8/21/2025 Taiwan tracks 21 Chinese military aircraft, 7 naval ships  The Ministry of National Defense tracked 21 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Tuesday and 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Seventeen of the 21 People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the nation’s southwestern air defense identification zone, according to the MND. |
8/21/2025 Robles does not rule out the possible purchase of F-35B fighters for the Spanish Navy  On August 6, Pedro Sánchez's government leaked to the newspaper El País that Spain's purchase of F-35 fighters was "definitively on hold", meaning the Spanish Navy would lose its carrier-based combat aircraft once the Harrier II Plus become operational in 2030. The news was not denied by the government and became a matter of international interest, reaching as far away as the United States. |
8/20/2025 China’s Answer To U.S. V-22 Osprey Appears To Be Ready; Beijing Unveils Tiltrotor In Yet Another Tech Feat  New images have appeared on Chinese social media platforms showing a Chinese version of the US military’s Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, in what seems to be its maiden flight. If the flight-testing is successful, then this could become China’s first tilt-rotor aircraft. Notably, China is already testing a large tiltrotor drone —the Zhang Ying R6000 (also known as UR6000). The drone appeared in prototype form late last year. |
8/20/2025 Maximum Adaptability: US Army's MV -75 FLRAA Embraces Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)  The U.S. Army's MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) is ushering in a new era of military aviation through its adoption of a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA). This architectural framework allows for rapid, cost-effective upgrades to essential aircraft systems, ensuring adaptability and relevance against evolving threats. |
8/20/2025 Canada is running out of runway for its F-35 review  It was courtesy of the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, who perhaps spoke the quiet part out loud last week in an interview with Canadian independent podcaster Jasmin Laine. Hoekstra, a no-nonsense Republican from Michigan, was asked about the Liberal government's review of the $27.7-billion purchase of stealth fighters and the possibility that after delivery of the first tranche of jets, Canada could decide to fill the rest of its order with another type of aircraft. |
8/20/2025 China’s J-20S Stealth Fighter Mothership Just Might Have ‘All The Tools’  Recently-circulated images of the J-20S, a two-seater version of China’s fifth-generation J-20, raised questions about what makes this variant different than the parent J-20 fighter—and what the jet’s intended role will be. Though there are several possibilities, as well as the possibility of something else entirely, speculation about the aircraft has run rampant. |
8/20/2025 ATAC Awarded Task Order for FMS F-16 Chase Fighter Jet Services  Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT), announced today an initial task order under the Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Services indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide the Defense Contract Management Agency with chase flight support services for F-16 aircraft. The task order has a potential period of performance of up to 27 months. |
8/19/2025 Aerial photos show scale of destruction across Gaza  Aerial footage taken onboard a plane dropping aid over Gaza shows the scale of destruction in the area during Israel's 22-month offensive. |
8/19/2025 Russia’s $37M Su-57 Stealth Fighter Deployed Incomplete Amid Sanctions, Experts Say  Russia’s Su-57 fighter jet has long been advertised by Moscow as the crown jewel of its military aviation, but newly obtained classified documents suggest the aircraft was delivered to the Russian military in stripped-down form—missing critical targeting subsystems—and at inflated costs. |
8/19/2025 US Air Force to integrate F-16s with augmented reality training system  Software company Red 6 has won a contract with the US Air Force (USAF) to integrate its ATARS (Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System) into the F-16 Fighting Falcon. On August 15, 2025, Red 6 said that the contract was awarded to the company through Air Combat Command and the Air Force Research Laboratory. |