A prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems crashed shortly after takeoff on April 6, 2026.
US AIR FORCE
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 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.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter assigned to Nellis Air Force Base (LSV) crashed within the Nevada Test and Training Range on March 31, 2026.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force began joint operations on March 23 at Misawa Air Base in Japan alongside U.S. and Japanese forces, marking its first exercise in the country.
The US Air Force (USAF) has begun replacing F-16CM aircraft with Lockheed Martin F-35A jets to modernize its “wild weasel” mission in northern Japan.
Iran destroys a U.S. E-3 Sentry AWACS at Prince Sultan Air Base, raising urgent concerns over U.S. air defense gaps in the Middle East.
Below are the top 10 largest navies in the world in 2026, ranked by naval aircraft fleet size, reflecting both breadth and operational scope.