Airbus and Kratos complete the U740 Valkyrie’s first European flight, marking progress towards combat readiness by 2029.
aerospace
The first Gripen E fighter assembled in Brazil by Embraer has completed its maiden flight, marking a major step in the country’s effort to establish an indigenous production capability for advanced supersonic combat aircraft.
The global race for sixth-generation fighter aircraft is moving beyond the traditional pursuit of speed, manoeuvrability and stealth.
The US Air Force is revising its 2A maintenance career strategy from an earlier seven-AFSC concept to a 14-specialty structure. New aviation maintenance technicians would begin with 18 months of broad foundational training before choosing a specialty, while a selective Master Aviation Technician track would develop advanced technical experts.
The F-35A deployment introduces a fifth-generation combat aircraft into the Indian exercise environment, where it is operating alongside Indian and foreign aircraft.
The European Defence Agency (EDA) is examining ways to preserve the continent’s ability to move oversized military cargo as the Antonov An-124 and Boeing C-17 Globemaster III fleets age and both aircraft types remain out of production.
U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) have moved across North America toward Greenland as part of a multinational Arctic operation designed to test how quickly combat aircraft can operate from remote northern locations.
The United States has approved a proposed $24.3bn sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, subject to congressional review. The decision comes amid renewed fighting with Yemen’s Houthis, Saudi requests for greater US support, concerns over Chinese access to sensitive military technology, and continued debate over Israel’s qualitative military edge.
The US Air Force (USAF) plans to use Exercise Emerald Flag in December 2026 for the first real large-force employment (LFE) of its own Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
A German-registered business jet mistakenly landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Saturday, September 12, after apparently approaching the wrong airport.