The Aviationist Blog

Switzerland, after approving a US$7.5 billion expenditure for its next generation of fighter aircraft, is being forced to cut back its planned order of 36 F-35A Lightning IIs in order to remain within budget. The decision to procure the F-35A Lightning II over competition from the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super […]

The contract signed by Leonardo with the Italian Directorate of Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness confirms Austria will get the new M-346F Block 20 variant. Leonardo has announced it signed a contract with the Italian Directorate of Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness for the Austrian Air Force’s M-346 order. The company has now confirmed that Austria, which […]

The U.S. Navy is continuing the work to extend the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet’s service life to 10,000 flight hours, with the latest contract covering up to 60 aircraft. The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a new contract, worth $930.77 million, to continue the work on the Super Hornet Service Life Modification (SLM) program. As part […]

The U.S. Air Force now expects to take delivery of its first new Presidential jet in mid-2028, replacing the VC-25As that have served since 1990. In a statement released to Aviation Week following the announcement of a $15.5 million contract modification related to the VC-25B program, a U.S. Air Force spokesperson said “These costs are […]

A new update to the Undergraduate Jet Training System’s RFI mentions the requirement for a 216-aircraft fleet, blaming the government shutdown for the RFP’s delay. The U.S. Navy has set a requirement for 216 aircraft to replace the T-45 Goshawk fleet as part of the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS). The requirement was mentioned in […]

U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack voiced hope for progress on F-35 talks, but Turkish officials said there are no new developments regarding the S-400 air defence system. In a recent post on X, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack stated his hope that “talks will yield a breakthrough in the coming months” that meet the security […]

China’s new turboprop-powered medium airlifter built by Xi’an Aircraft Corporation, dubbed Y-30, has flown for the first time. A long-rumored medium-class airlifter was seen flying for the first time at the XAC airfield (Xi’an Aircraft Corporation) in the city of Xi’an in Central China. Low-quality images that have started to circulate online show an aircraft […]

On Dec. 15, 2010, sixteen Harriers took off from RAF Cottesmore for a farewell formation flight marking the end to 41 years of British Harrier operations. Originally scheduled to remain in service until 2018 or beyond, ideally overlapping with the introduction of the F-35B Lightning II, budget cuts instituted by the 2010 Strategic Defence and […]

Official descriptions suggest the CH-7 has an ISTAR role, which would allow it to send back data on enemy vessels in the western Pacific and guide long-range maritime strike missiles. China’s CH-7 flying-wing high-altitude surveillance drone conducted its maiden flight from a facility in northwestern China, Chinese reports said, marking the beginning of its flight […]

Experiencing a total eclipse for 74 minutes, passengers of Concorde 001 followed the path of totality as it crossed Africa in 1973, setting a record for the longest-ever total eclipse observation. Experiencing a total eclipse for 74 minutes, passengers of Concorde 001 moving at Mach 2 followed the path of totality as it crossed the […]

Long-running mechanical, faulty metallic alloys in the Prop-Rotor Gear Box and lack of synergy between the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps have compounded the V-22 Osprey’s troubles. Faulty parts, inconsistent communication of safety and hazard risks from the Joint Program Office, and poor coordination between the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force, […]

The legacy ISR fleet of RC-12X Guardrail, MC-12S EMARSS and the EO-5C ARL-M turboprops will be replaced by the jet-powered High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES). The U.S. Army has completed the divestment of its three A-ISR (Aerial-Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) aircraft types, including the RC-12X Guardrail, MC-12S EMARSS-M (Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and […]

The NDAA freezes E-3, F-15E and A-10 retirements, accelerates F/A-XX and F-47 oversight, and demands a concrete plan for post-E-6B nuclear command-and-control. The Fiscal Year 2026 U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) advanced another step toward becoming law this week after the House approved the measure in a 312–112 vote. The nearly $900 billion defense […]

Just over a year after the first inert drop of the new Stand-in Attack Weapon, or SiAW, Northrop Grumman announced on Dec. 11 that another separation test had been completed from an F-16 Fighting Falcon. The inert weapon was dropped as part of ongoing testing to validate the SiAW’s flight safety and aerodynamic performance ahead […]

In early December, USAF F-35A Lightning IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons took part in agile airpower exercises across the Baltic states and in Romania. Two F-16s from the U.S. Air Force’s 31st Fighter Wing (FW), based at Aviano Air Base, Italy, launched on Dec. 3, 2025 and flew to Câmpia Turzii Air Base, Romania – […]

The Navy confirms Boeing’s MQ-25 will not fly in 2025 as expected, shifting the pivotal test to early 2026 while ground checks and certification continue. The first flight of the U.S. Navy’s Boeing MQ-25 Stingray has slipped into early 2026, delaying earlier plans to achieve by the end of 2025 what senior service officials have […]

Anduril UK will work with GKN Aerospace on a proposal for Project NYX, the development of a new UAV designed to work in tandem with AH-64E Apache helicopters. Project NYX, which sets out the process for the delivery of a demonstrator for the Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) program, is expected to have a contract […]

The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces is negotiating the transfer of the soon to be retired MiG-29s, with Ukraine providing in return drone and missile technologies. The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced in a post on social media that it is negotiating the transfer of the country’s remaining MiG-29s to […]

The Finnish Air Force’s first F-35 conducted its first flight on Dec. 8, ahead of the official rollout ceremony next week. The Finnish Air Force has announced the maiden flight of its first F-35A Lightning II from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, where Lockheed Martin’s production facilities are based, on Dec. […]

The Bangladesh Air Force has signed a letter of intent with Italian manufacturer Leonardo for the future provision of Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft. In another step towards implementing the plans set out in the Bangladesh military’s Forces Goal 2030 modernisation program, the letter of intent (LOI) was signed at the headquarters of the Bangladesh […]