3/11/2026 Australia is sending an aircraft and personnel to the Middle East. Does this mean we are entering the war?  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is off to another Middle Eastern war, which is likely a surprise to many given how contentious the country’s involvement in the Iraq war was. The Albanese government has decided to send a RAAF E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with 85 personnel and a supply of air-to-air missiles capable of shooting down drones. |
3/11/2026 Serbia Armed Its MiG-29 Fighter Jets with Chinese CM-400AKG Missiles  Serbia has purchased Chinese CM-400AKG air-to-surface missiles for its MiG-29 fighter jets.
Analyst Danube Intel published a photo of the aircraft and suggested that the missiles could have been delivered as early as 2025. The MiG-29 fighters also received universal pylons from the Chinese company CATIC, which allow the integration of other missiles and guided bombs. |
3/11/2026 Iran War Provides Opportunity for Russia To Test U.S. Alaska Defenses  As the U.S.-led war against Iran’s clerical regime continues apace, Russia is testing American capabilities in another corner of the globe. Two Russian maritime patrol aircraft flew through the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ) on March 4. The pair of Tu-142 planes were met by 12 Canadian and American aircraft sent to monitor and intercept the Russian patrol, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). |
3/11/2026 RAF fighter jets shoot down drones targeting UK allies in Middle East  RAF fighter jets carried out military action to defend Jordan and Bahrain overnight as fighting intensifies in the Middle East. The jets intercepted a drone heading towards Bahrain and took out an uncrewed aerial system to defend Jordan, the Ministry of Defence said. Defence secretary John Healey confirmed the military action and said fragments of a drone that struck the UK base at Akrotiri, Cyprus, were being examined for “foreign military equipment”. |
3/11/2026 African Air Forces Update Their Fleets  Some African air forces are overhauling their fleets while weighing affordability, the types of fighter aircraft to buy, and getting rid of older aircraft too expensive to maintain. The air forces are investing in advanced aircraft to deal with terrorists, criminal groups and regional security threats. They also are working toward defense partnerships with such countries as Italy, Türkiye and the United States. |
3/10/2026 On the flightline with Swedish fighter jets in Iceland, in Cold War 2.0  It’s harsh here, with blustery winds at the Icelandic air station that the US shut down two decades ago. The gray, hardened aircraft shelters in concrete give a true sense of Cold War 2.0. The six Swedish JAS 39 Gripen C fighters deployed here for Arctic air policing were grounded for two days when Breaking Defense visited the air station with a group of other media. |
3/10/2026 Australia to send military aircraft to the Gulf  Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft and 85 Defence personnel to the Gulf at the request of the United Arab Emirates to help protect Australians and others in the region, as 12 countries come under attack from Iran. Australian advanced and medium-range air-to-air missiles will also be provided to the UAE. The E-7A Wedgetail is one of Australia’s most sophisticated military planes, and will be deployed for an initial four weeks. |
3/10/2026 Turkish Deployment of F-16s in Occupied Portion of Cyprus Raises Tensions in Eastern Mediterranean  Using the regional turmoil sparked by the war against Iran’s clerical regime as a cover, Turkey has deployed six F-16 fighter jets to the occupied part of Cyprus. Turkey’s March 9 action represents a significant escalation in the militarization of the Eastern Mediterranean. It also raises serious legal questions over the export and end use of U.S.-made military equipment. |
3/10/2026 NCIST mulls Kratos drone collaboration  Taiwan’s state-run defense research group is mulling developing autonomous “loyal wingman” drones to support fighter jets in a potential collaboration with a US-based manufacturer, a source said. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a defense official said the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCIST) has reached out to Kratos Defense in a bid to collaborate in building combat aircraft utilizing technologies featured in the latter’s XQ-58A Valkyrie. |
3/10/2026 China signals push for military aircraft exports  A Global Times report said China plans to expand military aircraft exports following what it described as the first overseas combat success of the export-oriented J-10CE fighter jet in 2025. The report cites AVIC official Ji Ruidong saying China should shift from exporting individual aircraft to offering integrated combat systems that include fighters, missiles, sensors and communications networks. |