Military Aviation News Archive
08/12/2025
Ukraine and Sweden are preparing a large-scale combat aviation project expected to last for decades, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The president announced a "strong project" on combat aviation currently being developed jointly by Ukraine and Sweden.
Read More...
08/11/2025
Few aircraft can boast of having endured the test of time with the effectiveness, reliability, and versatility of the Northrop F-5. In a world where fighter jets are renewed every two or three decades, Chile’s F-5 continues to defy that logic, combining modernization, doctrine, and a history rich with milestones.
Read More...
08/11/2025
Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet successfully carried out a precise airstrike on a concentration of enemy assault forces in the Pokrovsk area, using the GBU-62 guided bombs. This operation represents a significant effort in disrupting the enemy’s offensive capabilities and protecting Ukrainian positions.
Read More...
08/11/2025
The United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group shared an image on X of the three carriers, plus the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS America, sailing side by side in the North Philippine Sea on Aug. 10, with a large aerial force flying overhead. It’s a strong naval presence, with the HMS Prince of Wales, the American Nimitz-class USS George Washington and Japan’s JS Kaga among them.
Read More...
08/10/2025
Fresh footage from Russia confirms a small batch of Su-34Ms in an export configuration, supporting earlier reports of a signed contract between Moscow and a foreign client. According to Military Watch Magazine, the appearance of these desert-toned aircraft “strongly indicates that the first batch of Su-34Ms for a foreign client is already in production.”
Read More...
08/10/2025
“The (Department of the Air Force) will not implement or carry forward the beddown of up to 12 Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-15 aircraft nor associated aircraft airfield operations, to include temporary support aircraft, and RSAF personnel or their families and no periodic temporary increases in associated support personnel will be required at Andersen AFB,” the July 16 decision states.
Read More...
08/09/2025
The U.S. company Northrop Grumman recently published a concept image of the F/A-XX, the sixth-generation fighter projected to be the future backbone of the U.S. Navy’s carrier air wings. The image, available on the company’s Naval Aviation section, depicts a sleek, stealth-focused design.
Read More...
08/09/2025
Spanish media reports circulated earlier in the week indicating that the Spanish military—which had planned to purchase the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet—would no longer go through with the deal. If those reports prove accurate, Spain would be the second country from the Iberian Peninsula to turn away from the stealth fighter jet, after Portugal’s hesitations to procure the aircraft earlier in the year.
Read More...
08/09/2025
Spanish defence company Indra is pioneering the development of a new generation of fully digital self-protection systems for military aircraft and helicopters, designed to improve response times to missile threats and increase survivability in combat environments. The company has finalised the design phase and produced the first units, which will be delivered this year for integration and testing.
Read More...
08/09/2025
Recent second-quarter reports from the U.S.’s two prime fighter producers—Boeing and Lockheed Martin—reveal some strengths, but also underlying challenges at the midpoint of 2025. Together, they delivered 117 fourth- and fifth-generation fighters during the period, including Boeing’s F-15 and F/A-18, and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 and F-35.
Read More...
08/09/2025
Social media is often where the first images of new Chinese military aircraft appear. Images can go on being shared and discussed on Chinese social media for months before there is any official recognition of a program, and before the aircraft makes what is then called its “first” flight. It might be happening again. Recent images of a previously unknown stealth aircraft have started to circulate on the usual Chinese social media outlets.
Read More...
08/08/2025
Reports indicate that the United States Navy could still award a contract for the F/A-XX later this year, but it still has yet to receive the last of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The current timeline calls for the sea service to receive the carrier-based aircraft in 2027, while the scheduled deliveries for Block III variants are expected to be completed in 2030.
Read More...
08/08/2025
An F-2 fighter jet of the JASDF crashed off Ibaraki. The pilot ejected safely and is in stable condition, but the cause of the crash remains unknown. At around 12:35 PM on August 7, an F-2 fighter jet from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's (JASDF) Hyakuri Air Base crashed during a training exercise over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture. The base is located in Omigawa City, Ibaraki.
Read More...
08/08/2025
The Japanese Air Self Defense Force on Thursday deployed its first three F-35B stealth fighters in southwestern Japan. The three stealth fighters were piloted by U.S. personnel as they flew from Guam to the Nytuabaru Air Base in the Miyazaki Prefecture, one of them making a vertical landing.
Read More...
08/08/2025
The pressing need for Canada to replace its moribund CF-18 fleet is long overdue, and can’t wait, many aviation analysts say. Canada’s Hornet aircraft have “been desperately in need of replacement for more than a decade,” said Justin Bronk, a research fellow for airpower and military technology at the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank.
Read More...
08/08/2025
Back in June, Canada’s Auditor General, Karen Hogan, released a report finding that the government’s plan to purchase 88 Lockheed Martin jets was facing numerous problems, including “skyrocketing costs, a shortage of trained pilots, and a lack of critical infrastructure.”
Read More...
08/07/2025
Sudan's air force has destroyed an Emirati aircraft carrying Colombian mercenaries as it landed at a paramilitary-controlled airport in Darfur, killing at least 40 people, the army-aligned state TV said Wednesday. A military source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the UAE plane "was bombed and completely destroyed" at Darfur's Nyala airport.
Read More...
08/07/2025
Korea Aerospace Industries has provided us with a look at the future, stealthier version of its KF-21 fighter, which is now known as the KF-21EX. Concept artwork of the refined version of the jet has been released, with internal weapons carriage being its distinguishing feature. This is part of an effort to make the KF-21 more survivable in the face of ever more capable air defense systems, although the resulting aircraft will not offer the same level of low observability as the F-35.
Read More...
08/07/2025
Spain’s decision not to adopt the F-35 Lightning II fighter could widen its rift with the United States. NATO member Spain announced on Wednesday that it would buy European instead of American fighter jets, opting for either the Eurofighter or the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The Spanish language El País reported that talks over the purchase of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II had been suspended “indefinitely.”
Read More...
08/06/2025
On August 5, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) officially confirmed the future procurement of Saab JAS 39 Gripen E and F multirole fighter jets to enhance its air combat capabilities. The Thai government has approved an initial order of four aircraft, with deliveries beginning by 2029 as part of a broader programme targeting a total of twelve jets by 2035.
Read More...
08/06/2025
Russia’s fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name “Felon”) could soon carry hypersonic weapons, according to a high-ranking official with the Russian Aerospace Forces. The Zircon (Tsirkon) has been named as one of the potential weapons employed on the multirole stealth fighter.
Read More...
08/06/2025
Spain’s commitment to NATO was called into question this spring after the western European nation sought to be excluded from the international military alliance’s defense spending goals. Madrid has confirmed it would commit to the 32-nation coalition by spending 2.1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, but sought an exclusion from the 5 percent target called for by NATO leaders.
Read More...
08/06/2025
Türkiye’s domestically produced fifth-generation fighter jet Kaan is emerging as a potential competitor to the U.S.-made F-35 in defense exports, according to Newsweek. The aircraft is drawing growing interest from developing nations, with Indonesia becoming the first buyer after inking a deal in July for 48 units.
Read More...
08/06/2025
An exchange of messages late Friday 1 August signalled more trouble for the multinational Future Combat Air System/Systeme de Combat Aerien du Futur programme. Launched in 2018 and with France, Germany and Spain as partners, the project is ostensibly splitting because the French sub-team insisted on responsibility being allocated according to corporate experience – which, given that France is 100% responsible for Rafale, would leave German and Spanish industry in the back seat.
Read More...
08/05/2025
Boeing’s F-15EX Eagle II is a significant upgrade on the iconic F-15 platform. Thanks to the integration of cutting-edge technology, the F-15EX is arguably the most capable fourth-generation fighter aircraft ever built. While the original F-15 platform debuted in the 1970s, the new EX variant leverages decades of operational experience and 21st-century engineering to create a multirole fighter that can serve as a bridge between fourth-generation and fifth-generation platforms.
Read More...