The US Air Force expects the F-35 Engine Core Upgrade to reach its critical design review in August, a senior service propulsion official said on July 27.
F-35
Japan has selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (MHI) Komaki South Plant in Aichi Prefecture as the national assembly site for its Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) sixth-generation fighter, marking another major milestone in the trilateral defense project with the United Kingdom and Italy.
The F-35 Joint Program Office, which runs the fighter effort from just outside Washington, awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.6 billion spare parts contract last week. It is the largest such deal in the history of the F-35 Lightning II program.
Canada has officially joined the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) as its first observer nation, gaining access to classified discussions on one of the world’s most advanced sixth-generation fighter aircraft projects.
American, Australian, and Japanese Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters have begun flying joint combat missions over northern Australia as part of Exercise Pitch Black 2026, one of the world’s largest multinational air combat drills.
Turkey is pushing to sell its Russian S-400 air defense system to win back access to the American F-35, with Qatar and the UAE named as potential buyers.
Patria has begun manufacturing F-35 fighter forward fuselages, landing gear doors, and F135 engine assemblies in Finland, and the company said the programme is progressing as planned.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) has clarified that the United Kingdom did not buy its 12 F-35A jets for a nuclear role.
Lockheed Martin Australia has begun construction of a new AUD 85.9 million Air Power Precinct in the Hunter region, marking a major investment in Australia’s future air and missile defence capabilities.
President Trump announced that the United States will lift its 2020 sanctions on Turkey and signaled openness to selling F-35 fighter jets to the NATO ally, marking a major shift after years of tension over Ankara’s Russian S-400 purchase.