12/31/2025 90 Chinese aircraft cross Taiwan Strait median line during drill  From 6am yesterday until 6am today, 14 Chinese warships, eight government vessels and 130 military aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles, were detected around Taiwan, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. The ministry said China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sent 130 warplanes and drones during the 24-hour period to "harass" Taiwan, with 90 of them crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line and flying into Taiwanese airspace. |
12/31/2025 Strategic Reach: Poland Selects Airbus A330 MRTT+ to Power its Future Fighter Fleet  The contemporary evolution of the Republic of Poland‘s defense posture, specifically within the framework of the Polish Air Force (Sily Powietrzne), represents a sophisticated pivot toward integrated regional hegemony and strategic autonomy within the NATO eastern flank, necessitated by the deteriorating security architecture of Eastern Europe as of December 30, 2025. |
12/31/2025 China flexes blockade capabilities near Taiwan on second day of military drills  China's People's Liberation Army staged a second day of large-scale military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, unleashing a live-fire show of force as part of what it called "Justice Mission 2025" to demonstrate its ability to deter any external armed support for the self-ruled island that it has long insisted is part of its sovereign territory. |
12/31/2025 Spain Selects Turkish HÜRJET Jet Trainer and Light Combat Aircraft in €2.6bn Deal  Spain has officially selected the Turkish-built HÜRJET advanced jet trainer for its next-generation pilot training program, committing to a €2.6 billion acquisition covering aircraft, simulators, and long-term support. The decision marks a major milestone for Türkiye’s defense industry and reflects shifting procurement dynamics within NATO. |
12/31/2025 Israel Rearming Its Eagle Force With The New F-15IA  New-build F-15 Eagle fighters are headed to Israel again, with a contract for 25 new F-15IA aircraft placed with Boeing. These will be the first new Eagles that the country has acquired since 1999, when it received the last of its F-15I Ra’am jets and continues the enduring legacy of the F-15 in Israeli Air Force service. |
12/29/2025 Taiwan tracks 11 Chinese ships, 2 military aircraft The Ministry of National Defense tracked two Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels, and two official ships around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday and 6 a.m. on Monday. The two People’s Liberation Army did not cross the Taiwan Strait median line, according to the MND. In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships, and coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity. |
12/29/2025 Turkish unmanned fighter KIZILELMA achieves world 1st autonomous close-formation flight  Turkish defense company Baykar announced on Sunday that two prototypes of its Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat aircraft have successfully carried out the world’s first fully autonomous close-formation flight by jet-powered drones. |
12/29/2025 Lockheed Martin awarded $3.6 billion contract for logistics support of global F-35 fighter fleet  On 19 December, the United States Department of War announced the signing of another contract with Lockheed Martin for the provision of logistics support services for the global fleet of multirole combat aircraft from the F-35 Lightning II family. The December agreement is valued at USD 3.6 billion and is to be completed by the end of 2026, with an initial tranche of USD 1.8 billion released at the time of signing. |
12/29/2025 Japan responds to China with unprecedented number of F-2 Fighters with anti-ship missiles  On 9 December 2025, at Tsuiki Air Base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), at least 16 F-2 fighter aircraft were observed conducting training flights with each jet carrying four ASM-2 air-to-ship missiles mounted under their main wings. The ASM-2 is an indigenously developed Japanese anti-ship missile with a range exceeding 140 km. It employs an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker and is equipped with infrared counter-countermeasures (IRCCM) as well as target discrimination capabilities. |
12/28/2025 Ukrainian Saboteurs Destroy 4 Russian Fighter Jets  Last weekend, the Ukrainian Security Service and Ukrainian Military Intelligence were on the hunt for Russian fighter jets. In two separate operations, the Ukrainian forces claimed to have destroyed four Russian aircraft (a Su-27 Flanker and three Su-30 Flankers). The four aircraft cost approximately $170 million. On Saturday, the GUR used a saboteur to attack the Russian air base in Lipetsk. In a post released by the Ukrainian Military Intelligence, the Ukrainians called the operation “unique. |