Multi-Role Fighter

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UK MOD told to consider advantages of operating mixed F-35A/B fleet

The UK parliament’s Defence Select Committee was told that the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review set out plans for the UK to buy 138 F-35B Lightning IIs. As of May 1, 2023, the UK had taken delivered of 31 F-35Bs, with a total of 48 due to be delivered by the end of 2025 as part of an initial Tranche 1 order

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RAF urged to mothball Tranche 1 Typhoons instead of scrapping them

The RAF’s Tranche 1 Typhoon FGR4 fighters should be mothballed rather than scrapped, an influential group of British MPs have concluded in a new investigative report

USAF completes first phase of F-15EX integrated testing

The F-15EX Eagle II has completed the first phase of its hybrid developmental/initial operational test and evaluation programme, otherwise known as F-15EX Integrated Test and Evaluation, with the milestone being announced shortly after the fighter concluded its participation in the USAF’s Exercise Combat Hammer

F-15EX eyed as solution for Poland’s air dominance requirements

In light of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia War and in line with its newly inflated defence budget, Poland is actively evaluating the purchase of a fleet of F-15EX Eagle IIs through the US DOD’s Foreign Military Sales programme to meet its requirement for a new air dominance fighter, according to Boeing

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Belgium retires first F-16 from use after nearly 40 years of ops

The Belgium Air Force withdrew its first F-16AM (MLU) Fighting Falcon from operational use on September 8, after the multi-role fighter reached the 8,000 flight hour milestone

Indonesia presses forward with F-15EX Eagle II acquisition

Indonesia is set to become the first export customer for the F-15EX after a Memorandum of Understanding for the purchase of at least 24 Eagle II fighters was signed during a recent visit of Indonesia’s Minister of Defence Prabowo Subianto to the firm’s F-15 production line in St Louis, Missouri

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UK airpower in crisis amid growing threat of war, MPs say

The state of UK airpower and its inability to counter the growing threat of war has been laid bare in a damning report by an influential group of British MPs

GALLERY: Canadian Hornets in the Mach Loop during Cobra Warrior

McDonnell Douglas CF-188A Hornets of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) while deployed to the UK for Exercise Cobra Warrior 23-2 have also taken advantage of low flying areas for additional training

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Romania pushes forward with quest to acquire F-35As

Romania’s Ministry of National Defence has formally submitted a request to the Romanian Parliament to approve the purchase of 32 fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II multi-role stealth fighters, local media reported on August 9

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Why has Iran bailed on purchasing Su-35SEs from Russia?

Babak Taghvaee explains why Iran has backed out of its acquisition of 25 Su-35SEs from Russia and how the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force has struggled to effectively operate its existing Fulcrum and Fencer fleets due to Moscow’s political strategies