3/13/2026

KC-135 Crashes In Iraq While Supporting Iran Ops

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker supporting Operation Epic Fury against Iran crashed in western Iraq after a refueling incident involving two aircraft March 12, U.S. Central Command announced.

3/13/2026

Russia Quietly Armed Iran’s Air Force for Years, Leaked Files Reveal. Su-35 Jets Expected Next

An F-35 made history on March 4, 2026, by shooting down a Russian-made aircraft over Tehran—the first confirmed air-to-air kill by the stealth fighter. Leaked documents show how the downed Yak-130 reached Iran.

3/13/2026

Fear of defections may have stopped flights

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could have held off flying military aircraft close to Taiwan over the past two weeks over fear of defections by pilots, Taiwanese researchers said yesterday. The decline in sorties could be due to factors other than US President Donald Trump’s planned state visit to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping from March 31 to April 2, the experts said at a symposium held by Secure Taiwan Associate Corp.

3/13/2026

PLA military flights off Taiwan resume

China between Wednesday and yesterday sent more military aircraft into a sensitive area off Taiwan following a brief period that saw it mysteriously hold off on the flights. Five Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft were detected in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) — a space closely monitored by the military — from 6am on Wednesday to 6am yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.

3/13/2026

Norway scrambles fighter jets for 2 consecutive days after Russian military aircraft detected

Norwegian Air Force fighter jets were scrambled for two consecutive days after sensors detected Russian military aircraft in international airspace off Finnmark, the country's armed forces said Wednesday. In a statement, the Norwegian Armed Forces said Norwegian sensors detected Russian Il-20M aircraft off Finnmark’s coast Tuesday and Wednesday. "NOR F-35s from Evenes scrambled, identified and shadowed them," said the statement.

3/13/2026

US Scrambles Fighter Jets After Russian Anti-Submarine Aircraft Enter Alaska Defense Zone

Radar operators monitoring the skies over the North Pacific detected an unusual flight path approaching the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on March 4, 2026. The aircraft were moving along a corridor frequently used during long-range military patrol missions across the Arctic region. Their approach immediately drew attention from defense monitoring systems operated by the United States and Canada.

3/12/2026

Inside the Cockpit: How F-35 and Typhoon Work Together to Protect the Skies

Each aircraft contributes different strengths. Typhoon is a fast, highly manoeuvrable air superiority fighter carrying a large weapons load. The F-35, meanwhile, is designed around stealth and advanced sensor fusion-technology that allows it to detect and track threats earlier than conventional aircraft.

3/12/2026

Air force expected to conduct exercises this week

Taiwan’s air force is expected to conduct a series of exercises this week as part of its joint combat tactics specialty course, implementing a combat-like simulated environment, airdefensenews.com wrote on Facebook on Sunday, with Ministry of National Defense sources yesterday appearing to confirm the report.

3/12/2026

Lockheed Martin receives $700 million contract to begin production work for additional Danish F-35A Lightning II fighters

The U.S. Department of War announced on March 9 that it had signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to begin the production process for additional F-35A Lightning II aircraft ordered by Denmark. The agreement marks another step in expanding Denmark’s fleet of fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

3/12/2026

Romania agrees to allow US to use its military bases for Iran missions

The United States was granted permission to use bases in NATO ally Romania for operations in Iran on Wednesday following a meeting of defense officials in Bucharest. Romanian President Nicusor Dan called a defense council meeting to discuss whether to allow U.S. aircraft to carry out such missions, multiple Romanian news agencies reported Wednesday.