12/20/2025 South Korean firm to supply advanced displays for Air Force’s new F-15EX fighters  A South Korean defense technology firm will supply advanced cockpit displays for the U.S. Air Force’s new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet and South Korea’s F-15K Slam Eagle under a new deal with Boeing. Hanwha Systems announced Thursday that it had signed a contract with the U.S. aircraft manufacturer to provide Eagle Large-Area Displays for both jets. |
12/20/2025 F-15EX Eagle II Fighter Resumes Production Post Delays  Following temporary production delays earlier this year, the US Air Force has resumed its deliveries of the new F-15EX Eagle II iteration to the Portland Air National Guard Base. Beginning in August, a strike affecting workers employed at Boeing’s St. Louis facility halted progress on the Eagle II’s production. However, following rounds of negotiations, members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 returned to work in November. |
12/20/2025 Radar, other upgrades planned for experimental US Air Force AI fighter  The Air Force is upgrading its experimental, autonomous X-62 VISTA aircraft with new radar and other mission systems to expand its ability to conduct complicated tests of artificial intelligence technology. The X-62 VISTA, which stands for Variable Stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft, is now undergoing a comprehensive mission systems upgrade, according to a Thursday statement from Edwards Air Force Base in California. |
12/19/2025 Israel Worries as Qatar Eyes F-35 Jets  For more than half a century, the United States has worked to ensure Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East. That could change if Qatar gets the F-35 Lightning II. Israeli officials are growing more concerned regarding Qatar’s renewed interest in a potential F-35 Lightning II acquisition deal with the United States. According to a Channel 12 news report, Washington appears to be weighing the possible arms deal. |
12/19/2025 Bulgaria holds official ceremony for completion of delivery of first eight F-16s  Bulgarian government ministers and representatives of the US as well as of F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin attended an official ceremony on December 18 at Graf Ignatievo air base for the completion of deliveries of the fighter jets under the 2019 initial contract. |
12/19/2025 Ukrainian Drone Hits Fully Armed MiG-31 Fighter Jet  Ukrainian drones carried out strikes on the Belbek military airfield in Crimea, hitting a MiG-31 interceptor fighter jet and components of air defense systems. Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) reported that the successful operation was conducted on December 18 by Alpha Special Operations Center forces. Local residents recorded the strikes, sharing videos on social media showing explosions and attempts by Russian troops to shoot down the drones. |
12/19/2025 E-3 Sentry Joins U.S. Combat Aircraft Tracked Off Venezuelan Coast  As military and economic pressure builds on Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro, an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft was tracked on FlightRadar24 flying close to the Venezuelan coast. To our knowledge, at least in recent days, these aircraft have not been present on flight tracking software in this increasingly high-activity area. And if they have popped-up, their presence has been impersistent at best. At the same time, E-3s are no stranger to this region. |
12/18/2025 What really happened: How Turkish F-16s tracked and shot down unidentified drone  New details have emerged about how Turkish Air Force Command's F-16s intercepted and shot down an unidentified drone that entered Turkish airspace from the Black Sea on the evening of Dec. 15, with defense sources speaking to Turkish media outlets revealing the step-by-step sequence from initial radar detection to the AIM-9X missile strike near Cankiri, a district in central Anatolia. |
12/18/2025 Europe’s Mighty Eurofighter May Soon Fly for Bangladesh  Bangladesh is the latest nation to take steps to procure the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet series. Last week, officials representing the Bangladesh Air Force penned a letter of intent to purchase these famous jets from Italian manufacturer Leonardo. As part of a Multi-Role Combat Aircraft requirement, Dhaka is expected to receive roughly a dozen Eurofighters. |
12/18/2025 Finland Debuts First F-35A Fighter Jet at Lockheed Martin  Government and military leaders from the United States and Finland gathered today at Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) F-35 production facility to mark the rollout of the first F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the Finnish Air Force, a milestone signaling a new generation of Finnish air power and reinforcing transatlantic ties amid saber-rattling by the Russian Bear. |