India’s Rafale deal faces challenges as 30–40% of fighter value lies in software, yet source code access remains restricted.
Defense
Canada is evaluating participation in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) as an observer, signaling a potential shift from its contested F‑35 fighter acquisition.
India has approved a landmark $25 billion military modernization package covering S-400 air defense systems, remotely piloted strike aircraft, and transport planes, marking a major escalation in its air power strategy amid rising regional threats.
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget requests only 38 F-35As for the U.S. Air Force out of 85 total F-35s, prompting analysts to warn the number is insufficient to reverse the service’s deepening fighter inventory shortfall amid competing modernization priorities.
The United States Air Force (USAF) has transferred a retired Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker from long-term storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (DMA) to Tinker Air Force Base (TIK), signaling a potential return to operational service.
The United States Air Force (USAF) confirmed that an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on April 3, 2026, amid escalating military operations in the Middle East.
The Pentagon has awarded Pratt & Whitney a $6.6 billion contract to supply F135 engines for upcoming F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program production batches.
Iran claims it shot down a second U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jet over central Iran amid Operation Epic Fury, with pilot survival unlikely.
France funds Rafale F5 alone after UAE exits cost-sharing deal, delaying deliveries and stretching defense budgets under the updated Military Programming Law.
The US Air Force’s rare and secretive NT-43A aircraft, known by its callsign RAT55, was spotted over Melbourne, Florida, ahead of NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission launch.