Airforce News

On this page you will find news from the world’s airforces including first flights, latest deployments, procurement programs, weapon upgrades, training and technology, fleet retirements, the changing operational theatres and missions.

Whether it is the RAF, France’s Armée de l’air or the United States Airforce, airforces around the world are buying new platforms, choosing between legacy fleets, which maybe Russian, European or American, and building their own domestic capabilities in sub-systems, missiles or whole aircraft.

Whether the manufacturing contracts are for domestic or foreign firms, worldwide instability is driving airforce fleet renewals, recapitalisation and investment in support infrastructure, military technology, offensive and defensive systems, from missiles, super and hypersonic, to chaff and directed infra-red countermeasures.

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More Typhoons in testing ahead of delivery to Kuwait

Two more Eurofighter Typhoons that are destined to join the ranks of the Kuwait Air Force were recently seen carrying out pre-delivery flight testing from Leonardo’s production and test facility at Turin-Caselle Airport in northern Italy

Ex-RAF chief condemns US-hosted ENJJPT pilot training programme

Training British fast-jet pilots in the US is a waste of taxpayers’ money and does not meet the needs of the RAF, a former senior commander has said

India deploys Su-30MKIs to Japan for inaugural air combat exercise

In a bid to promote bilateral air defence cooperation between the two countries, the Indian Air Force has deployed four Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker-H fighters to Hyakuri Air Base in Japan to participate in the inaugural joint air exercise: Veer Guardian 2023

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Russia’s disruptive air power in Ukraine

Russia has taken the use of disruptive airpower to new heights in Ukraine. Fahad ibne Masood assesses the impact of technological warfare

First F-35A to receive TR-3 upgrades completes maiden flight

A developmental test team from the USAF’s 461st FLTS ‘Deadly Jesters’ conducted the first flight of an F-35A Lightning II in the fifth-generation fighter’s new Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) configuration at Edwards AFB in California on January 6

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Swiss Air Force retires fleet of Pilatus PC-9 target tugs

The Swiss Air Force has withdrawn its last Pilatus PC-9. AirForces Monthly reflects on its illustrious career and the end of its aerial target-towing operations

Dutch F-35As prepare for NATO Air Policing deployment to Poland

The Royal Netherlands Air Force is due to deploy eight of its Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs to Malbork Air Base in Poland to support NATO Air Policing operations in February and March

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Spain to arm Eurofighters with Brimstone missiles

The Spanish Air and Space Force has selected MBDA’s Brimstone air-to-ground missile for its fleet of Eurofighters

Canada inks $14bn F-35A deal to replace ageing Hornet fleet

The Canadian government announced on January 9 that it had finalised an agreement with its US counterpart, along with Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, for the acquisition of 88 F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighters for an estimated cost of CA$19bn (US$14bn)

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Inside the cockpit: Exercise Falcon Strike from a Dutch F-35 pilot's perspective

Read about a Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-35A pilot's time flying a training mission during Falcon Strike 22 defending a C-27 with paratroopers onboard from enemy SAM systems and a Navy cruiser vessel

Your source for all the latest Airforce and military aircraft news

As the latest fifth-generation platform, the Lockheed Martin F-35 is in use globally for international partner airforces, from the United States Airforce (USAF) to the RAF and the Australian airforce, the sixth-generation fighters are already on the drawing board.

Find out which airforces are looking at virtual cockpits, networked platforms and piloted aircraft working with drone wingmen for the stealth fighters of the 2030s and discover which airforces are planning to replace their existing fleets with the fighter planes of the future.

Military Aircraft Retirement and Technology Updates

International forces around the world are deploying military aircraft manufactured in France, Russia and America including aircraft from Saab, France’s Dassault Rafale, Russian Mig-29s and the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, which it will operate for years to come.

What will also be flying well into the next decade is the USAF’s Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter. The next decade will also see the USAF’s newest stealth bomber, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider enter service, while the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber will be in its seventh decade of operational service after refurbishments and restorations. This page is the only place you need to be to find out all the latest news on retirements and new deployments.

Be the first to find out which existing platforms such as France’s Dassault Mirage 2000 light weight jet and the Eurofighter Typhoon are facing the need for wholesale technology updates. The Eurofighter is being upgraded for an electronic warfare role in the 2020s and the USAF is improving some of its Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons with F-35 fifth generation technology.

From restorations to retirement and procurement, international projects for new networked technologies including piloted and autonomous platforms and the contracts to manufacture them, all of this fast-moving defence aviation news and analysis can be found here.

Related Airforce Topics

Want to find out more about other types of military aircraft? We have dedicated pages for the latest Military Aircraft Shows, Military Fighter Aircraft and all the latest cutting-edge Military Aircraft Technology.

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