The US Air Force is moving to make base defense a core combat function as missiles and drones expose vulnerabilities at American installations.
US AIR FORCE
The U.S. Air Force plans to field at least 500 CCAs and 500 MMAs by 2032, expanding autonomous, attritable, strike, and ISR capabilities.
US military pilots serve in the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Army, with each branch operating different aircraft and career structures.
Singapore will permanently base 12 F-35Bs at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas, while eight F-35As will operate from Tengah Air Base, balancing overseas training with a local fifth-generation fighter capability.
The U.S. destroyed five Iranian oil tankers after repeated missile attacks on a Navy warship. Iran retaliated against Jordan as Washington deployed more F-35s and F-16s and expanded sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation network.
Based on early 2026 fleet figures, here are the 10 largest army aviation branches in the world by aircraft numbers.
The U.S. Air Force is accelerating plans for a low-cost successor to the MQ-9A Reaper as combat losses increase pressure to field more affordable unmanned aircraft.
The Pentagon now projects the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will cost about $536.3 billion to develop and procure, up from $485.2 billion in the previous estimate. Its total lifecycle cost, however, has fallen to roughly $1.93 trillion from $2.06 trillion.
Boeing has secured a major US defence contract with a ceiling value of $131.23 billion to support the F-15 Eagle Crest programme, strengthening its role in producing, upgrading and sustaining the long-serving fighter fleet.
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.