The Aviationist Blog

The Belgian Air Force has officially welcomed its first F-35A Lightning II to Florennes Air Base, joining the growing European “wall of F-35s.” Belgium’s first F-35A Lightning II to be permanently stationed in the country landed today at Florennes Air Base, Belgium, marking a major milestone in the nation’s transition to the 5th generation fighter. […]

The S-70UAS U-Hawk is a modified UH-60L that removes the cockpit entirely to create an uncrewed, mission-flexible platform designed for logistics, support, and future air-ground teaming missions. After years of experimentation with the MATRIX autonomy suite and the optionally piloted Black Hawk, Sikorsky has now taken the next step toward a fully autonomous utility helicopter: […]

An A-10C was spotted with two Shahed-type UAS shapes painted on the nose while returning to its home base. An A-10C Thunderbolt II of the U.S. Air Force was spotted with two interesting kill markings while returning home from its latest deployment in the U.S. CENTCOM (Central Command) AOR (Area of Responsibility). In fact, the […]

The two British aircraft flew a 12-hour mission along the border with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. In a rare mission, a Royal Air Force (RAF) RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft flew a 12-hour-long mission on Oct. 9, 2025, patrolling the entire border along NATO’s eastern flank and the Black Sea. An RAF P-8A Poseidon […]

The joint U.S., British and Norwegian mission saw the A400M transporting a JLTV, simulating a NMESIS system, and infantry in the High North. The Royal Air Force (RAF) revealed on Oct. 9, 2025 a first-of-its-kind operation conducted in cooperation with the U.S. and Norway in late September. As part of the operation, an RAF A400M […]

Royal Marines took aim at the engine of a boat suspected of drug smuggling while flying in HMS Lancaster’s Wildcat helicopter over the Gulf of Oman. £35 million of drugs were subsequently seized. Three skiffs were first identified by the Wildcat helicopter’s crew after launching on an early morning patrol from Type 23 frigate HMS […]

CAOC Bodø was officially opened on Oct. 10, 2025, joining CAOC Uedem, Germany, and CAOC Torrejón, Spain as NATO’s third active Combined Air Operations Centre. Combined Air Operations Centres, or CAOCs – not to be confused with the U.S. Air Force’s 609th Air Operations Centre in Qatar, which is also known as the Combined Air […]

Kizilelma’s live-fire tests come within days of the carriage trials with the TOLUN and TEBER-82 munitions. Baykar’s Kizilelma UCAV recorded another milestone when it dropped two inert munitions, the TOLUN glide bomb and the TEBER-82 guided bomb, in its first live-fire test, the Turkish drone major announced on Oct. 8, 2025. The new milestone comes […]

The MH-139A, slated to replace the older UH-1N Hueys in the nuclear security mission, recently conducted its first search and rescue mission. Boeing announced on Oct. 8, 2025 a new $173 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to produce eight more MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, raising the total number of aircraft under contract to […]

The 2025–2027 Defense Planning Document confirms Italy’s ambitious modernization, introducing new acquisitions while consolidating major programs. The Italian Ministry of Defense has released the 2025–2027 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP), the annual multi-year planning document that outlines national defense investments and modernization priorities. The new edition details how Italy intends to enhance readiness, upgrade existing fleets, […]

The RAF notoriously lacks a boom air-to-air refueling capability to support the Poseidon, and the simulated refueling with a KC-135 signals steps are being taken to address the issue. A RAF (Royal Air Force) P-8A Poseidon received fuel mid-air for the first time, or at least simulated the operation, from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 […]

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers launched from Whiteman AFB on a transatlantic round-trip sortie, supported by an E-6B Mercury flying from Ramstein. Let’s look at what happened. The appearance on Sept. 21, 2025, of a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury over European skies signaled to many enthusiasts who monitor the activities of U.S. strategic forces that they […]

The new variant was designed, developed and tested in 50 days, with the test in the Mojave Desert using a COTS rocket motor. Raytheon has announced the testing of a new ground-launched variant of the GBU-53 StormBreaker munition. The company highlighted that it designed, developed and tested the new variant in 50 days. The test […]

Earning the Spaatz Trophy for being the top Air National Guard flying unit only a month ago, the 104th Fighter Squadron has now officially ceased operations. On Sept. 22, 2025, joined at the Hagerstown Regional Airport by hundreds of former Fairchild Republic employees, former test pilots, 175th Wing personnel, and family and fans, the museum […]

Boeing will transfer two 737-700 airframes to STS Aviation in Birmingham for E-7 conversion in 2026. Boeing will have two rapid-prototype E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Early-Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft converted in the United Kingdom, marking a rare instance of U.S. Air Force aircraft work being performed on British soil. However, questions persist over the program’s […]

Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney will use new digital design technology to accelerate its work on the XA103, its submission for the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program. Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion, or NGAP, calls for the development of adaptive cycle engines that can be reconfigured in flight between high performance and […]

The latest iteration of the combat-proven APG-82 radar incorporates gallium nitride (GaN) technology to enhance the radar’s effectiveness and capabilities. Raytheon has unveiled a major upgrade to the APG-82 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, called the APG-82(V)X. The new radar integrates gallium nitride (GaN) transmit/receive technology to deliver increased range, higher processing speed and […]

Bombardier Defense has announced the delivery of the U.S. Air Force’s ninth Global 6000 for the E-11A BACN program. The ninth aircraft for the U.S. Air Force’s E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program was welcomed in a ceremony held at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, in September 2025. Hanscom is the headquarters of the […]

The Advanced Technology Research Aircraft was modified with the Eurofighter’s nose to support testing of the ECRS Mk.1 AESA radar. Airbus and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have reached another milestone with the modified Airbus A320 Advanced Technology Research Aircraft (ATRA) recently flying in its Initial Operational Capability (IOC) configuration, after the first flight earlier […]

The CAEW-type aircraft might be pitched to Taiwan to replace its five E-2K Hawkeyes, after it could not acquire the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. L3Harris appears to be pitching its AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft concept at the TADTE 2025 exhibition in Taiwan, images from Sep. 20, 2025, showed. Based on the proven Bombardier […]