2/25/2026 Iran army helicopter crashes into market, killing 2 pilots and 2 merchants  Two military pilots and two merchants have been killed after an army helicopter crashed into a fruit market in central Iran. The crash on Tuesday morning occurred in Dorcheh, a town in Isfahan province, where the army has a major airbase, according to state media, which said the cause was likely a technical fault in the aircraft. |
2/25/2026 Collaborative Combat Aircraft program progresses through deliberate weapons integration testing  The Air Force has entered the next phase of developmental testing for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, initiating disciplined weapons integration and captive carry evaluations using inert test munitions to validate airworthiness, safety and systems performance. |
2/24/2026 Built to Adapt: The F-15’s Transformation and Global Impact  When the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle first entered U.S. Air Force service in 1974, it was designed with a single mission: to ensure air superiority against any adversary. Nearly five decades later, the F-15’s legacy is measured not only in speed and payload but also in adaptability, mission success and its role in shaping the capabilities of defense forces around the world. |
2/24/2026 US ambassador pitches Lockheed Martin F-35 to Portugal as F-16 replacement  The United States’ ambassador in Lisbon, John Arrigo, has urged Portugal to buy Lockheed Martin’s F-35, pushing the fifth-generation fighter as the preferred successor to the Portuguese Air Force’s aging F-16 fleet. made the remarks in an interview with CNN Portugal, framing the aircraft choice around NATO interoperability and arguing that joining the large and growing European F-35 user community would place Portugal among the continent’s “top tier” air forces. |
2/24/2026 China’s J-10 Fighter Jet Could Reshape the Indo-Pacific  The Chengdu J-10 represents a turning point in Chinese military aviation: the first truly modern, domestically designed multirole fighter fielded at scale. Often compared to the American F-16 or the Swedish Gripen, the J-10 symbolizes China’s transition from Soviet-derived platforms to indigenous design capability. And while the J-10 lacks stealth capabilities, it still serves as a central platform to the PLAAF’s force structure. |
2/24/2026 Seoul protests US-China fighter jet encounter over Yellow Sea, report says  South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense has lodged a complaint with U.S. Forces Korea over a brief standoff between American and Chinese fighter jets, according to local media. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back contacted the USFK commander, Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, after learning of Wednesday’s incident, the Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday. |
2/24/2026 GA-ASI Announces YFQ-42A Dark Merlin  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is giving its U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft a new name: YFQ-42A Dark Merlin. Dark merlins, deadly falcons known for their black feathers and devouring of other falcons as prey, often collaborate in groups for maximum effect against their targets. |
2/24/2026 A US Air Force F-22 Raptor just showed off how it might work with a loyal wingman-type drone in a future air war  A crewed US Air Force fighter and an uncrewed jet-powered aircraft flew together recently, communicating and showing how autonomous drones might fight in a future air war alongside human pilots. US defense firm General Atomics, a competitor in the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Program aimed at developing and fielding loyal wingman-type drones, said on Monday that its MQ-20 Avenger, long a CCA stand-in, flew with an F-22 Raptor. |
2/23/2026 The future of the Argentine Air Force’s A-4AR fighter-bombers: between doubts, certainties, and uncertainty heading into 2026  Nearly two years after their last flight, the future of the Argentine Air Force’s A-4AR Fightinghawk fighter-bombers continues to raise questions amid postponed decisions, budgetary constraints, and growing expectations over time. With the objective of restoring 18 aircraft, current planning aims to preserve the aerospace operational capability of the V Air Brigade, based in Villa Reynolds, San Luis. |
2/23/2026 Airbus Lacks Independent 4th-Gen Fighter Capability, Yet Claims Readiness for Solo 6th-Gen Development .jpg) The European aerospace giant, Airbus, stated its readiness for any potential bifurcation of the joint German-French-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project into two separate aircraft. The company claims it could independently realize a sixth-generation fighter if necessary, despite currently producing fourth-generation platforms only through international cooperation. |