1/21/2026 ‘Not available’: Czech government blocks sale of L-159 drone hunter aircraft to Ukraine  The Czech Republic’s ruling coalition has moved to block the transfer of its Aero L-159 light combat aircraft to Ukraine, overriding comments by President Petr Pavel and insisting the jets remain essential to national defence. The decision undercuts earlier signals that Prague was preparing to release a small number of the Soviet-era aircraft for Ukraine’s air defence effort, highlighting growing divisions within the Czech government over further military support for Kyiv. |
1/21/2026 Amsterdam Schiphol Airport set for F-35 fighter jets to operate alongside passenger airliners in rare exercise  For two days in late January, the sightlines at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will briefly blur the familiar boundary between civil aviation and military air power. Amid the steady rhythm of widebody airliners and short-haul traffic, four Dutch F-35 fighter jets and a military transport aircraft will arrive, depart and manoeuvre as part of a carefully planned training exercise by the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force. |
1/21/2026 US, Canada to send military aircraft to Greenland for routine drills, NORAD says Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2026-01-20/norad-greenland-trump-nato-20463347.html Source - Stars and Stripes  U.S. and Canadian military aircraft will soon be headed to Greenland for routine defense drills, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement this week. They come amid high tension between the United States and European allies over President Donald Trump’s bid to take control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. |
1/21/2026 Saab’s Bold Bid to Canada: 72 Gripen Jets, 6 AEW&C Aircraft, 12K Jobs; Is F-35 at Risk Amid Trump’s Greenland Push? .jpg) Swedish defence giant SAAB has offered 72 Gripen E/F fighter jets and 6 GlobalEye surveillance aircraft to the Canadian Armed Forces, which would generate thousands of jobs in the country. Reiterating its offer, Saab informed the Canadian Armed Forces last week that it could deliver on its promise to create 12,600 jobs locally if Ottawa buys 72 Gripen jets and six GlobalEye surveillance aircraft. |
1/21/2026 Italy faces GCAP warplane price tag topping $21 billion  Italy’s outlay on the design and development of the tri-nation GCAP fighter has tripled from €6 billion to €18.6 billion — or from $7 billion to $21.8 billion — in the last five years, the country’s defense minister has told parliament. The announcement of the price hike came in a request to parliament to authorize the pay-out which prompted criticism from Italy’s opposition Five Star party. |
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. |