Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Egypt continues talks with the US for up to 46 F-15 Eagle fighter jets.

11/07/2025

As reported by Tactical Report on November 3, 2025, Egypt’s negotiations with the United States for the acquisition of Boeing F-15 Eagle fighter jets are still ongoing, with no final agreement or production schedule confirmed. The proposed sale, valued at several billion dollars and covering up to 46 units, is expected to replace the canceled Su-35 procurement and expand Egypt’s Air Force modernization program.

MILITARY HARDWARE: TANKS, BOMBERS, SUBMARINES AND MORE China’s New J-35 Is No F-35 Stealth Fighter (For Now)

11/07/2025

China’s J-35 borrows the F-35’s silhouette and internal bays, and it’s being tailored for carrier ops on Fujian. But resemblance isn’t parity. The jet’s twin-engine layout, immature coatings, and unproven avionics trail the F-35’s combat-tested stealth, sensor fusion (DAS), mission-data libraries, and allied network. The Lightning II keeps widening the gap with Block 4 upgrades while the J-35 is still in low-rate production.

Sweden Considers Financing Part of Gripen Fighter Jet Deal With Ukraine in Landmark Defense Move

11/07/2025

Sweden and Ukraine are progressing in talks over a major defense agreement that could see Kyiv acquire up to 150 Gripen E multirole fighter jets, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told Reuters on November 6, adding that Stockholm could fund part of the deal via military aid. The deal, if finalized, would mark Sweden’s largest-ever aircraft export.

The Air Force Will Soon Have 32 Additional F-22 Combat Ready ‘Raptor’ Fighters

11/07/2025

The Air Force plans to modernize early Block 20 F-22s—once training jets—adding open mission systems, improved stealth coatings, EW upgrades, and AIM-9X/AIM-120D/AIM-260 compatibility. The move could boost the combat-coded Raptor fleet to 178 and hedge against delays to the sixth-gen F-47 amid rising J-20/Su-57 threats.

GCAP fighter jet designers push to keep weapons, drone options open

11/07/2025

The new sixth-generation GCAP fighter should be able to carry a wide variety of armaments and work with any number of different “Loyal Wingman” drones, a leading official on the UK-Japanese-Italy program has said. British defense ministry official Group Captain Bill Sanders said the under-development platform needed to have a weapons bay ready to accept any armament used by the partners, by NATO and by the United States.

F-35 Sale To Saudi Arabia Being Mulled By Trump Admin: Report

11/06/2025

Saudi Arabia could become the next customer for the Lockheed Martin F-35, with the Trump administration reportedly weighing up the sale of up to 48 jets to the kingdom. Selling the stealth jet to Saudi Arabia would be a significant policy shift, with Washington previously being unwilling to export F-35s to Arab states in the region, for fear of upsetting the strategic balance in relation to Israel.

Shield AI’s X-BAT drone to be powered by same GE engine as F-15, F-16 fighters

11/06/2025

Defense tech startup Shield AI’s X-BAT drone wingman will be powered by GE’s F110 fighter engine, the two companies exclusively told Breaking Defense, giving the recently unveiled loyal wingman drone the same powerplant used in the F-15 and F-16. Under a memorandum of understanding signed by the firms, GE will provide its F110-GE-129 powerplant and integrate a thrust vectoring nozzle critical for the X-BAT platform’s vertical takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) operations.

Putin’s Dangerous Game Of Chicken With NATO In The Sky

11/05/2025

NATO fighters have scrambled three times in a week as Russian drones and reconnaissance aircraft prodded Baltic airspace and nearby corridors. After Polish jets and allies shot down drones that crossed Poland in September—triggering an Article 4 consult—recent incidents saw Il-20, Il-76, and Il-78 flights intercepted in international airspace without transponders or flight plans.

The US Military Is Retiring The A-10 Warthog: Here's Why

11/05/2025

The legendary A-10 Warthog has been granted retirement in 2026 for several reasons, including the changing landscape of modern combat and military budget limitations. Due to the aircraft's effective but simplistic design, it lacks some features necessary to compete against other modern forces. For instance, the A-10 Warthog is anything but stealthy or quick, which is a problem when sending this aircraft against an adversary utilizing state-of-the-art air defenses.

Navy pursues uncrewed combat aircraft with artificial intelligence (AI) for carrier operations

11/05/2025

U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are pursuing carrier-based semi-autonomous uncrewed combat aircraft that operate together with crewed combat aircraft in a new project called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The CCA project seeks to enhance the carrier air wing's combat capabilities; sensing and situational awareness; and ability to blend crewed and uncrewed aircraft to enhance safety and extend the read of carrier-based aircraft.

New GA-ASI Gambit 6 UCAV Adds Air-To-Ground Operations for International CCA

11/05/2025

The latest iteration of the innovative Gambit Series of unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is Gambit 6, a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) that adds air-to-ground operations to its already proven air-to-air capability. The multi-role platform is optimized for roles such as electronic warfare, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), and deep precision strike, making it a versatile option for evolving defense needs.

China’s Banner Year in Combat Aircraft

11/05/2025

“Updating priors” means revising an existing belief system in the face of new evidence. Much has been written of about the modernization of China’s military in recent years, particularly People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aviation (both the PLA Air Force and PLA Naval Air Force). However, the niche trade of tracking PLA news still causes significant lags in disseminating information among the wider defense journalism, think tank, and defense commentariat crowd.

Netherlands formally transfers 18 F-16 fighter jets to Romania for use at European training centre

11/04/2025

The Netherlands has formally transferred ownership of 18 F-16 fighter jets to Romania, finalising the agreement in Bucharest. The documents were signed by Romanian Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu and Linda Ruseler, Director of Movable Property at the Dutch Ministry of Finance.

Saab and Bombardier consider Gripen E assembly in Canada to support Ukraine deal

11/04/2025

Sweden’s Saab is considering Canada as a potential assembly site for its Gripen E fighter jets as it looks to expand production capacity amid rising international demand, including from Ukraine. On October 22, 2025, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a letter of intent in Linköping covering a potential sale of more than 100 Saab JAS 39 Gripen E fighters.

The first flight of the new carrier-based training aircraft for the Chinese Navy has been recorded

11/04/2025

While China continues to make steady progress in the development of sixth-generation aircraft, as well as in the production of the new stealth fighters J-35 intended to equip the Navy’s aircraft carrier Fujian, the country has now recorded the first flight of its new advanced carrier-based training aircraft, which will be used to train its future pilots.

Finnish Air Force’s first F-35 moves out of final assembly

11/04/2025

As the photos in this post show, the Finnish Air Force‘s first F-35 has moved out of final assembly. The service said on its Facebook page; ‘Excitement is building! The Finnish Air Force’s first F-35 has moved out of final assembly, and we couldn’t resist sharing this behind-the-scenes sneak peek.’

Russian military aircraft trigger three NATO scrambles over Baltic in single week

11/04/2025

NATO fighter jets conducting air policing missions in the Baltic states scrambled three times last week to identify and escort Russian military aircraft, Lithuania's Ministry of Defence announced, according to LRT. On 27 October, NATO aircraft took off to identify a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane flying through international airspace from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad Oblast. The aircraft was operating without an activated radar transponder and without a flight plan.

U.S. contractor working to speed up F-16V delivery to Taiwan: Ministry

11/03/2025

United States personnel tasked with the production of F-16 Block 70 fighter jets purchased by Taiwan are working 20 hours a day to expedite the delivery of the aircraft, but will still miss the deadline, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense. The ministry made the statement in a report submitted to lawmakers on Sunday, outlining the status of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and noting delays in the delivery of several weapons systems.

Drones spotted above Belgian airbase were ‘spying’ on military planes, defense minister says

11/03/2025

Several drones spotted above a Belgian airbase over the weekend were there “to spy” on military fighter jets, the country’s defense minister said Sunday, at a time when European nations are on high alert for airspace intrusions. “They come to spy, to see where the F-16s are, where the munitions are, and other highly strategic things,” Theo Francken told CNN affiliate RTBF.

Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to be flight-ready by the first quarter of 2027: Report

11/03/2025

Security sources have ended ongoing disputes over the pricing of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, confirming that Türkiye acquired the aircraft at prices comparable to what manufacturing nations pay, with the jets expected to be flight-ready by the first quarter of 2027. According to security sources cited in a report by Akif Bulbul from Türkiye daily, the Eurofighter jets were not purchased at inflated prices above their actual value.

Armenia to Buy Indian-Made Su-30 Fighter Jets

11/03/2025

Armenia is finalizing negotiations with India to purchase Su-30MKI multirole fighter jets produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). According to Indian Defence News, the deal is in the final stage of approval and is viewed as a strategic response to Azerbaijan’s recent purchase of 40 Pakistani-made JF-17C Block III fighters.

How Exporting F-35 Fighter Jets Strengthens the United States

11/03/2025

By selling F-35s to allied nations, America provides them with one of the world’s most effective fighter jets—and an ironclad economic connection to the US defense industry. No modern aircraft has been as politically or industrially successful as the F-35 Lightning II. Conceived in the 1990s as a cost-sharing platform capable of performing as a jack of all trades, the F-35 has since become a cornerstone of Western defense integration, a platform that binds the US, Europe, and pacific allies.

Taiwan tracks 6 Chinese military aircraft and 8 naval vessels

11/02/2025

The defense ministry detected five Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. on Sunday. Three of the aircraft were reported to have crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the nation’s northern and southwestern air defense identification zone, or ADIZ. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor Chinese activity.

Russian cargo plane lands in Venezuela as Maduro turns to Moscow for military support

11/02/2025

A Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft has landed in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, signaling Moscow's growing interest in the country, Defense News reports. The Il-76, registered as RA-78765, arrived in Caracas on Sunday after a two-day flight from Russia. The route reportedly passed through Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, and Mauritania before reaching Latin America.

These are the U.S. ships and aircraft massing off Venezuela

11/02/2025

The large-scale buildup of U.S. military forces and assets in the Caribbean suggests that the Trump administration is preparing to expand operations. The large-scale buildup of U.S. military forces and assets in the Caribbean suggests that the Trump administration may be preparing to expand operations in the region, escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas and raising the possibility of the first U.S. strikes on Venezuela.

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