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.

RAF grounds entire Hawk T2 fleet after engine fault

The RAF has grounded its BAE Systems Hawk T2 fast-jet training aircraft as a precaution after one aircraft suffered an engine failure on the runway at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales

News Premium

Taiwan's final F-16A Block 20 begins Viper conversion

The ROCAF’s last Lockheed Martin F-16A Block 20 Fighting Falcon recently arrived at the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation’s Shalu facility at Taichung International Airport in central Taiwan for its mid-life upgrade and conversion to the latest, most advanced variant of the Fighting Falcon family: the F-16V

New Zealand bids farewell to P-3K2 Orion fleet

On January 24, three Lockheed P-3K2 Orions departed Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Auckland in Whenaupai for a formation flight over the country's North Island to bid farewell to the type after more than 55 years of service

Feature Premium

Air Force One: The Flying Fortress

It is possibly the world’s most famous plane, but little is known about it. A new documentary with rare access to the inner workings of Air Force One changes that. Tom Batchelor spoke to professional pilot and filmmaker Scott Bateman to learn more

Feature Premium

The ultimate guide to everything happening at RAF Lakenheath

AirForces Monthly looks at RAF Lakenheath, where the 48th Fighter Wing is continuing to transition from an all Eagle force to welcome the new fifth-generation capabilities offered by the F-35A Lightning II

Argentina receives final modernised C-130H

The modernisation of five Argentine Air Force-operated C-130H Hercules tactical transports has now come to an successful end after the Fábrica Argentina de Aviones recently redelivered the fifth and final example to the operator

Feature Premium

Russia moves to make the Sukhoi Su-34 deadlier amidst war in Ukraine

AirForces Monthly reviews the status of the Su-34 Fullback, the enhancement plans for the type and its controversial operations in the ongoing war in Ukraine

Feature Premium

F-35 stealth tactics focus for Italy’s biggest air exercise of 2022

Dutch and US F-35s teamed with their Italian counterparts in November for an exercise that echoed the US’ own Red Flag. Mauro Finati was on hand for Aviation News

Feature Premium

What you need to know about the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber

After a relatively short seven-year development period, the USAF is poised to begin testing the first new long-range bomber developed since the Northrop Grumman B-2A entered service more than 30 years ago. Tom Kaminski reports

Feature Premium

Everything you need to know about India’s new Light Combat Helicopter

India’s Light Combat Helicopter entered service in October 2022 after a lengthy development campaign. AirForces Monthly has followed the programme since the prototype’s maiden flight and provides details of this unique attack helicopter

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.

Subscribe to Key.Aero

Become a part of our aviation community and subscribe to Key.Aero now. You can get all the aviation information you'll ever need, whenever you want, with access to all the latest aviation updates, news, events and more.