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.

Hungary's first KC-390 airlifter takes flight

The first KC-390 Millennium tanker-transport for the Hungarian Air Force (HuAF) completed its maiden flight from Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility in Brazil on February 8, months later than was originally planned

Lockheed Martin rolls out first C-130J-30 for New Zealand

Lockheed Martin formally rolled out the first of five C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical transports for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) at its production facility in Marietta, Georgia, on February 15

Australian Wedgetail touches down at RAF Lossiemouth

A Royal Australian Air Force Boeing E-7A Wedgetail, A30-002, touched down at RAF Lossiemouth today (February 16, 2024).

News Freemium

KC-135T marks 100 years of 116th ARS with heritage scheme

The 116th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) ‘Ace of Spades’ – a part of the Washington ANG’s 141st Air Refueling Wing (ARW) at Fairchild AFB – has applied a new heritage scheme to one of its KC-135T Stratotankers to commemorate the squadron’s 100th anniversary

USAF’s 305th RQS welcomes first Jolly Green II

The USAF’s 305th Rescue Squadron (RQS) – a component of Air Force Reserve Command’s (AFRC’s) 943rd Rescue Group (RQG) – joined the HH-60W Jolly Green II family on February 1, when the first aircraft (21-14521) arrived at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona

News Freemium

Portugal receives first second-hand P-3C Orion from Germany

The Força Aerea Portuguesa (FAP; Portuguese Air Force) received the first of six former Marineflieger (German Navy)-operated P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) on February 9

USAF to perform flypast over Sheffield to mark 80th anniversary of B-17 crash

The US Air Force is to conduct a flypast over Endcliffe Park in Sheffield to mark the 80th anniversary of the crash of B-17 “Mi Amigo”.

News Premium

Greece seeks stop-gap C-130Hs to bolster waning airlift capabilities

The US Department of Defense and the US State Department have recently given advance notice of a proposed transfer of two legacy C-130H Hercules tactical transports to Greece as part of the Excess Defense Articles programme, which will be used as a stop-gap to boost the Hellenic Air Force’s airlift capabilities until the air arm’s new C-130J Super Hercules fleet can enter operational service

Stunning Swiss Air Force Hornet photos

A selection of stunning photos of Swiss Air Force F/A-18 Hornets from Peter Lewis and Aldo Wicki.

Fairford U-2 wears tribute nose art

Personnel from the U-2 unit operating from RAF Fairford applied nose art to one of the aircraft as a tribute to the three US Army soldiers killed recently by a drone at the Tower 22 base in Jordan.

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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