An extraordinary Airbus A320 fitted with a Eurofighter Typhoon nose has completed five commissioning flights in Germany.
Defence
USS Enterprise CVN 65, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, has begun its final journey to Alabama. After 51 years of service and 25 deployments, the historic warship will undergo dismantling under a $418.5 million Navy contract.
British and Norwegian F-35 fighters escorted a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress over the High North during Exercise Global Thunder 27 on October 24.
Bombardier and BAE Systems have signed an MoU to explore next-generation combat-air cooperation in Canada, three months after Ottawa gained observer status in GCAP. The agreement creates potential industrial opportunities as Canada strengthens its defence aerospace sector and Germany considers joining the sixth-generation fighter programme.
Russia is upgrading factories and restoring supplier networks to support Tu-160M strategic bomber production.
An unnamed foreign government is funding $18.79 million in development and integration work on a tailored F-35 variant, with the effort continuing through December 2030.
Canada has reportedly paused the planned purchase of 16 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters amid worsening trade tensions with the United States. The move comes as Ottawa reassesses its dependence on US defence suppliers, reviews its F-35 fighter acquisition and faces growing calls to strengthen domestic military manufacturing.
Saab will develop a replacement flight computer for the Gripen fighter family under a 1.3 billion Swedish kronor contract.
The US Marine Corps has demonstrated an eight-weapon StormBreaker ripple release from an F-35B, advancing efforts to engage multiple targets in a single pass. The test highlights the weapon’s precision-guidance capabilities and potential to reduce pilot workload, while software integration and additional testing remain critical to full operational fielding.
France is accelerating its solo sixth-generation fighter programme after the collapse of the Franco-German FCAS project, while preparing the AI-powered Rafale F5 “Super Rafale.”