966, an
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09/24/2025
Through recent statements by Estonia’s Defense Minister, Hanno Pevkur, the Baltic country expressed its readiness to host on its territory the future stealth F-35A fighters of the Royal Air Force (RAF), which the United Kingdom is set to acquire with nuclear strike capability provided by the United States. The declaration follows the September 19 incursion of three Russian Aerospace Forces MiG-31 interceptors, which violated the country’s airspace for twelve minutes.
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09/24/2025
On September 19, US aerospace company Radia announced a massive new cargo aircraft designed to move outsized military equipment without disassembly, aiming to plug what it calls a growing strategic airlift gap for the Pentagon and allied defense ministries. The aircraft, branded WindRunner for Defense, was announced at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference outside Washington.
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09/24/2025
Lockheed Martin is pushing to expand F-22 modernization to include 35 older Block 20 trainers—saving them from scrapping—and to pursue a broader “fifth-gen-plus” path for the F-35. Skunk Works’ OJ Sanchez says discussions are underway to fold Block 20s into upgrades already hitting Block 30/35 jets (open mission systems, new IR defenses, radar/EW enhancements).
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09/24/2025
The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group hosted Weapons System Evaluation Program Combat Archer 25.09 here Sept. 8-19, 2025. WSEP is a recurring exercise that provides units with a chance to evaluate combat readiness by conducting live-fire exercises with real air-to-air weapons, supported by full-scale and subscale drones, allowing aircraft, weapons and crews to perform in realistic scenarios.
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09/23/2025
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has demonstrated its ability to launch and recover aircraft from its first catapult-equipped aircraft carrier, the Fujian. Official imagery released by the PLAN today confirms that the new J-35 naval stealth fighters and KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft are carrying out carrier trials, something that had not been seen until now.
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09/23/2025
The Air Force’s first F-47 fighter is now being built by Boeing, and the advanced jet is expected to have its initial flight in 2028, Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said Monday. Allvin, speaking at the Air and Space Forces’ Air, Space and Cyber Conference, said that Boeing’s team worked quickly to start manufacturing the sixth-generation fighter after their selection was announced in March.
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09/22/2025
Estonian MP and security expert Eerik-Niiles Kross says NATO’s rules of engagement explain why Russian fighters weren’t shot down – but argues Estonia still needs its own jets. Russia’s violation of Estonia’s state border on 19 September was clearly unfriendly and deeply unsettling. I understand those who ask why the aircraft were not shot down. As a nation we cannot, and will not, tolerate aircraft from an aggressor state entering our airspace.
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09/22/2025
Germany’s air force says it has scrambled two Eurofighter jets to track a Russian reconnaissance aircraft after it had entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea. In a statement, the air force said its “quick reaction alert force” was ordered on Sunday by NATO to investigate an unidentified aircraft flying without a plan or radio contact.
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09/22/2025
Lockheed Martin unveiled a new autonomous drone called “Vectis,” which the company’s Skunk Works advanced products division thinks is the right-sized platform to partner with both Air Force and Navy crewed combat aircraft.
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09/21/2025
Canada is reassessing whether to complete its 88-jet F-35 purchase or pivot to Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen amid political frictions and cost debates. Security advocates argue the F-35’s stealth, sensors, and MADL networking are essential to police Canada’s vast Arctic and western approaches while interoperating with NORAD and allied F-35 fleets. Sixteen jets already purchased are insufficient to maintain a continuous 5th-gen air envelope.
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09/21/2025
Russian military aircraft violated Estonian airspace on Friday, ignoring signals from Italian jets on NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission, a senior Estonian military official confirmed. The 12-minute incursion represents the latest test of the alliance's response to Russian airborne threats, following around 20 Russian drones entering Polish airspace on 10 September.
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09/21/2025
America-class LHAs are the Navy’s largest amphibs and “lightning carriers” for USMC F-35B STOVL jets. USS America (LHA-6) and USS Tripoli (LHA-7)—omit a well deck to add fuel, maintenance space, and a 20–25 aircraft air group, boosting F-35B reach and sortie rates.45,700 tons, 844 ft, two gas turbines, >20 knots, and ESSM/RAM/CIWS self-defense. America is returning to San Diego; Tripoli is forward-deployed to Sasebo.
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09/21/2025
India’s ambitious fighter jet program stands at a crossroads. While American promises of engine technology transfer remain stuck in bureaucratic delays, French aerospace giant Safran has stepped forward with a game-changing proposal that could reshape India’s military aviation future.
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09/21/2025
Polish and allied military aircraft were scrambled early Saturday after Russia launched a massive aerial assault on Ukraine including strikes that targeted near its western border with Poland. It came hours after NATO intercepted three Russian jets over Estonia’s airspace and with Europe on heightened alert following a series of Russian airspace violations in eastern countries.
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09/20/2025
The Air Force cannot return to dominance by scaling up today’s force or chasing a single breakthrough. Adversaries now field sensors, precision weapons, and resilient command and control that are comparable to what the United States has. Meanwhile, each new crewed aircraft generation costs more to acquire and sustain, and personnel costs outpace inflation.
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09/20/2025
The Polish Border Guard reported that two Russian fighter jets violated the safety zone of the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea on Friday, September 19, flying directly over it.
TVP World reported this, according to Ukrinform. “Two Russian fighter jets performed a low pass over the Petrobaltic platform in the Baltic Sea. The platform's safety zone was violated,” the Border Guard stated.
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09/20/2025
The A-10 Thunderbolt II was purpose-built for close air support: long loiter, armor, and a 30mm cannon to shred tanks. But in peer fights with dense, layered air defenses—like those seen over Ukraine—non-stealth jets struggle to survive near the front. The F-35 can’t loiter like an A-10, yet its stealth, precision weapons, and powerful sensor-fusion let it find, fix, and pass targets while staying alive, teaming with drones, AC-130s, and helicopters for effects.
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09/20/2025
After Russian MiG-31 fighter jets flew into NATO member Estonia's airspace without permission, Italian F-35 stealth fighters scrambled to respond. The incident marks the fourth time this year the Russian military has has violated Estonian airspace. It also comes at a time of rising tensions between the alliance and Moscow.
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09/20/2025
NATO has reacted after Russian military jets breached Estonian airspace on Friday, marking a fresh provocation near the bloc's eastern flank. Three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace for several minutes earlier in the day, before leaving again, according to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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09/19/2025
Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a formal mutual defence pact in a move that significantly strengthens a decades-long security partnership amid heightened regional tensions. The enhanced defence ties come as Gulf Arab states grow increasingly wary about the reliability of the US as their longstanding security guarantor – concerns heightened by Israel’s attack in Qatar last week.
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09/19/2025
NATO has warned Denmark that it has too few fighter jets and urged the country to boost its air combat capacity, according to broadcaster DR News. NATO is warning that Denmark must increase its Air Force fighter jet strength by 60% to meet the alliance’s recently updated target of 43 jets, according to DR sources. This increase corresponds to Denmark buying 16 more F-35 fighter jets from the US and Lockheed Martin, the jets’ manufacturer.
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09/19/2025
Venezuela began large-scale military drills on the Caribbean island of La Orchila, mobilizing thousands of troops, warships, aircraft, and air-defense systems in a show of force it said was a response to United States naval deployment in the southern Caribbean.
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09/18/2025
France has sent three Dassault Rafale fighter jets to Poland to protect NATO’s eastern border following a series of Russian drone incursions, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
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09/18/2025
The US Air Force (USAF), in partnership with Raytheon, recently conducted the longest recorded launch of an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) from a fifth-generation fighter. The test took place at Eglin Air Force Base and involved an F-22 Raptor, highlighting the missile’s extended flight capability under the current F3R development program.
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09/18/2025
The Italian firm Leonardo formally presented its proposal to supply 32 Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 5 fighters to the Philippine Air Force (PAF). The offer seeks to meet the requirement of the multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) program, in which the Typhoon stands out as the first twin-engine fighter in the competition.
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09/18/2025
On 15 September, the US Department of State announced the approval of a request from the Peruvian authorities regarding a potential purchase of Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon Block 70 multirole fighter aircraft. The request is linked to Peru’s ongoing tender for next-generation combat aircraft, with the American offer being one of several under consideration.
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09/18/2025
Lockheed Martin has announced an upgrade to the Republic of Korea Air Force’s F-16 Block 52 flight simulators to reflect the advanced capabilities of its upgraded F-16 Viper (F-16V) aircraft. These upgrades reflect enhanced mission capabilities of the Republic of Korea Air Force, providing high-fidelity simulated environments for pilots to train like they fly.
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09/18/2025
Three Polish organizations have formed a strategic consortium to build what they claim is Europe's first unmanned fighter aircraft designed to combat the growing threat of drones, drone swarms and loitering munitions on the modern battlefield.
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09/17/2025
In early August, the Spanish Air Force deployed eight Eurofighter fighter jets (C-16, according to the Spanish designation) to the Lithuanian base, under the name Vilkas Detachment. This is a Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission with NATO, in which Spanish fighter jets are participating for the 12th time to provide support to three NATO member countries (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) that have very small air forces and no combat aircraft of their own.
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09/17/2025
Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc., announced today that it was awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy to continue to provide the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps with training support services under the Fleet Fighter Jet Services (FJS) program. This latest award builds on ATAC’s 20 years of success supporting the U.S. Navy with high subsonic and supersonic aircraft flying a variety of airborne threat simulations.
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09/17/2025
At the Changchun Air Show, China publicly displayed for the first time a J-6 fighter aircraft that has been converted into a drone, marking a rare appearance of the retrofitted Cold War-era jet in unmanned form.
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09/17/2025
The United States has struck a potentially significant military deal with Peru, approving a $3.42 billion sale of advanced F-16 Fighting Falcon single- and dual-seat jets plus a support package of weapons and spare parts aimed at modernizing the South American nation’s air force.
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09/17/2025
Japan is deploying eight aircraft, including four F-15 fighter jets, to bases in the United States, Canada and Europe in an unprecedented mission to support NATO. The mission, dubbed Atlantic Eagles, reportedly marks the first time in history that Japanese warplanes have deployed to Canada and Europe.
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09/16/2025
Fighter jets from the UK will join Nato allies in defending Polish airspace after last week's incursion of Russian drones, the defence secretary has confirmed. RAF Typhoon jets will fly air defence missions over Poland as part of the military alliance's mission to bolster the eastern flank.
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09/16/2025
In what would constitute a significant shift in its future modernization plans, the Hellenic Air Force is reportedly evaluating the purchase of additional F-35 stealth fighters from the U.S., which would effectively rule out continuing the upgrade of its remaining fleet of 38 F-16 Block 50 aircraft. According to local media reports, the Greek government is interested in acquiring between 8 and 12 fifth-generation aircraft, which would join the 20 F-35s already ordered.
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09/16/2025
Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) capabilities is set to become a market differentiator for fighter aircraft, allowing 4.5-5th generation platforms to remain relevant to the battlefield. With the extensive development of C4I systems, electronic warfare and other avionics, the aircraft has evolved into a system hub. While the global primes work to achieve a sixth-generation capability, it remains crucial that the defence industry continues to develop the 4.5-5th generation market.
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09/16/2025
Stealth technology, embodied by the F-35 fighter jet, poses a serious challenge to many air defense systems. But how does a country without access to such aircraft construct an effective defense posture? Since Turkey’s removal from the F-35 program, Ankara has pursued a multi-layered strategy to close the capability gap. The key elements of this approach are outlined below.
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09/16/2025
A U.K. Royal Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was noted today flying in Polish airspace along the border with Russia and Belarus, apparently highlighting a significant, if overlooked, overland surveillance mission for the type. The unusual flight comes amid rising tensions between NATO and Russia in the region, following the Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace last week.
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09/16/2025
In the days before and after the Russian drone incursion into Poland, the Swedish Air Force confirmed the interception over the Baltic of Russian Armed Forces combat aircraft, as well as signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft, by its JAS-39 Gripen fighters, in coordination with Denmark.
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09/15/2025
Turkish company Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi signed an agreement to export 20 mm ammunition for FA-50 light fighter jets to Poland at the DSEI 2025 exhibition. This will allow aircraft delivered in 2023 to begin using their cannon weapons.
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09/15/2025
NATO allies Poland and Romania both scrambled fighter jets to respond to Russian drone and missile attacks in Ukraine on Saturday, as the alliance looks to bolster its defensive options in response to repeated violations of allied airspace by Russian munitions.
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09/15/2025
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09/15/2025
The human body has not evolved to meet the physical demands of flying a fighter jet. High G-forces, high altitude, low oxygen—the fighter jet places the human body in an environment and in situations far removed from what that body is built to withstand. Put simply, without specialized training and equipment, the environment is not compatible with life. This is why flying a fighter jet is among the most physically demanding and physically dangerous occupations in the world.
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09/14/2025
Five U.S. F-35 aircraft were seen landing in Puerto Rico on Saturday after President Donald Trump last week ordered 10 of the stealth fighters to join a military buildup in the Caribbean to counter drug cartels amid rising tensions with Venezuela. The F-35s were seen landing at the former Roosevelt Roads military base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, by Ricky Arduengo, a contract photographer working for Reuters.
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09/14/2025
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced that F-15 fighter jets from the Air Self-Defense Force will fly to the other side of the world to demonstrate Japan’s commitment to deepened exchanges with like-minded nations. He said the aircraft would visit the United States, Canada, Britain and Germany over roughly two weeks from Sept. 14.
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09/14/2025
Singapore’s Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to acquiring 20 F-35 fighter aircraft during a visit to Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The first aircraft is on track for delivery at the end of 2026.
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09/14/2025
After Poland, a Russian drone breached the Romanian airspace, raising worries among Nato over a war spilling over. The incident prompted Romania to scramble F-16 fighter jets to track the unmanned aircraft for nearly an hour. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ramped up its security after a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace on Saturday. The incident prompted Romania to scramble F-16 fighter jets to track the unmanned aircraft for nearly an hour.
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09/14/2025
One of the Air Force’s most powerful bombers recently flew to the Arctic to test out its ship killing bomb earlier this month. A B-2 Spirit bomber flew with planes from the Norwegian Air Force in a test of the military’s “Quicksink” munition, taking out a floating target.
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09/14/2025
One month after Boeing won the USAF’s F-47 NGAD, Lockheed Martin surprised observers twice: it declined to protest and unveiled a “Ferrari” F-35 concept—a fifth-gen-plus upgrade leveraging NGAD tech. Thus far, Pentagon and JPO reactions are muted, and insiders note upgrade programs rarely mint generals, dampening enthusiasm inside the Air Force.
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09/13/2025
U.S.–Iran antagonism did not begin with this June’s B-2 strikes. In 2013, after Iranian jets harassed U.S. MQ-1 flights in international airspace, the Pentagon began escorting drones with fighters. During one mission, two Iranian F-4 Phantoms closed on a Predator—until an F-22 Raptor flown by Lt. Col. Kevin “Showtime” Sutterfield slid unseen beneath them, verified their loads, then pulled alongside with a radio warning: “You really ought to go home.”
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09/13/2025
China’s two-seat J-20S debuted prominently, highlighting a shift toward manned-unmanned teaming and airborne command roles. Beijing touts the back-seater as a “mission commander,” potentially controlling loyal-wingman drones.
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09/13/2025
As anyone who has glanced inside the cockpit of an older aircraft can tell you: the cockpit used to be a clutter of gauges and switches, a schematic overload that could leave the layman disoriented. This effect was hardly isolated to the layman; the confusing gauge-filled cockpit was also a source of friction for the pilot, albeit one that could be somewhat mitigated through training and repetition.
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09/13/2025
Decades of force cuts and deferred modernization have left the U.S. Air Force unable to simultaneously deter nuclear attacks, defend the U.S. homeland, and defeat Chinese aggression at acceptable levels of risk. Years of insufficient resources have also eroded the Air Force’s ability to conduct long-range, penetrating attacks against China’s centers of gravity and deny the operational sanctuaries the People’s Liberation Army.
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09/12/2025
France will send three Rafale fighter jets to help defend Polish airspace following what Warsaw described as an unprecedented Russian drone attack that violated NATO territory 19 times, President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday.
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09/12/2025
A second B-21 bomber has flown from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base in California, ramping up the Air Force’s test effort for its new fleet. The flight occurred Sept. 11, the Air Force confirmed. Aviation enthusiasts snapped photos of the B-21 taking off and flying from outside the fence line at Plant 42, where the aircraft is manufactured. Photographer Jarod Hamilton shared a video on social media showing the Raider soaring across a cloudless sky, accompanied by an F-16.
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09/12/2025
The US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program—slated as drone “wingmen” to the Boeing F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program—represents a leap forward in unmanned aerial operations. Whereas today’s drones rely upon remotely piloted systems, complete with human operators and satellite links, the CCA will be truly autonomous—making self-contained combat decisions in real-time, executing missions with minimal human input.
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09/12/2025
Taiwan's Apex Aviation on Thursday confirmed reports that a Chinese military aircraft had flown close to one of its medevac planes near Kinmen in June. Confirming the first news report of the incident, which was published by the local RW News on Tuesday, Apex told CNA on Thursday that the issue occurred on the morning of June 26, when one of its medevac aircraft was flying from Taipei Songshan Airport to its base in the offshore Kinmen County, carrying no patients.
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09/12/2025
Ukraine’s 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade announced on Thursday that the pilot of a Su-27 (NATO: Flanker) fighter aircraft, Major Oleksandr Borovyk, has been killed in action during combat operations near Zaporizhzhia. According to the 39th’s statement on Facebook, Borovyk was performing a combat mission in a Su-27 aircraft on the Zaporizhzhia front when his fighter jet went down at about 13:30 on Thursday afternoon – for reasons that are still being clarified.
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09/12/2025
The last of the venerable Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter swing-wing strike aircraft in Europe have been officially withdrawn from service. At one time, the Su-22 was a backbone of Warsaw Pact offensive airpower on the continent, with the final examples having been operated by the Polish Air Force, which had flown these impressive jets since the first example was delivered more than 40 years ago.
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09/11/2025
A spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) says it has no force posture changes to announce after an unprecedented flurry of Russian drones violated Polish airspace overnight. Authorities in Poland say they have assessed that the incursions were not accidental. Polish and Dutch fighters shot down several of the intruding uncrewed aircraft. The alliance has described this as a first-of-its-kind event.
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09/11/2025
A squadron of Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets began arriving at an air station southeast of Hiroshima this week to replace the service’s first squadron of F-35B Lightning II fighters deployed to Japan. The first Hornets with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 landed Monday at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni for a six-month stint, according to a news release from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing that day.
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09/11/2025
Singapore has confirmed its selection of the Boeing P-8A Poseidon as its next maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). The new aircraft will replace the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) fleet of aging Fokker 50 turboprops for a significant capability boost and will continue the modernization of one of the region’s best-equipped air arms.
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09/11/2025
It has become a common practice among fighter aircraft designers and producers outside the United States to present new designs and claim them to be stealthy. To some degree, according to US experts in this esoteric field of aerospace technology, they can describe what they have developed as “stealthy,” but most do not meet US standards in this regard.
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09/11/2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commended the use of NATO aircraft to intercept Russian drones over Poland after a Wednesday incursion amid an attack on Ukraine. “The precedent of using combat aircraft from several European countries simultaneously to shoot down Russian weapons and protect human lives is highly significant,” Zelensky wrote in a statement on the social platform X.
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09/10/2025
Israeli air strikes have hit the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, a Houthi-affiliated media outlet reports.
“Israeli aggression on the capital Sanaa,” Al Masirah television posted on Telegram on Wednesday.
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09/10/2025
More than a dozen Russian drones entered Poland overnight, prompting NATO to scramble fighter jets to shoot them down in what Western officials described on Wednesday as a dangerous escalation of the war in neighboring Ukraine.
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09/10/2025
Algeria’s procurement of Russian Su-34 fighter jets appears to be making progress. According to reports, production of the Sukhoi fighter jets intended for Algiers is already underway. Last month, Military Watch Magazine confirmed new footage that depicted a small batch of Su-34 strike fighters being prepared in export configuration. Analysts suspect that this batch of aircraft is intended for Algeria and is expected to replace the nation’s older Su-24M strike fighters.
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09/10/2025
Last week was one for the books. US President Donald Trump rebranded the Department of Defense as the Department of War. And China held a remarkable parade and flyover in Beijing. It was clearly intended to drive home the fact that China’s armed forces had at least attained technical parity with the United States and possibly surpassed it.
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09/10/2025
As the arrival of the first six F-16AM/BM fighters for the Argentine Air Force approaches, alongside progress in infrastructure works and the training of pilots and personnel, at the end of last August the United States government awarded a new contract aimed at sustaining the Argentine aircraft as well as those of other operators. This comes in addition to other contracts granted by the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as agreements reached between Argentina and Danish firms.
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09/10/2025
On August 5, reports began coming out revealing the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems command (NAVAIR) had issued contracts to companies seeking conceptual designs for a carrier-based Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) ‘drone fighter’.
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09/10/2025
British, Italian and Japanese firms set to build sensors and communications systems for the GCAP fighter have formed a UK-based consortium ready to sign a design and development contract with the platform’s lead integrators. Known as GCAP Electronics Evolution (G2E), the consortium groups Leonardo and ELT Group from Italy, Leonardo UK and Mitsubishi Electric representing Japan, the firms said at the DSEI show in London.
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09/09/2025
Israel launched an airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar on Tuesday, expanding its military actions that have ranged across the Middle East to include the Gulf Arab state where the Palestinian Islamist group has long had its political base. Qatar, which has acted as a mediator alongside Egypt in talks on a ceasefire in the almost two-year-old war in Gaza, condemned the attack as "cowardly" and called it a flagrant violation of international law.
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09/09/2025
Israel has carried out air strikes in the central and western parts of Syria, the country's state news agency said on Monday night. Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the air strikes as "a blatant infringement" of its sovereignty and regional stability, Reuters reported.
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09/09/2025
The recent flyby carried out by Venezuelan F-16s near a United States Navy destroyer in the Caribbean Sea has put the spotlight on the Fighting Falcons of the Bolivarian Military Aviation (AMB). Of U.S. origin and manufactured by what was then General Dynamics, they once were, at the time of their arrival in Venezuela, the most technologically advanced and capable multirole fighters in South America.
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09/09/2025
Delivery of the F-35A fighter jets to Switzerland remains scheduled to begin in mid-2027, Switzerland’s defense procurement agency Armasuisse confirmed on September 6, 2025.
The first aircraft will come from Lockheed Martin’s factory in Fort Worth, Texas, before a second production line in Cameri, Italy, starts deliveries in mid-2028. Switzerland’s fleet is due to arrive in the latest “Block 4” configuration, an Armasuisse spokesperson told Swiss agency Keystone-ATS.
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09/09/2025
The U.S. Air Force faces a potential “air superiority gap” due to the small size and maintenance issues of its F-22 Raptor fleet. While the F-22 remains a qualitatively superior fighter, only 143 (numbers vary by source) of the 186 aircraft are combat-coded, a number dwarfed by China’s rapidly growing fleet of J-20s.
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09/09/2025
In a scathing assessment of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter effort and associated contractors, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a 54-page report on the program’s recent performance. The federal agency identified troubling trends related to modernization efforts for the F-35 Block 4 upgrade, related delivery underperformance, and failed contract requirements. Below are some of the leading highlights.
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09/08/2025
The United States government has authorized the potential sale of a new batch of advanced AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles to equip the fighter fleets of the Belgian, Italian, and Romanian Air Forces. This follows one of the most recent notifications submitted by the State Department to the U.S. Congress, seeking approval for the $103.9 million transaction through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
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09/07/2025
The first flight of the US Air Force’s sixth-generation F-47 fighter will happen sooner than many anticipate, according to Boeing’s Phantom Works division. Colin Miller, vice president and general manager, said people will “be surprised by how fast you see [the F-47] flying.”
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09/07/2025
Amid growing competition in the U.S. defense industry, Anduril Industries announced Friday that it has been chosen by the U.S. Navy to develop designs for the service’s future carrier-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). “The US Navy has selected Anduril to develop designs for carrier-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA),” the company said. “We are focused on delivering an aircraft built specifically to the Navy’s distinct needs, at rapid speed and formidable scale.”
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09/06/2025
The first of Türkiye's next KAAN indigenous combat aircraft prototypes has entered the system integration phase, with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) planning first flights for spring 2026, company officials announced. TAI officials, speaking to Tony Osborne from Aviation Week on Tuesday, confirmed that two prototypes are in an advanced state of structural assembly, with system integration work underway at the company's final assembly line in Ankara.
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09/06/2025
The F-15 Eagle is a dominant aircraft, unrivaled in air-to-air combat—still in active service, and credited with over 100 aerial kills without a single loss. The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is one of the most respected fighter aircraft ever built. Boasting an undefeated air-to-air record, the F-15 is an air superiority virtuoso benefitting from exceptional maneuverability and handling characteristics combined with raw power.
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09/06/2025
Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew near a United States Navy ship in international waters, the US Department of Defense has said, in a move described as “highly provocative” amid escalating tension between Washington and Caracas. The Defense Department warned Venezuela in a statement late on Thursday to cease further provocative moves, describing the Venezuelan aircraft buzzing over the US vessel – reported to be the guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham.
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09/06/2025
Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have completed a series of demonstrations validating the operational viability of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The Capability Demonstration 2025 missions concluded in early June, four months ahead of schedule, after 150 hours of flight and more than 20,000 hours of virtual testing.
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09/06/2025
The United States is not talking about regime change in Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Friday, as the United States ordered an additional 10 stealth fighter jets to a military buildup in the Caribbean. "We're not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that you had an election which was a very strange election, to put it mildly," Trump said, referring to the contested 2024 election the Venezuelan government says President Nicolas Maduro won.
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09/05/2025
Two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham on Thursday, according to multiple Defense Department officials who described the action as a "show of force." The Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, is among a flotilla of U.S. warships dispatched to the region in recent weeks that the Pentagon says have been deployed to target criminal organizations and narco-terrorism.
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09/05/2025
The Hellenic Air Force is considering the acquisition of additional M-346 aircraft, including the armed variant, to support the advanced stage of training new second lieutenants. There are plans for the addition of at least four aircraft to the fleet, bringing the total number to 14, as the current existing fleet is barely sufficient to meet the needs of the Air Force.
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09/05/2025
Evidence has emerged that Ukraine has topped up its hard-worked fleet of MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters from a somewhat surprising source: Azerbaijan. While the number of aircraft involved is not considerable, any addition to the MiG-29 fleet will be welcome for the Ukrainian Air Force, which has also received Fulcrums donated by Poland and Slovakia and which has suffered steady attrition since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
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09/05/2025
An aircraft’s thrust-to-weight ratio is a statistic that is often thrown around, but one that is poorly understood, even among aviation buffs. The number is less easily understandable than an aircraft’s wingspan or its top speed. Yet the thrust-to-weight ratio is foundational to a fighter jet’s performance.
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09/05/2025
After years of attempts to entice India to adopt its Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name “Felon”) fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter, Russia is reportedly carrying out feasibility studies to determine whether the aircraft could be built under license in the subcontinent. Russian state-owned military-industrial conglomerate Rostec’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) had sought to close a deal with New Delhi for years. It had more recently floated a co-production agreement.
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09/04/2025
Russia is eyeing the production of its Su-57 fighter jets in India and has launched a study on the required investments, inside sources shared with the Indian news agency ANI. Given India’s historical reliance on Russian defense materiel before diversifying, officials noted that Su-57 local production could be possible on the Hashik-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility, which is already licensed to manufacture Su-30MKI aircraft.
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09/04/2025
The F-15EX Eagle II is a two-seat, twin-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft. It is a derivative of the Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle. The F-15EX incorporates modern advancements, including “fly-by-wire” flight controls, dual Digital Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems, a large touchscreen display, and additional enhancements, such as the AN/ALQ-250(V)1 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System for electronic warfare.
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09/04/2025
In a first, the Air National Guard recently tested how its new rescue helicopter would survive against attacks from enemy fighter aircraft to prepare for a potential war in the Pacific. Guard pilots engaged electronic countermeasures on a HH-60G Pave Hawk and on the newer HH-60W Jolly Green II rescue helicopter when an F-15D Eagle fighter launched simulated attacks over water.
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09/04/2025
The People's Liberation Army has displayed all types of its fifth-generation combat planes on active duty for the first time via the grand parade on Wednesday, a move that observers say is intended to show its world-class air prowess.
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09/04/2025
Following interest from Kyiv, Sweden is open to selling advanced Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine once the war with Russia ends, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told Breaking Defense.
“We have a dialogue also with Ukraine, and since they certainly expressed an interest for the Gripen system … predominantly Gripen Echo, the new version that Sweden, Brazil are operating as well,” then a future sale is a possibility, Jonson said.
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09/03/2025
Celebrating Ukrainian Aviation Day, President Zelensky officially unveiled the first full-length image of a Dassault Mirage 2000-5F fighter jet. The aircraft retains its original French Air and Space Force camouflage, now with Ukrainian markings on its tail.
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09/03/2025
The U.S. Air Force is signaling a renewed commitment to the F-15EX Eagle II, with the fiscal year 2026 budget requesting funds for an additional 21 aircraft. This move revives hopes that the service will acquire its original goal of 144 fighters. The program’s future had been in doubt, with planned procurement numbers slashed due to budget constraints and the need to fund next-generation programs like the F-47.
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09/03/2025
An Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon that crashed off South Korea’s western coast last year went down after an engine stall caused by hardware failure, according to Pacific Air Forces’ investigation. The jet took off from Kunsan Air Base at 8 a.m. Jan. 31, 2024, for a routine training mission that included midair refueling from a KC-46 Pegasus over the Yellow Sea, said the Aug. 22 report.
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09/03/2025
“F-35 is a very crucial platform for the Polish air power projection concept. I don't see any issues with that” contract going forward, said Maj. Gen. Cezary Wisniewski, deputy general commander of the Polish Armed Forces.
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09/02/2025
The Czech Air Force will operate JAS-39 C/D Gripen aircraft until 2035 following the signing of a new lease agreement. The document was signed in Prague by Lubor Koudelka, Director General of the Armaments and Acquisitions Section of the Ministry of Defence, and in Sweden by Mikael Granholm, Director General of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV).
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09/02/2025
On 28 August, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence announced that three multirole Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcon aircraft delivered from Norway landed at the 86th Air Base Borcea, located near Fete?ti. The aircraft will be assigned to the 571st Fighter Squadron, which will operate from the 57th Air Base currently undergoing modernisation to support Western combat aircraft.
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09/02/2025
Germany has approved the purchase of 90 Rafael Litening 5 targeting pods for its Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, aiming to boost its armed forces’ precision strike and reconnaissance capabilities. The Litening 5 is a fifth-generation air-to-ground and air-to-air platform incorporating a mid-wave and short-wave infrared sensor suite, high-resolution color imaging, and dual-wavelength laser designation.
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09/02/2025
Uncertainty is hanging over the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a joint project between France, Germany and Spain, that aims to develop a sixth-generation fighter aircraft supported by interconnected drones within a combat cloud. The idea, launched in 2017 and costing at least €100 billion, aims to strengthen European defence.
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09/01/2025
Japan’s Ministry of Defence announced on 28 August that, under arrangements with the United Kingdom, an undisclosed number of Boeing F-15J Eagle fighter aircraft from the Japan Self-Defence Forces will be periodically deployed to Britain. The initiative is intended to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries and will mark the first time Japanese Air Self-Defence Forces have operated in Europe.
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09/01/2025
The strike at Boeing’s military aircraft facilities, now a month old, is at a stalemate with no new talks scheduled. The union, representing thousands of workers, has made a direct appeal for President Trump to intervene as the deadlock threatens work on the new F-47 fighter.
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