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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The Hercules in RAF service: the first 25 years

The Royal Air Force has now ended its 56-year association with the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Mick Britton details the first quarter century of the type’s illustrious RAF career in the first of two parts

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How Greece is getting to grips with the Dassault Rafale

The Hellenic Air Force is replacing its Mirage 2000s with Rafales. Babak Taghvaee details 332 Mira’s work up on the new type, culminating with a debut at Exercise Iniochos – Greece’s answer to Red Flag

Russia welcomes new Su-35S batch as fighter production ramps up

Another batch of Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E multi-role fighters has been handed over to the Russian Ministry of Defence, with the completion of this latest delivery being confirmed by Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation – a subsidiary of the state-owned Rostec State Corporation – on June 23

Australia formally activates first MQ-4C Triton unit

The Royal Australian Air Force has formally reactivated No 9 Squadron at RAAF Base Tindal – located within Australia’s Northern Territory – as the air arm prepares to welcome its first Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles in 2024

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How New Zealand is preparing RNZAF Base Auckland for future operations

In a time of change and fleet recapitalisation, Barry Ambrose visits RNZAF Base Auckland to discover how New Zealand is working to modernise its capabilities, replacing old workhorses with newer, more capable platforms

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Why one of Germany’s last Tornado wings has relocated

Due to the required work at Büchel in Germany for the incoming Lockheed Martin F-35As, Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 (TLG33) has moved to nearby Nörvenich. Chris Melaisi looks at what this change means to the wing and speaks to some of its crew

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Why A-10 student pilots flew in Exercise Green Flag

The A-10Cs from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base recently flew out to Nellis AFB, in Nevada, for Exercise Green Flag-West. Frank Visser and Ludo Mennes observed it in action.

Air Defender 23 - Hot action from Hohn and Jagel air bases

Some of the action from Jagel and Hohn air bases shot by Mark Kerton. These two bases in Northern Germany are the main locations hosting fast jets taking part in Exercise Air Defender 23.

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Exercise Air Defender 23 gallery

A selection of photos from Jagel and Hohn air bases by Mark Kerton. These locations are the two main bases being used to host fast jets for Exercise Air Defender 23.

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Building 27: Keeping history alive

Among the RAF’s most prized possessions, Building 27 at Northolt isthe subject of a mammoth restoration. FlyPast’s Jamie Ewan caught up with Phil Dawe MBE, the ambitious project’s driving force

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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