The Aviationist Blog

The ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite is on track for rapid fielding on 72 U.S. Air Force F-16s, as well as the Army’s ME-11B HADES. Northrop Grumman’s AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) is moving rapidly toward production and frontline fielding after completing a series of major developmental and operational milestones on U.S. […]

Three decades after the first flight, the F/A-18E/F is still central to U.S. Naval Aviation and is expected to serve into the 2040s alongside the F-35C and future F/A-XX. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet celebrated the 30th anniversary since its first flight. In fact, on Nov. 29, 1995, the prototype F/A-18E Super Hornet lifted off from […]

Lt. Col. William “Skate” Parks earned the nation’s third-highest combat decoration for guiding his F-16 flight through a deadly barrage of surface-to-air missiles during a SEAD mission in Yemen. Lt. Col. William “Skate” Parks, former commander of the 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, was awared the Silver Star Medal for his actions during a mission in […]

A foreign military sales contract has been awarded to Boeing for the supply of 96 AH-64E Apaches to Poland, which will make the European nation the largest non-U.S. operator of the type. Announced on Nov. 26, 2025, the contract will see the first helicopters delivered to Poland from 2028. The sale was approved in August […]

A Russian Geran-2 drone – shot down by a Sting anti-UAV loitering munition – was found equipped with an R-60 IR-guided air-to-air missile. Ukrainians brought down a Russian Shahed-type Geran-2 attack drone which was carrying an R-60 IR-guided AAM (Air-to-Air Missile) on a top-mounted rail launcher. The drone was shot down with a Ukrainian-made Sting […]

Austria acquired 12 Leonardo M-346FA aircraft in a deal worth €1.5 billion, with deliveries starting in 2028. The Austrian Ministry of Defense has finalized the acquisition of the Leonardo M-346FA aircraft. The development follows the Government-to-Government agreement with Italy signed in May 2025 and a Letter of Intent in December 2024. The Deal The acquisition […]

The U.S. Air Force currently operates 96 KC-46A refuelers, which Boeing is also upgrading with new hardware and software. Boeing announced on Nov. 26, 2025, the award of a new contract, worth $2.47 billion, to build 15 additional KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force, covering Production Lot 12. With the 98 KC-46As […]

Two Meteor live-fire tests were conducted as part of the BVR-X Technical Exercise in the Natal region. The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) announced a major milestone on Nov. 29, 2025, conducting its first Meteor BVRAAM (Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile) live fire from an F-39E (Brazilian designation for the Saab JAS39 […]

With the live AAM test, the Kizilelma is now the first UCAV to launch a radar-guided air-to-air missile. Turkey’s Kizilelma UCAV ha conducted a live-fire test of the Gökdoğan BVR AAM (Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile), making it the first UCAV to demonstrate that capability, announced drone maker Baykar on Nov. 30, 2025.  The test […]

After a mammoth voyage travelling as far as Australia and Japan, HMS Prince of Wales and its carrier strike group have safely returned home to the UK. Their arrival home after eight months completes the Carrier Strike Group 25 (CSG 25) deployment, which was codenamed Operation Highmast. Across the 223 days since HMS Prince of […]

The KC-135 was used to expand tactical communications across joint and combined forces for contested, multi-domain operations, and is now testing the High Value Airborne Asset Pod. The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center (AATC) has just disclosed that its KC-135 Test Detachment, working alongside the Utah Air National Guard’s 151st Wing, […]

The UK Defense Secretary said the Russian ship pointed lasers at a RAF P-8 Poseidon while on the edge of UK waters off Scotland. The Russian intelligence ship Yantar is currently sailing on the edge of UK waters off the coast of Scotland, monitored by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. During a […]

Anduril previously said a breakthrough in Omen’s development came through collaboration with Archer Aviation, which develops hybrid-electric VTOL systems. Archer Aviation has announced on Nov. 17, 2025, that it will supply its proprietary hybrid powertrain to third parties, starting with the Omen drone being developed by Anduril and Edge Group. The drone was recently unveiled […]

The 919th Special Operations Wing flew the AC-130A Spectre for 20 years, before transitioning to non-gunship aircraft, and will now operate the new AC-130J. The 919th Special Operations Wing (919th SOW) marked its return to the aircraft gunship role on Oct. 9, 2025, after its constituent 711th Special Operations Squadron (711th SOS) flew its first […]

Of the twelve F-15E Strike Eagles that the 336th FS deployed to Kadena Air Base, six were sent to NSF Diego Garcia for three months in response to tensions in the Middle East. The U.S. Air Force’s 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron concluded a six-month deployment with 12 F-15E Strike Eagles at Kadena Air Base, Japan, […]

Announced at the Dubai Air Show, 10 H225M helicopters will join the Royal Moroccan Air Force and begin to replace its ageing Puma fleet in the combat search and rescue role. Joining over 360 H225 and H225M helicopters in service worldwide, Morocco’s ten examples of the aircraft will be fitted with Safran Euroflir 410 electro-optical/infrared […]

The Gen III TacIRST distributed infrared threat‑warning system will equip the F-22 Raptor, with an evaluation planned in 2026. Lockheed Martin has announced the first flight of the latest iteration of its TacIRST sensor, or Gen III TacIRST. The flight was conducted in October by a Rockwell Sabreliner 65 testbed equipped with a pod carrying […]

Two S-70 Firehawk helicopters will enter service with the Czech Police and become the first examples of the type in European skies, with an option remaining open for a third airframe. After securing an order last month for two new Firehawks for the L.A. County Fire Department, Lockheed Martin, through Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec, has […]

Ahead of an expected competition to replace the RAF’s Hawk T2s, Saab, Boeing, and BAE Systems have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on a pilot training system centered on the T-7 Red Hawk. In a press release published on Nov. 18, 2025, the Vice President of Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s Business Development […]

The Sniper NTP integrates a multi-datalink, multi-processor Hybrid Base Station (HBS) with the existing Sniper ATP, turning it into an airborne communications and edge-computing node. Lockheed Martin has unveiled the latest evolution of its proven Sniper targeting pod, called the Sniper Networked Targeting Pod (NTP), whose development was announced last year. By integrating a multi-datalink, […]