10/16/2025 Sweden plans to first provide reconnaissance aircraft to Ukraine, then focus on Gripen jets  Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said his country is ready to strengthen military support for Ukraine, including through the PURL initiative and the aviation coalition, speaking ahead of a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Ukrinform reported on Oct. 15. |
10/16/2025 Indonesia to Buy China’s Chengdu J-10 Fighter Jets, Minister Says  Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin revealed Wednesday that Indonesia would soon buy China’s Chengdu J-10 fighter jets as the country sought to upgrade its military fleet. Sjafrie, however, did not give a time frame for when the purchase would take place, including the number of fighter jets. The J-10s will soon fly in Jakarta,” Sjafrie said, as reported by the state news agency Antara. |
10/16/2025 Belgium reaffirms full F-16 delivery to Ukraine as F-35 rollout begins  Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has confirmed that all the F-16 fighter jets pledged by Belgium to Ukraine will indeed be delivered, reiterating his government’s commitment during a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Francken emphasized that the aircraft transfer would take place once Ukrainian pilots have completed their training and all necessary technical procedures are finalized. |
10/16/2025 A Russian Pilot Defected With A Mach 2.3 MiG-29 Fulcrum Fighter Jet  In a dramatic 1989 defection, Soviet Air Force Captain Aleksandr Zuyev escaped to the West in his advanced MiG-29 fighter. His daring plan involved baking a cake laced with sleeping pills to incapacitate his airbase comrades. After cutting phone lines and getting wounded in a shootout with a guard, Zuyev successfully took off and flew across the Black Sea to Turkey.
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10/16/2025 Germany orders 20 new Eurofighters to strengthen air superiority  Germany is strengthening its defence capabilities with the purchase of 20 new Eurofighters. Under the contract, Airbus will produce the multi-role combat aircraft at its final assembly line in Manching, near Munich in Germany. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery to the German Air Force in 2031, the last in 2034. |
10/15/2025 Industry minister pushing F-35 maker for economic benefits in Canada  The federal industry minister is putting pressure on U.S.-based Lockheed Martin to provide more economic benefits in Canada if the government is to proceed with its planned purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets. Otherwise, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said in a French-language interview on Radio-Canada’s Les coulisses du pouvoir, Ottawa could move forward with a smaller fleet of F-35s and the acquisition of a second fleet of Gripen-E fighter jets manufactured by Sweden’s Saab. |
10/15/2025 Russia is reportedly planning the sale of up to six new Su-35S fighter jets to the Ethiopian Air Force  According to the same leaked document that outlined Russia’s plans to supply Iran with 48 Su-35S fighters, Moscow also reportedly planned the sale of up to six new aircraft of the same model to the Ethiopian Air Force — a deal that has not yet been officially confirmed. If finalized, the acquisition would represent a major step forward in the modernization of Ethiopia’s combat fleet and stands out as part of a broader set of sales that have recently come to light. |
10/15/2025 Saab expands work on Sweden’s Future Combat Aviation Concept under new FMV order  Saab has received an order worth approximately SEK 2.6 billion ($238 million) from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for continued conceptual studies on future fighter systems. The new contract, covering the 2025–2027 period, builds upon the original agreement signed in March 2024 and expands the scope of work under Sweden’s Koncept för Framtida Stridsflyg (KFS) – or Future Combat Aviation Concept study. |
10/15/2025 Will Saudi Arabia accept F-16s instead of F-35s?  Among the topics apparently addressed during US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Saudi Arabia in May was a potential sale of F-35 stealth fighters. However, despite boasting of having signed “the largest defense sales agreement in history”, Washington may still prove reluctant to sell Riyadh the fighter, raising questions over whether the Kingdom might accept less advanced warplanes. |
10/15/2025 Wilsbach Pledges Tight Coordination with Navy on AMRAAM and JATM Missile Buys  Air Force Chief of Staff nominee Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said he will give special attention to coordinating with the Navy on how the services jointly buy air-to-air missiles like the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile and the new, secret AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. |