1/20/2026 F-15E Strike Eagles shift from RAF Lakenheath to Jordan as aircraft carrier approaches  US F-15E Strike Eagles appear to be redeploying to the Middle East as the USS Abraham Lincoln transits the Straits of Malacca. The moves come as the US once again seeks to bolster its posture in the region amid dramatic developments in Iran. |
1/20/2026 Germany awards Top Aces decade-long €420 million contract to deliver advanced air combat training to 2035  The German Armed Forces have awarded Top Aces Inc. a 10-year contract worth up to €420 million to deliver advanced air combat training across the Air Force, Army and Navy. Officially titled “Contracted Fast Adversary Air”, the agreement renews a partnership that will run to 2035 and builds on more than a decade of service to the Bundeswehr. |
1/20/2026 Sweden sends Gripen fighters to Iceland for NATO Arctic air policing  Sweden will deploy a Gripen fighter unit to Iceland in February and March 2026 to support NATO’s incident preparedness mission, taking on joint air defense tasks in the Arctic region, the Swedish Armed Forces said on January 19, 2026. The deployment will see a fighter unit equivalent to a fighter division, along with ground personnel from Skaraborg Air Flotilla (F 7), operate from Keflavik Air Base. In Swedish Air Force terminology, a fighter division typically fields around eight to twelve airc |
1/20/2026 Pakistan deploys F-16 Block-52 jets to Saudi Arabia for multinational air combat exercise  Pakistan Air Force has deployed F-16 Block-52 fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia to take part in the multinational air combat exercise Spears of Victory-2026, marking a significant overseas deployment of its frontline combat jets, the military said on Monday. The exercise is being hosted at King Abdulaziz Air Base and includes participation from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Italy, Greece, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Kingdom and the United States. |
1/19/2026 Danish F-35 fighters and French tanker conduct joint Arctic training flight over southeast Greenland  Two Danish F-35 fighter jets and a French MRTT tanker aircraft carried out a planned training mission in southeastern Greenland on 16 December. The mission focused on practising joint operations, including aerial refuelling, long-range flying and safety procedures in demanding Arctic conditions. |
1/19/2026 Why Is Saudi Arabia Mediating a Fighter Jet Deal Between Pakistan and Sudan?  Sudan, currently embroiled in a brutal civil war, is the frontline for a regional contest between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—and both nations are intent on their side winning. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are in talks about a major fighter jet deal. This comes on top of the news that the two countries are increasingly connecting their security policies, possibly even on nuclear weapons—with rumors abounding that the Pakistanis have extended a nuclear umbrella over the Saudi Arabia. |
1/19/2026 KC-135R Stratotanker: More Than Just the Future Complement and Support for the Argentine Air Force’s F-16 Fighters  With the arrival, in early December, of the first six F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters to Argentina, the Argentine Air Force reached the most significant milestone in the incorporation of a new weapons system for the institution. However, as has already been noted, a combat aircraft by itself does not represent a silver bullet for restoring the Nation’s military capabilities. Rather, it is its integration and employment alongside other air, land, and naval platforms, as well as within new operation |
1/19/2026 The Next Dassault Rafale Fighter Jets Could Be Built in India  India is negotiating a major fighter aircraft deal with France to purchase 114 Dassault Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF). This is an extraordinary move, considering that less than a year ago, the government of India and the French aerospace firm were in a brutal war of words with each other following the poor performance of the French-made Dassault Rafale warplanes in the Indo-Pakistani War that lasted for four days last May. |
1/19/2026 Denmark formally ends F-16 service after 46 years as air force completes transition to F-35 fighters  Denmark has formally ended the operational use of its F-16 fighter aircraft during a ceremony at Skrydstrup Air Base, closing a 46-year chapter in the country’s air power history. The event marked the completion of the Danish Air Force’s transition to the F-35A Lightning II as its sole combat aircraft. |
1/18/2026 Taiwan tracks 34 Chinese military aircraft, 12 ships  The Ministry of National Defense tracked 34 Chinese military aircraft, 11 naval vessels, and one official ship around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Thursday and 6 a.m. on Friday. Eighteen of the 34 People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country’s northern, central, southwestern, and eastern air defense identification zone, according to the MND. |