Royal Thai Air Force buys 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs for training
The Royal Thai Air Force has purchased 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II aircraft, as well as spare parts, training and support services, for $162 million from Textron Aviation Defense.
Antonov An-26 military transport crashes in eastern Ukraine
Two of the 27 people on board an Antonov An-26 military transport survived after the turboprop crashed in eastern Ukraine on 25 September.
UK aircraft carrier bulks up with 15 RAF, US Marine Corps F-35Bs
Fifteen Lockheed Martin F-35Bs from the UK Royal Air Force and US Marine Corps have embarked aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth for a major exercise.
Saab F-39E Gripen arrives in Brazil for flight testing
The Brazilian variant of the Gripen E/F will be used for a flight-testing campaign.
Aero Vodochody gains certification for L-39NG
Approval for the Czech-built single-engined military trainer comes 21 months after first flight, and clears way for deliveries to three customers to begin.
AFRL debates number of weapons to be networked for Golden Horde
Flight demonstrations of the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Golden Horde initiative, an effort to network precision glide bombs and decoys into collaborative attack teams, may not start in late 2020 as originally planned.
Lockheed Martin aims to put laser weapon on aircraft in five years
Its Tactical Airborne Laser Weapon System would be used to shoot down incoming tactical missiles, for instance, air-to-air missiles or surface-to-air missiles.
GE ships first engines for F-15EX fighter
GE Aviation has delivered its first F110-129 engines for integration with Boeing’s F-15EX fighter.
USAF Special Ops return to niche missions for great power competition
US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to move away from some of the counter terrorism and anti-insurgency missions that it assumed after the 11 September 2001 attacks, in favour of traditional niche roles in the USA’s budding great power competition with Russia and China.
USAF secretly builds and flies next-generation fighter demonstrator
The US Air Force has secretly designed, built and flown a full-scale demonstrator aircraft that is part of its Next Generation Air Dominance programme.