Russia

UAE missions used Aviacon Zitotrans, a sanctioned Russian cargo airline, linking flights to military logistics in Africa

A Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber crashed during a training flight near the village of Krasnoyarovo in the Far Eastern Amur region on September 29, killing six of the seven crew members aboard.

In 2026, the global balance of air power continues to reflect both historic military dominance and rapid modernisation efforts, particularly across Asia.

In 2026, total military aircraft numbers continue to highlight which countries possess the most expansive and versatile aerial forces.

Russia is developing a €180 million Aurus aircraft factory in Ulyanovsk to assemble, test and maintain a new family of Russian aircraft. The program is based on the Tupolev Tu-324 and includes plans for a 19-seat VIP business jet with a range of up to 7,000 kilometers, alongside a larger 64-seat passenger version.

Florida resident and Russian national Alexander Mamonov was convicted on 12 federal charges over an alleged scheme to illegally export more than $900,000 in U.S. aircraft parts to Russia and Aeroflot.

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III (U.S. Air Force, no IATA code) flew from Riga International Airport (RIX) to Moscow Vnukovo International Airport (VKO), an unusually direct military movement into Russia.

Russia is placing much of its hopes for the future of civil aviation on the Yakovlev MC-21, a narrow-body jet designed to reduce the country’s dependence on Western aircraft.

Romania destroyed an explosive-laden maritime drone near the Neptun Deep gas project after another drone crashed inside its territory during a major Russian attack on Ukraine.

Ukraine says its military intelligence agency identified an NVIDIA Jetson Orin computer module inside Russia’s S-71M Monochrome air-launched cruise missile.