USAF F-16 Return Puts F-35 and Türkiye Deal in Focus
The US Air Force is considering buying newly built F-16s for the first time in more than two decades, revisiting a procurement path shaped by the transition from the fourth-generation fighter to the F-35.
Read full articleLatest Military Aviation News
View all news
U.S. Approves Possible F-35 Sale to Saudi Arabia
The United States approved a possible Foreign Military Sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia on September 17, a major development that would make the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) the second operator of the type in the Middle East and the first Arab operator to fly a fifth-generation combat aircraft.
Germany gets its first F-35 as Europe’s fighter plans fall apart
Germany received its first F-35 jet on Friday but the collapse of Europe's flagship next-generation fighter project is forcing Berlin to rethink what will follow the U.S.-built jet. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was in Texas at the Lockheed Martin factory for the ceremony. The delivery of the fighter jet was long-planned, but the death of the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System fighter jet development program earlier this year is fueling calls in Berlin to expand the initial €10 billion order of 35 American jets.
Pilot safely ejects from crash of Texas Air National Guard F-16 in northern Michigan
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard crashed Thursday near Blair Township, in upper Michigan, the unit confirmed. The pilot ejected safely and has been recovered, the wing said in a statement from its headquarters at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The unit is in Michigan to take part in training at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center.
Houthis Claim a Saudi F-15 Shot Down Over Marib, Yemen
The first thing the world saw was a tailfin. Scorched, standing upright in a burnt patch of Marib scrub, with the green and white of the Saudi flag still legible through the soot.
U.S. Air Force F-16s mark 45 years in Europe with AESA radar upgrades, dispersed operations and continued missions on NATO’s eastern flank
The U.S. Air Force is marking 45 years of F-16 operations in Europe, where the fighter remains part of Washington’s combat-ready presence and NATO’s collective defense. Modernized Vipers continue to fly from Germany and Italy, integrating with allied forces across the theater.
NATO is shifting from air policing to a new ‘360-degree’ defense as drone and missile threats grow, official says
NATO is pursuing a new approach to its air defense operations across Europe, shifting focus away from traditional air policing missions and toward a 360-degree strategy, an alliance official said.
Germany sending fighter jets to Latvia to protect election from drone incidents
Germany will send four Eurofighter jets to defend Latvian airspace during its upcoming elections, as concerns over drone incursions from neighboring Russia and Belarus remain high.
Lockheed Pitches Advanced F-16G To U.S. Air Force
Lockheed Martin is pitching an upgraded variant of the F-16, called the F-16G, to the U.S. Air Force to fill Fighting Falcon units that will age out of their existing fighters. Multiple sources told Aviation Week that the F-16G is an improved version of the latest Block 70 variant of the fighter. A source familiar with the aircraft says it will include conformal fuel tanks, 600-gal. wing tanks, both an infrared search and track and SNIPER targeting pods and a drag chute.
Defense Forces Shot Down a Russian Su-24 Aircraft in Crimea, According to the General Staff
Throughout September 15 and into the night of September 16, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out successful strikes against a number of key Russian military targets. In particular, they succeeded in striking an enemy Su-24 aircraft at its airfield in Saki. The exact consequences of the strike are still being determined.
