1/5/2026 150 aircraft, cyber effects and ‘overwhelming force:’ How the Venezuela operation unfolded  “The word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission, an extraction so precise it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the western hemisphere in close coordination, all coming together in time and place to layer effects for a single purpose, to get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise,” he said. “Failure of one component of this well-oiled machine would have endangered the entire mission.” |
1/5/2026 Why Does America Have an “Air National Guard”?  The Air National Guard (ANG) is often perceived as a reserve or secondary force to the US Air Force. In reality, the ANG performs a vital national security function, close to home, without the headlines or fanfare associated with the Air Force. Sitting at the crossroads of territorial defense, global operations, and civil response, the ANG is a versatile component of US air power. |
1/4/2026 China’s stealth fighter jet approached key Taiwanese airbase without detection: Report  New footage has been released that seems to show a Chinese Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter flying close to a Taiwanese airbase during a recent military exercise. Purportedly taken during the recent “Justice Mission 2025,” this has sparked debate as to whether the aircraft was able to approach undetected or not. |
1/4/2026 Saab CEO offers Germany fighter partnership as doubts grow over Europe’s air combat plans  Saab CEO Micael Johansson has said the company is ready to partner with Germany on a future fighter aircraft, presenting itself as an alternative as doubts continue over Europe’s next-generation air combat plans. In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Johansson placed the offer in the context of Europe still struggling to move fast enough on defence modernisation nearly four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. |
1/4/2026 U.S. Marine Corps F-35s neutralize Venezuelan air force assets  U.S. Marine Corps F-35 fighter jets destroyed Venezuelan Air Force aircraft during precision strikes on air bases across Venezuela, according to local reports describing the operation. The reports said Marine Corps F-35s carried out targeted attacks on Venezuelan fighter aviation bases shortly after missile strikes hit areas hosting long-range air defense systems, including S-300V and Buk-M2 units, along with their ammunition depots. |
1/4/2026 US engines secured for Turkey’s KAAN fighter jet  It has emerged that Turkey secured the procurement of 10 GE F110 engines from US-based GE Aerospace, the successor to General Electric. The engines are a critical component of Turkey’s first indigenous fighter jet, KAAN, which is being developed by state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). |
1/4/2026 Ukrainian Air Superiority 2026 Status Update: Western Weapons Systems to Watch  While Ukraine’s deep-strike interdiction drones and partisan agents are executing the grand strategy that is taking the offensive to the airfields, factories, and oil refineries of the Russian heartland, nerve centers in Moscow, and the Kremlin arteries of pipelines and railways, back in Ukraine’s homeland theater, more traditional, conventional air power is also being upgraded. |
1/3/2026 U.S. Approves Possible FMS of 3 P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft to Denmark  The US Department of State has approved the potential sale of 3 P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to Denmark under an FMS (Foreign Military Sale) program, according to a US DSCA’s (Defense Security Cooperation Agency) announcement made on December 29, 2025. The total cost of the program is estimated to be $1.8 billion. |
1/3/2026 Ukraine trained nearly 100 pilots in 2025 as aviation training scales up  Ukraine has reported training nearly 100 cadet pilots during 2025, as part of a broader effort to expand and professionalize its aviation personnel pipeline while continuing combat operations against Russia, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. |
1/3/2026 How Fighter Pilots Use “Post-Stall Maneuvering” in Air Combat  The post-stall maneuvers, like the Cobra, Tail Slide, and Kulbit are often dismissed as airshow tricks, for the sake of entertainment value, but that’s not quite right. Post-stall capabilities reflect deeper technological advances in flight control surfaces, thrust vectoring, and high-alpha aerodynamics. So, from a technological standpoint, post-stall maneuvers are absolutely impressive. The question, however, is how relevant are these capabilities to modern air combat? |