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
UK MOD slammed for creating capability gap after axing RAF C-130J fleet
The decision to retire the RAF’s fleet of C-130J Hercules C4/C5 tactical transports earlier than originally planned has left a capability gap in air mobility tasks and special forces operations, a report by an influential group of British MPs has found
USAF retires final ‘Big Safari’ NC-135W to the Boneyard
The USAF recently retired its last Pratt & Whitney TF33 turbofan-powered NC-135W Stratolifter test aircraft after more than 50 years of operational service
EXCLUSIVE: List of Lakenheath’s 495th FS F-35 Valkyrie names
The F-35A Lightning IIs of the 495th Fighter Squadron (FS) at RAF Lakenheath have each been given the name of a Valkyrie from Norse mythology
US Navy orders more CH-53Ks for USMC and Israel
The US Navy has awarded Sikorsky a $2.7bn contract to build and deliver 35 additional CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift transport helicopters – comprising 12 Lot 7 and 15 Lot 8 aircraft for the USMC, along with a further eight examples for Israel (adding to the four announced in 2022)
Sierra Nevada to bid for USAF ‘Doomsday Plane’ replacement
Sierra Nevada Corporation is bidding for the USAF’s $8bn Survivable Airborne Operations Center programme – the replacement for the USAF’s ageing fleet of E-4B ‘Nightwatch’ National Airborne Operations Center aircraft, otherwise known as the air arm’s so-called ‘Doomsday Plane’
USAF releases new B-21 stealth bomber images as engine tests begin
The USAF announced on September 12 that the first B-21 Raider stealth bomber prototype had commenced engine runs at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Palmdale, California, as part of its ground test programme
Ukraine charts success in recent strikes against Russian forces in Crimea
As was expected, the series of Ukrainian special operations against Russian high-value targets based in Russian-occupied Crimea that began in August continued in September
Tinker AFB bids farewell to more E-3 Sentry AWACS
A further two E-3B/G Sentry aircraft have taken off from Tinker AFB for the final time, having been flown from the Oklahoma base to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, to be placed in long-term storage as the USAF continues to drawdown its ageing AWACS fleet
Bird strike considered as cause of fatal Frecce Tricolori crash in Turin
An MB-339PAN jet trainer belonging to the Italian Air Force’s national aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori (Tricolour Arrows), crashed just after taking off from Turin-Caselle Airport, northern Italy, on September 16, killing a five-year-old girl on the ground
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.
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