Military Aviation News Archive
09/24/2025
On September 19, US aerospace company Radia announced a massive new cargo aircraft designed to move outsized military equipment without disassembly, aiming to plug what it calls a growing strategic airlift gap for the Pentagon and allied defense ministries. The aircraft, branded WindRunner for Defense, was announced at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference outside Washington.
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09/24/2025
Lockheed Martin is pushing to expand F-22 modernization to include 35 older Block 20 trainers—saving them from scrapping—and to pursue a broader “fifth-gen-plus” path for the F-35. Skunk Works’ OJ Sanchez says discussions are underway to fold Block 20s into upgrades already hitting Block 30/35 jets (open mission systems, new IR defenses, radar/EW enhancements).
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09/24/2025
The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group hosted Weapons System Evaluation Program Combat Archer 25.09 here Sept. 8-19, 2025. WSEP is a recurring exercise that provides units with a chance to evaluate combat readiness by conducting live-fire exercises with real air-to-air weapons, supported by full-scale and subscale drones, allowing aircraft, weapons and crews to perform in realistic scenarios.
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09/23/2025
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has demonstrated its ability to launch and recover aircraft from its first catapult-equipped aircraft carrier, the Fujian. Official imagery released by the PLAN today confirms that the new J-35 naval stealth fighters and KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft are carrying out carrier trials, something that had not been seen until now.
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09/23/2025
The Air Force’s first F-47 fighter is now being built by Boeing, and the advanced jet is expected to have its initial flight in 2028, Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said Monday. Allvin, speaking at the Air and Space Forces’ Air, Space and Cyber Conference, said that Boeing’s team worked quickly to start manufacturing the sixth-generation fighter after their selection was announced in March.
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09/22/2025
Estonian MP and security expert Eerik-Niiles Kross says NATO’s rules of engagement explain why Russian fighters weren’t shot down – but argues Estonia still needs its own jets. Russia’s violation of Estonia’s state border on 19 September was clearly unfriendly and deeply unsettling. I understand those who ask why the aircraft were not shot down. As a nation we cannot, and will not, tolerate aircraft from an aggressor state entering our airspace.
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09/22/2025
Germany’s air force says it has scrambled two Eurofighter jets to track a Russian reconnaissance aircraft after it had entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea. In a statement, the air force said its “quick reaction alert force” was ordered on Sunday by NATO to investigate an unidentified aircraft flying without a plan or radio contact.
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09/22/2025
Lockheed Martin unveiled a new autonomous drone called “Vectis,” which the company’s Skunk Works advanced products division thinks is the right-sized platform to partner with both Air Force and Navy crewed combat aircraft.
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09/21/2025
Canada is reassessing whether to complete its 88-jet F-35 purchase or pivot to Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen amid political frictions and cost debates. Security advocates argue the F-35’s stealth, sensors, and MADL networking are essential to police Canada’s vast Arctic and western approaches while interoperating with NORAD and allied F-35 fleets. Sixteen jets already purchased are insufficient to maintain a continuous 5th-gen air envelope.
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09/21/2025
Russian military aircraft violated Estonian airspace on Friday, ignoring signals from Italian jets on NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission, a senior Estonian military official confirmed. The 12-minute incursion represents the latest test of the alliance's response to Russian airborne threats, following around 20 Russian drones entering Polish airspace on 10 September.
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09/21/2025
America-class LHAs are the Navy’s largest amphibs and “lightning carriers” for USMC F-35B STOVL jets. USS America (LHA-6) and USS Tripoli (LHA-7)—omit a well deck to add fuel, maintenance space, and a 20–25 aircraft air group, boosting F-35B reach and sortie rates.45,700 tons, 844 ft, two gas turbines, >20 knots, and ESSM/RAM/CIWS self-defense. America is returning to San Diego; Tripoli is forward-deployed to Sasebo.
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09/21/2025
India’s ambitious fighter jet program stands at a crossroads. While American promises of engine technology transfer remain stuck in bureaucratic delays, French aerospace giant Safran has stepped forward with a game-changing proposal that could reshape India’s military aviation future.
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09/21/2025
Polish and allied military aircraft were scrambled early Saturday after Russia launched a massive aerial assault on Ukraine including strikes that targeted near its western border with Poland. It came hours after NATO intercepted three Russian jets over Estonia’s airspace and with Europe on heightened alert following a series of Russian airspace violations in eastern countries.
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09/20/2025
The Air Force cannot return to dominance by scaling up today’s force or chasing a single breakthrough. Adversaries now field sensors, precision weapons, and resilient command and control that are comparable to what the United States has. Meanwhile, each new crewed aircraft generation costs more to acquire and sustain, and personnel costs outpace inflation.
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09/20/2025
The Polish Border Guard reported that two Russian fighter jets violated the safety zone of the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea on Friday, September 19, flying directly over it.
TVP World reported this, according to Ukrinform. “Two Russian fighter jets performed a low pass over the Petrobaltic platform in the Baltic Sea. The platform's safety zone was violated,” the Border Guard stated.
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09/20/2025
The A-10 Thunderbolt II was purpose-built for close air support: long loiter, armor, and a 30mm cannon to shred tanks. But in peer fights with dense, layered air defenses—like those seen over Ukraine—non-stealth jets struggle to survive near the front. The F-35 can’t loiter like an A-10, yet its stealth, precision weapons, and powerful sensor-fusion let it find, fix, and pass targets while staying alive, teaming with drones, AC-130s, and helicopters for effects.
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09/20/2025
After Russian MiG-31 fighter jets flew into NATO member Estonia's airspace without permission, Italian F-35 stealth fighters scrambled to respond. The incident marks the fourth time this year the Russian military has has violated Estonian airspace. It also comes at a time of rising tensions between the alliance and Moscow.
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09/20/2025
NATO has reacted after Russian military jets breached Estonian airspace on Friday, marking a fresh provocation near the bloc's eastern flank. Three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace for several minutes earlier in the day, before leaving again, according to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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09/19/2025
Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a formal mutual defence pact in a move that significantly strengthens a decades-long security partnership amid heightened regional tensions. The enhanced defence ties come as Gulf Arab states grow increasingly wary about the reliability of the US as their longstanding security guarantor – concerns heightened by Israel’s attack in Qatar last week.
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09/19/2025
NATO has warned Denmark that it has too few fighter jets and urged the country to boost its air combat capacity, according to broadcaster DR News. NATO is warning that Denmark must increase its Air Force fighter jet strength by 60% to meet the alliance’s recently updated target of 43 jets, according to DR sources. This increase corresponds to Denmark buying 16 more F-35 fighter jets from the US and Lockheed Martin, the jets’ manufacturer.
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09/19/2025
Venezuela began large-scale military drills on the Caribbean island of La Orchila, mobilizing thousands of troops, warships, aircraft, and air-defense systems in a show of force it said was a response to United States naval deployment in the southern Caribbean.
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09/18/2025
France has sent three Dassault Rafale fighter jets to Poland to protect NATO’s eastern border following a series of Russian drone incursions, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
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09/18/2025
The US Air Force (USAF), in partnership with Raytheon, recently conducted the longest recorded launch of an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) from a fifth-generation fighter. The test took place at Eglin Air Force Base and involved an F-22 Raptor, highlighting the missile’s extended flight capability under the current F3R development program.
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09/18/2025
The Italian firm Leonardo formally presented its proposal to supply 32 Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 5 fighters to the Philippine Air Force (PAF). The offer seeks to meet the requirement of the multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) program, in which the Typhoon stands out as the first twin-engine fighter in the competition.
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09/18/2025
On 15 September, the US Department of State announced the approval of a request from the Peruvian authorities regarding a potential purchase of Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon Block 70 multirole fighter aircraft. The request is linked to Peru’s ongoing tender for next-generation combat aircraft, with the American offer being one of several under consideration.
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