3/8/2026 US Iran Israel News: Israel Strikes Tehran Airport, Destroys 16 IRGC Aircraft; Over 80 Fighter Jets Strike Military Targets  Israel intensified its military campaign against Iran with a large-scale overnight air operation targeting key military infrastructure in Tehran. The Israeli military announced that its air force carried out a series of coordinated strikes that destroyed multiple aircraft belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport. |
3/8/2026 UK confirms US military now using British bases for operations against Iran  The United States has begun using British military bases to support its airstrikes on Iran, the U.K.’s Defense Ministry said Saturday. The ministry said in a post on X that the “defensive operations” were aimed at preventing Iran from firing more missiles across the region. |
3/8/2026 Still More Fighters, Bombers Set to Join Iran Air War  The U.S. is moving to surge firepower over Iran, including its capital of Tehran, defense officials leading the campaign said March 5 at U.S. Central Command headquarters here. Bomber strikes are being stepped up and additional fighter squadrons are being deployed. |
3/8/2026 Royal Air Force deploys additional Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Qatar to reinforce UK air presence  Four Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft have deployed from RAF Coningsby to Qatar to strengthen the United Kingdom’s air presence in the Middle East. The aircraft will integrate with the existing UK Typhoon force already operating in the region. |
3/7/2026 RAF Typhoon jets to help defend Bahrain, Starmer tells King Hamad  British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told ?the king of Bahrain that four jets the UK is deploying to Qatar could be ?used to help ?defend ?the ?kingdom ?from Iranian ?missile and ?drone strikes against Gulf states. “The Prime Minister also offered further defensive ?air cover from these ?jets ?for Bahrain ?to ?bolster their security,” ?Starmer told King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in a call ?late on Thursday, according to a readout ?from ?Starmer’s office on Friday. |
3/7/2026 Turkish fighter jets conduct patrol flights along Iran border amid war  Turkish Air Force (TurAF) fighter jets are conducting patrol flights along Türkiye's border with Iran as the war between the United States and Iran continues, with aircraft observed flying over the border region near the Yuksekova district of Hakkari province. Aircraft were observed flying at regular intervals along the border line as part of ongoing operations. |
3/7/2026 S-400 stand-alone use 'most reasonable solution' for F-35 impasse: Defense Minister  Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler stated that Türkiye still considers using the Russian S-400 air defense system in a stand-alone configuration, without NATO integration, as "the most reasonable solution" to the impasse blocking its reinstatement in the F-35 fighter jet program. |
3/7/2026 Why Didn’t Iran’s Air Force Put Up a Fight Against the United States?  Iran’s air force was the most powerful in the Middle East in 1979, and nothing about it has changed since then. That’s a big problem for Tehran. Operation Epic Fury has exposed the limitations of Iran’s aging air force. Within the first days of the campaign, US and Israeli forces achieved air superiority over Iranian air space—a contest during which Iranian fighters were largely absent from the skies. |
3/7/2026 Swiss government reduces F-35 fighter jet order  Switzerland confirmed it will proceed with the F-35A fighter jet procurement but expects to acquire about 30 aircraft instead of the originally planned 36 due to rising program costs.
The Swiss Federal Council will request an additional 394 million Swiss francs from parliament to cover inflation and raw material cost increases while remaining within the voter-approved funding ceiling. |
3/7/2026 Ukraine Prepares Down Payment for Gripen and Rafale Fighter Jets  Ukraine is moving forward with plans to secure advanced fighter jets from Sweden and France.
“We must have a down payment from the Ukrainian side for future aviation, regarding the Gripen and Rafale,” the President stated. He noted that the matter was discussed on March 4 during a meeting with Ukraine’s Minister of Defense. The country is preparing a down payment for Swedish-made Gripen and French-made Rafale aircraft, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 5. |