3/27/2026 New indications would confirm that Russia has delivered the first Su-57E stealth fighters to the Algerian Air Force  With the recent publication of multimedia material on social media, new indications have emerged that would confirm Russia has already delivered the first Su-57E stealth fighters to the Algerian Air Force, which is shaping up as the platform’s first international customer. It is a brief video of around twenty-two seconds in length in which at least two of these combat aircraft can be seen flying in daylight, and although it is not possible to clearly identify what markings they bear. |
3/27/2026 Navy F/A-18’s Close Call With An Iranian SAM Highlights Remaining Risks To Epic Fury Aviators (Updated)  Videos have emerged showing an apparent very close call for a U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet after it was targeted by an Iranian man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) while conducting a low-level strafing run during an Operation Epic Fury mission. The persistent threat posed by Iranian air defenses, whatever is left of them, is something that we have repeatedly drawn attention to. |
3/27/2026 Talon Reach Exercise Demonstrates 1,300-Mile Combat Capability  Soldiers from the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. combined division, demonstrated long-range aviation combat capability during the Talon Reach culminating exercise this month, flying more than 1,300 miles across the Korean Peninsula before executing a culminating attack and air assault mission. |
3/27/2026 The Indian Navy could soon receive its first Rafale fighters for pilot training  Marking what would be an advance for the modernization program of its fighter fleet, local reports have indicated that the Indian Navy could soon receive its first Rafale fighters, which would be used to begin training future pilots. According to reports from New Delhi, delivery of these first aircraft is expected to take place between August and September, which would in practice set in motion the process of incorporating a fleet of 26 new French-made aircraft sought by the service. |
3/27/2026 How Iran got the F-14 Tomcat and kept it flying for decades  The United States sold Iran 80 of its F-14s in the 1970s. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the regime somehow kept the fighter flying for decades. It appears that the F-14 Tomcat, retired from the U.S. Navy in 2006 but still in service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, has finally come to the end of the runway. |
3/26/2026 On J-10’s 28th Anniversary, PLA Pushes J-10C Into Network-Centric Warfare — System-of-Systems Drills Signal China’s Expanding Airpower Capability  The J-10C is no longer operating as a standalone combat aircraft, as the fighter now functions within a networked combat architecture integrating airborne early-warning platforms, radar, ground-based air-defense units, and electronic warfare elements, according to state broadcaster CCTV News and Chinese military experts. |
3/26/2026 Air Force validates open architecture, expands Collaborative Combat Aircraft ecosystem .jpg) The Air Force continues accelerating its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program by implementing the government-owned Autonomy Government Reference Architecture across multiple vendor platforms. This effort validates a cornerstone of the service’s acquisition transformation: using a modular, open-systems approach to supercharge the defense industrial base. |
3/26/2026 America’s F-22 Raptors Are Finally Getting an Upgrade  For the first time in decades, the F-22 Raptor has received a visible upgrade. New stealth pods and stealth tanks (the Low Drag Tank and Pylon or LDTP) were spotted on the aircraft recently, marking the biggest external change to the F-22’s distinctive silhouette since its debut in 2005. The change is substantive in nature, aimed at keeping the F-22 relevant as competing Chinese fifth-generation threats emerge. |
3/26/2026 First Gripen E fighter produced in Brazil is unveiled  On 25 March, Saab, Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) officially presented the first supersonic fighter aircraft produced in Brazil during a ceremony held at Embraer’s industrial complex in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo State. |
3/26/2026 South Korea Rolls Out First KF-21 Boramae Fighter Jet  State-run Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has unveiled the first mass production model of the Republic of Korea Air Force’s KF-21 Boramae combat aircraft. The launch follows more than two decades after Seoul outlined a strategy for a domestically developed fighter jet. Development began in 2015, with the first prototype unveiled in 2021 and its maiden flight in 2022. |