Russian “Blackjack” Bombers Fly Near UK as NATO Scrambles Fifth-Gen Fighters
NATO fighter jets were scrambled after Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers flew near the UK’s northern flank during a long-range mission over waters north of Shetland, according to the Russian Defense Ministry on June 23. Russia’s Tu-160 supersonic bombers carried out a 16-hour flight over the Barents and Norwegian Seas, according to Moscow’s defense ministry. The Norwegian Sea lies north of Shetland, the UK’s northernmost island group, between Norway and Iceland.
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More nations willing to join GCAP jet project, Italy says
More countries could join the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) fighter project involving Italy, Britain and Japan, the Italian defence minister said on Tuesday, stressing that opening the venture to other nations would allow greater sharing of costs.
Collaborative Combat Aircraft: General Atomics details U.S. Air Force production contract for FQ-42A uncrewed fighters
The contract was announced on June 17, 2026, after GA-ASI designed, developed and flight-tested the FQ-42A on an accelerated schedule. The company said the aircraft moved from contract award to first flight in just 15 months, one of the fastest rollouts of a new fighter in history.
Africa’s second most powerful military set to soon receive formidable Chinese fighter jets
Algeria is considering purchasing Chinese J-10C fighter jets and KJ-500 early warning aircraft to upgrade its air capabilities. If the deal goes through, Algeria would be the first African nation to operate the Chinese J-10C and KJ-500 platforms.
NATO’s AI Airpower Leap: Türkiye’s KIZILELMA and Leonardo M-346 Complete First Live K-SWARM Combat Drone Trials
The successful live K-SWARM trials between Türkiye’s Bayraktar KIZILELMA and Leonardo’s M-346 signal a strategic breakthrough in collaborative combat aircraft, loyal wingman warfare, and NATO’s future AI-enabled air combat doctrine.
Taiwan Holds Five-Day War Exercise as China Steps Up Activity
Taiwan’s military began a five-day combat readiness drill on Monday as part of efforts to modernise its armed forces and shift training towards more realistic war scenarios. The exercise, known as the Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise, will run until Friday and forms part of Taiwan’s annual joint operations training programme.
48th Fighter Wing proves F-35A combat reach across Europe during NATO’s Ramstein Flag 26 exercise
The 48th Fighter Wing concluded its participation in Exercise Ramstein Flag 26 on June 18 after demonstrating its ability to integrate with NATO partners and Allied air forces. The NATO Allied Air Command-led exercise tested the generation of combat airpower across the European theater.
After the Iran War, Israel Orders More Stealth
Israel has approved a plan to buy two more squadrons of advanced fighters from the United States: a fourth squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35I “Adir” stealth jets, and a second squadron of Boeing’s new F-15IA. It is one of the largest fighter expansions in the Israeli Air Force’s history, and it is explicitly a response to the lessons of the Iran war.
Leonardo and Baykar set major milestone for advanced crewed/uncrewed capability development with successful first K-SWARM live trials
Leonardo and Baykar set a major milestone in the development of Crewed/UnCrewed Teaming (CUC-T) and swarm tactics capabilities, after successfully completing the first phase of live testing activities for the K-SWARM programme. The programme is aimed at designing and developing interoperability between crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
Italy open to Germany joining GCAP fighter jet program
Italian defense giant Leonardo's new chief executive has signaled that Italy would be open to Germany joining the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), the next-generation fighter jet project it shares with the United Kingdom and Japan, following Berlin's withdrawal from a rival project with France and Spain, the Financial Times (FT) reported.
