Military Aviation News Archive
07/09/2025
According to information published by French Newspaper La Tribune on July 4, 2025, Indonesia is set to finalize a major defense contract with France for the acquisition of 24 Rafale multirole fighter jets during President Prabowo Subianto’s state visit to Paris, where he will be the guest of honor at France’s national Bastille Day celebrations on July 14. Initially, a purchase of 12 aircraft was announced during bilateral meetings in May 2025, but this has now been upgraded to 24 jets.
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07/09/2025
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has reportedly operationalized its second fifth-generation combat aircraft, the J-35A, as evidenced by the latest images posted by Chinese military watchers. The induction, yet to be officially verified, would be a massive boost to the Chinese PLA Air Force (PLAAF) amid simmering tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
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07/09/2025
On June 30, 2025, the Indian company Reliance Defence entered into a strategic partnership with Coastal Mechanics Inc. (CMI), a US Department of Defense-authorized contractor, to jointly address India’s military Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) needs. The agreement includes the servicing, upgrading, and lifecycle extension of several key Indian military platforms, most notably the Russian-origin MiG-29 fighter aircraft currently operated by the Indian Air Force.
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07/08/2025
From 1 September to 1 December, Dutch F-35 fighter jets will monitor NATO airspace over Eastern Europe to safeguard military equipment destined for Ukraine. This mission aims to ensure the safe arrival of matériel donated by NATO member states.
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07/08/2025
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) and its counterparts from the United States Pacific Air Forces (Pacaf) conducted a joint patrol Monday to mark the second iteration of “Cope Thunder” bilateral air drills this year. Pacaf’s F-35 fighter aircraft joined PAF’s light combat aircraft FA-50 in patrolling the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone including the West Philippine Sea.
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07/07/2025
The Jordanian Armed Forces participated in efforts to extinguish fires that broke out in several areas of Syria as a result of exploding remnants of war and rising temperatures. According to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), the Armed Forces sent two Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force, equipped with specialised crews and advanced technical equipment, to help control the fire hotspots and limit their spread, in order to protect lives and property.
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07/07/2025
Through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, the United States continues to provide services and support for the sustainment of the F-16C/D Block 52 fighter fleet operated by the Iraqi Air Force. This follows the most recent contract awarded to the company V2X, with an initial value of US$118 million.
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07/07/2025
The F-22 Raptors are set to serve the US Air Force (USAF) much longer than initially expected. While the USAF is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the sixth-generation combat aircraft, the F-47, which will also feature integrated loyal wingman drones, it appears that the Raptors will be the first stealth aircraft to operate as airborne controllers for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
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07/06/2025
The chiefs of the South Korean and Polish air forces met in late June to explore deeper defence and arms cooperation, the South Korean Air Force confirmed. The discussions followed Poland’s acquisition of South Korean FA-50 fighter jets under a recent defence agreement.
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07/05/2025
A ceremony was held yesterday at Hualien Air Base to mark the official retirement of the air force’s F-5 jets after more than 50 years of patrolling Taiwan’s skies. The event began with the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing flying a sortie consisting of three RF-5E reconnaissance aircraft and two F-5F jets.
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07/05/2025
Amid heightened regional tensions and a steady increase in claimed aerial interceptions by the Chinese Air Force, the US Air Force has initiated a major modernization effort for its F-22 Raptor fleet. The effort is to preserve the aircraft’s tactical edge against emerging threats, including those posed by advanced peer platforms such as China’s J-20 stealth fighter.
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07/05/2025
In a significant milestone for next-generation air combat, the US Air Force has successfully demonstrated real-time manned-unmanned teaming in a combat-representative environment.
During a high-fidelity training event over Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, pilots flying an F-16C Fighting Falcon and an F-15E Strike Eagle each controlled two XQ-58A Valkyrie drones, marking one of the most advanced operational evaluations of semi-autonomous collaborative platforms to date.
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07/04/2025
An American defense company has revealed that the world’s most advanced fighter jet’s manufacturing could be easily sped up. Northrop Grumman has employed advanced manufacturing technologies to develop the F-35’s center fuselages. The company manufactures center fuselages for all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter at its Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) in Palmdale, California.
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07/04/2025
Terma has signed a support agreement with the Argentinian Ministry of Defense and the Argentinian Air Force, formalizing its role in the modernization and operational preparation of 24 former Royal Danish Air Force F-16 aircraft. The agreement marks a strategic milestone in Argentina’s acquisition program and confirms Terma’s continued role as a trusted supplier of advanced defense technology.
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07/04/2025
A Myanmar military fighter jet crashed in a combat zone in the country’s east, according to an anti-military resistance organization that claimed to have shot it down. State-run media reported about the disappearance of an aircraft.
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07/04/2025
Naval aviation is in high demand around the globe today, and I predict it will be for decades to come. With advances in technology across all domains, U.S. carrier strike groups will continue to operate where and when needed. In fact, the aircraft carriers being built today (future USS John F. Kennedy [CVN-79], Enterprise [CVN-80], and Doris Miller [CVN-81]) are designed to serve beyond 2075.
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07/04/2025
Aerial combat has evolved from dogfights between high-speed, maneuverable fighters to duels among missile-armed aircraft at long range. In 2015, John Stillion presciently analyzed this transformation. His research demonstrated that victory no longer results from the fastest, most maneuverable fighter destroying an enemy in a dogfight. Instead, air combat today favors larger, less detectable aircraft using networked information to defeat adversaries with long-range missiles.
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07/01/2025
According to information published by the Hürriyet Daily News on June 30, 2025, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the United Kingdom’s full support for Türkiye’s effort to join the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet program. In an interview ahead of his visit to Ankara, Lammy underscored the strategic value of Türkiye acquiring the fourth-generation-plus Eurofighter Typhoon.
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07/01/2025
At the 2025 Paris Air Show, Airbus Defence and Space confirmed the development of a new variant of the A400M military transport aircraft to support an expanded range of missions aligned with the operational goals of the Future Combat Air System and the Multi-Domain Combat Cloud. The aircraft is being adapted to serve as a broadband communications node capable of linking manned and unmanned platforms across all domains, air, land, sea, space, and cyber.
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07/01/2025
As reported by Rupprecht Deino on June 18, 2025, the J-15DT, a carrier-based electronic warfare variant of the Shenyang J-15 multirole fighter, seems to participate in China’s upcoming 80th Victory Day Parade. This will be the first public appearance of the catapult-capable variant, and it indicates that the aircraft has reached a sufficiently advanced stage of testing or initial integration to be presented as part of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s future carrier air wing.
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07/01/2025
Poland’s Ministry of National Defense has signed a contract for the delivery of 24 AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles to enhance the operational capabilities of its FA-50 light combat aircraft.
The agreement was concluded on June 30, 2025, in Warsaw in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz and Secretary of State Pawel Bejda.
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07/01/2025
According to information published by the U.S. Marine Corps on June 27, 2025, Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 has officially been redesignated as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224. It has begun its transition from operating the legacy F/A-18D Hornet to the advanced F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. This transition marks the end of an era for VMFA-224, which has flown the Hornet for over 32 years in support of U.S. Marine Corps aviation missions worldwide.
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07/01/2025
Hanwha Aerospace has received a contract to supply propulsion systems for South Korea’s KF-21 Boramae fifth-generation combat aircraft. Costing 623.2 billion won ($460.7 million), the deal includes 80 General Electric F414s manufactured domestically under license by the Changwon-based company.
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06/30/2025
NATO countries scrambled fighter jets early on Sunday, according to the Polish military, after a Ukrainian official said Moscow had launched its largest-scale air attack on the country in more than three years. Poland's Operational Command said its fighter jets, along with other NATO aircraft, were scrambled with ground-based air defenses and reconnaissance systems put on the "highest state of readiness" after Russia launched overnight attacks on Ukrainian soil.
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06/30/2025
A Ukrainian F-16 pilot was killed overnight while defending the country from one of the largest Russian air attacks to date, officials said Sunday. Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, 31, died after his fighter jet was damaged during an operation to intercept Russian missiles and drones, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
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