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Following days of heightened tension, Israel launched a large attack against Iran in the early hours of Jun. 13, 2025, targeting leadership, nuclear research, and military sites both in Tehran and beyond. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement at around 0100 UTC, in which he said: “Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising […]

The post Everything We Know About Operation Rising Lion: Israel’s Attack on Iran appeared first on The Aviationist.

About two dozen German A400Ms will receive missile countermeasure upgrades to enhance survivability during tactical operations. Airbus has secured a contract from the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) to equip 23 Luftwaffe A400M Atlas aircraft with Directed Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) systems. The upgrade will significantly enhance the […]

The post German Air Force A400M Fleet to Be Equipped with DIRCM Protection System appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Italian Air Force celebrated the phase out of the T-339A jet trainer and the phase in of its successor, the T-345A. The Italian Air Force said goodbye to its long-standing Aermacchi MB-339A jet trainer during a ceremony at Lecce-Galatina Air Base on Jun. 12, 2025. The event included both the phase out of the […]

The post Italian Air Force Says Goodbye to MB-339A Jet Trainer After 45 Years appeared first on The Aviationist.

Procurement request documents obtained by Bloomberg show revised figures for F-35 deliveries in 2026, with the USAF receiving only 24 jets rather than 48. Bloomberg reports that the Pentagon seeks to reduce incoming deliveries for all branches of the U.S. military operating the F-35 Lightning II. The U.S. Air Force will receive 24 F-35As, rather […]

The post Breaking: U.S. DoD Cuts F-35 Deliveries By Up To 50% In Latest Budget Documents appeared first on The Aviationist.

The U.S. Air Force has released for the first time a rendering of the new AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) which is set to replace the current AGM-86B ALCM. The U.S. Air Force has released for the first time, on Jun. 9, 2025, a rendering of the new AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff (LRSO), the service’s next-gen stealth […]

The post Meet the AGM-181 LRSO: U.S. Air Force Reveals Next-Gen Nuclear Cruise Missile appeared first on The Aviationist.

Gen. Allvin hinted that the service might resume working on the AGM-183 ARRW hypersonic weapon, after previously stating that it would not be procured. After previously stating that it would not procure the weapon, the U.S. Air Force might have had a change of heart and decided to continue working to procure the AGM-183 Air-Launched […]

The post U.S. Air Force Might Bring Back AGM-183 ARRW in New Budget Proposal appeared first on The Aviationist.

The BALTOPS 25 exercise granted a rare sighting of a Soviet-designed helicopter landing on one of the U.S. Navy’s two Cold War era Blue Ridge class ships. Sailing in the Baltic Sea, the USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) offered its large aft helicopter deck as a facility for Polish military personnel operating the Soviet-designed Mil […]

The post Polish Mi-17 Conducts Deck Landing Qualifications on USS Mount Whitney During BALTOPS 25 appeared first on The Aviationist.

The SR-71 is perhaps the most iconic Cold War spy aircraft, famous for many record-setting flights. Seemingly impervious to loss by enemy defenses, a dozen Blackbirds were lost to accidents. Blackbird Beginnings On July 24, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced at a news conference the existence of a Mach-3 capable reconnaissance aircraft designated the […]

The post A Look at the Dozen SR-71 Blackbird Losses appeared first on The Aviationist.

The B-2 Spirit would be able to employ up to 80 500 lb QUICKSTRIKE weapons, holding at risk multiple targets in a maritime environment. The U.S Air Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) announced on Jun. 4, 2025, the test of a “new, more versatile variant of the QUICKSINK maritime weapon,” based on […]

The post USAF Tests 500 lb QUICKSINK Bomb in B-2 Stealth Bomber’s Maritime Strike Test appeared first on The Aviationist.

Footage shared online confirms that Russia has lost another Su-35S. According to some unverified claims, the Flanker was shot down by an F-16. Ukraine’s Air Force says it has shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E fighter jet during a morning operation on June 7, 2025. According to a brief statement shared on the Air […]

The post Ukrainian Air Force Claims Shootdown of Russian Su-35S Fighter appeared first on The Aviationist.

The new front photo clearly shows a side-by-side seating arrangement, as well as a large main weapons bay with two smaller ones on the sides. The Chinese J-36 has appeared in a new image, photographed on the flightline in a fully visible frontal aspect and revealing more about its design configuration. The aircraft, built by […]

The post Alleged New Image of China’s J-36 Stealth Jet Reveals Key Design Details appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Experimental Operations Unit will help accelerate the integration of Collaborative Combat Aircraft in service. The U.S. Air Force has announced the activation of an Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to accelerate the introduction of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The unit, which will be subordinated to Eglin AFB’s 53rd Wing, […]

The post U.S. Air Force Activates Experimental Operations Unit for Collaborative Combat Aircraft at Nellis AFB appeared first on The Aviationist.

40 years ago, the first BONE arrived at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. June 2025 marks a major milestone for one of the U.S. Air Force’s most iconic bombers. As detailed in a public release posted by the service on June 6, 2025, the B-1B Lancer celebrates 40 years of operations from Dyess Air Force […]

The post U.S. Air Force Celebrates Four Decades of B-1B Lancer Bomber At Dyess AFB appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Fleet Readiness Center Southwest reduced the required maintenance time by more than 24%, increasing readiness without sacrificing safety standards. In a “significant milestone,” the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest’s (FRCSW) Props team reduced the Planned Maintenance Interval (PMI) cycle for the CMV-22 Osprey tiltrotor “from 264 days to under 200 days – a reduction of […]

The post U.S. Navy’s Fleet Readiness Center Cuts 64 Days Off CMV-22B Osprey Scheduled Maintenance appeared first on The Aviationist.

The evaluation gave real-world operational context for the MV-75’s design, bridging the gap between engineering and battlefield application ahead of the Critical Design Review. The U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program conducted the third Special User Evaluation (SUE) at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. While the service announced this on May 28, 2025, the evaluation […]

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We took a closer look at the Russian Pantsir, Buk, Tor, Tunguska, and S-300 replicas positioned in a high-tech range used for realistic training in contested environments. The Poligono Interforze di Salto di Quirra (PISQ) is one of Italy’s most important military test and training facilities, and one of the most advanced in Europe. Headquartered […]

The post Take A Look At The Rare Full-Scale Replicas of Russian SAM Systems In The PISQ Range In Italy appeared first on The Aviationist.

Turkey is evaluating a replacement for its aging KC-135R Stratotanker fleet, with the KC-46 Pegasus and the A330 MRTT being the two candidates. Turkey has narrowed the candidates for the Türk Hava Kuvvetleri’s (Turkish Air Force) next aerial refueling aircraft to the Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) and the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, Breaking Defense […]

The post Turkey Set to Choose Between KC-46A and A330 MRTT for Future Tanker Fleet appeared first on The Aviationist.

After an eventful deployment to Europe and the Red Sea, the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) berthed at Naval Station Norfolk on Jun. 1, 2025. Upon beginning its deployment, it was already expected that the USS Harry S. Truman would likely come to face hostile fire and launch live combat […]

The post USS Harry S. Truman Returns Home: Deployment Recap appeared first on The Aviationist.

During the massive June 1 attack, Ukrainian First Person View drones also hit two A-50U Mainstay Airborne Early Warning aircraft. Few days after the daring long-range attack against Russian air bases, Ukraine has now released new videos from the attack on Jun. 1, 2025. One of these, part of a 5 minute compilation, shows First […]

The post Ukrainian FPV Drone Strike Hits Russia’s Rare and Vital A-50U, New Footage Shows appeared first on The Aviationist.

Saab has confirmed the Royal Thai Air Force’s choice of the Gripen E/F to replace the force’s F-16s, and the formal procurement process can now begin. The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) announced its preference in August 2024 to acquire Saab’s next generation Gripen, beating out a Lockheed Martin proposal offering Block 70/72 F-16 Fighting […]

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