12/4/2025 Saab details Brazilian Gripen E Meteor firings that confirm the fighter’s long range combat edge  The Brazilian Air Force has completed its first firings of the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile from the Gripen E, marking an important step in the fighter’s operational development. Saab said the November tests confirmed the aircraft’s long range air combat capability after both missiles hit their designated targets during the BVR X Technical Exercise at Natal Air Base. |
12/4/2025 Turboprop for Modern Warfare – Super Tucano is Becoming Even More Useful  The first jet fighters appeared in World War II – yes, that long ago! Soon after, propeller-driven light combat aircraft were pushed to the margins. This process accelerated further with the spread of missile air defense systems. A shoulder-launched missile can eliminate any slow aircraft, so it seems better not to even come on the modern battlefield with a propeller-driven fighter plane. |
12/4/2025 Air Force F-35 Jets Deploy to Alaska for Arctic War Training  The exercise was designed to test the 354th Fighter Wing’s ability to rapidly generate, deploy, and sustain its combat aircraft in a near-peer operational environment. F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets have recently been deployed to Alaska to hone their arctic warfare capabilities. The Air Force conducted the exercise to test and validate its Arctic warfare capabilities and prepare for potential combat operations in the High North. |
12/4/2025 Thunderbirds F-16C Fighting Falcon Crashes in California  An Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon belonging to the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team crashed this afternoon in California, the Air Force said. “On December 3, 2025, at approximately 10:45 a.m., a Thunderbird pilot safely ejected from a F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft during a training mission over controlled airspace in California,” according to a statement from the 57th Wing Public Affairs Office. “The pilot is in stable condition and receiving follow-on care.” |
12/3/2025 Finally, the Hellenic Air Force is set to move forward with upgrading its 38 F-16 Block 50 fighters to the Block 70 standard  Amid various doubts that seemed to point toward purchasing new F-35 fighters at the expense of the upgrade program, the Hellenic Air Force has ultimately decided to continue moving forward with modernizing its fleet of F-16 Block 50 fighters to the Block 70 standard, a fleet that currently consists of around 38 aircraft. According to local media reports, the decision already has the approval of the current Greek government. |
12/3/2025 In a first, Egypt locally manufactures Rafale Fighter Jet parts  Egypt officially announced a significant step in its journey toward localizing defense industries after the Arab Organization for Industrialization revealed its success in locally manufacturing components of the French Rafale fighter jet. This announcement was made during the launch of the Egypt Defense Expo (EDEX 2025), currently hosted by Egypt under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. |
12/3/2025 France confirms India’s interest in Rafale F5, potential first export customer  The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has publicly confirmed that India is pursuing a plan to acquire 90 Rafale F4 fighter jets, with an additional option for 24 Rafale F5s, marking the most explicit acknowledgment yet of New Delhi’s commitment to the aircraft’s upcoming variant.
The reference appeared in a ministry analysis, since removed from public access, addressing the information campaign launched by China and echoed by Pakistan following the loss of an Indian Air Force Rafale during M |
12/3/2025 China’s navy flexes muscles with new flattops  China’s navy is gradually moving closer to becoming a peer adversary for U.S.naval forces in the Pacific region, as evidenced by China’s growing number of modern aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. The increasing quality of these flattops also threatens to erase the qualitative advantages that U.S. ships currently have. |
12/3/2025 AFCENT strengthens international partnerships through Ferocious Falcon 6  Air, land and naval forces from Qatar, Turkey, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and the United States converged across their respective domains to raise combat efficiency by building integrated command and control systems capable of achieving combat readiness in joint operations during Ferocious Falcon 6, an exercise hosted and led by Qatar, Nov. 16-20. |
12/3/2025 Upgrade carrier air wings with F/A-XX or lose to China  Carrier Air Wing 8 provides powerful options. Yet while US aircraft carriers have delivered remarkable results in Operation Rough Rider and other strikes in the Middle East, their recent combat success is masking a problem that will only get worse: old planes. |