January 14, 2026 Military Aviation News

Northrop Grumman to Develop USMC Collaborative Combat Aircraft

01/14/2026

Northrop Grumman and defense partner Kratos were selected on January 8, to develop the U.S. Marine Corps’ first collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) drones under the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) initiative. The Other Transaction Agreement award is worth about $231.5 million and funds a rapid two-year effort.

Navy demonstrates AI-enabled autonomy for future collaborative combat aircraft

01/14/2026

The U.S. Navy recently completed a second successful demonstration advancing multi-platform coordination of autonomous systems, an essential step toward developing future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

Croatian Air Force Dassault Rafales Can Now Patrol Eastern Europe

01/14/2026

On January 1, 2026, NATO member Croatia assumed complete air policing duties, concluding a transition period during which aircraft from the Italian and Hungarian air forces had filled the role. Following the modernization of its air force, Croatia now independently monitors the skies over its homeland—yet it continues to operate 24/7 under NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense System (NATINAMDS).

China confirms J-10CE achieves first combat victory

01/14/2026

China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense confirmed on Jan. 12 that the export-oriented J-10CE fighter jet achieved its first combat victory last May, stating that the aircraft downed several adversary aircraft in an aerial engagement without suffering losses.

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