Multi-Role Fighter

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Mirage 2000-5F pilots score first post-WW2 aerial victories for France

Two French Air and Space Force pilots flying Mirage 2000-5F multi-role fighters have scored the first successful aerial victories against enemy aircraft since the end of World War 2, after the two jets engaged in air-to-air combat with Houthi-operated kamikaze drones over the Red Sea on March 9

Wisconsin ANG's 'Badger Air Militia' embarks on first F-35A training deployment

A number of F-35A Lightning IIs and more than 150 airmen from the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s (ANG’s) 115th Fighter Wing (FW) – which is home-based at Truax Field ANGB in Madison – completed the Weapons System Evaluation Program’s (WSEP’s) Exercise Combat Archer at Tyndall AFB, Florida, on February 23

Hungary orders four more Gripen Cs

Saab inked a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) covering an order for four more single-seat JAS 39C Gripen multi-role fighters for the Hungarian Air Force (HuAF) on February 23

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Turkey’s first fifth-gen Kaan fighter takes flight

Turkey’s first domestically developed manned combat aircraft – which is now dubbed the Kaan (formerly known as the TF-X) – graced the skies for the first time on February 21, when it completed its maiden flight from Akinci Air Base near Ankara

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First US fighter ace since Vietnam emerges in Red Sea conflict

As the skies over the Red Sea grow more volatile in light of recent attacks on international shipping in the region from Houthi-backed militants in Yemen, Capt Earl Ehrhart V – a USMC AV-8B Harrier II pilot – has intercepted and shot down seven confirmed Houthi drones since December 2023, becoming the first American fighter ace since the end of the Vietnam War

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US finally approves sale of F-16 Block 70s to Turkey

After a two-year delay, Turkey has finally gained approval from the US government to acquire 40 new-build F-16C/D Block 70 Fighting Falcon multi-role fighters and 79 F-16V upgrade kits in a deal worth approximately $23bn

USMC’s first East Coast F-35B unit declared operational

The USMC formally declared its first East Coast-based F-35B Lightning II squadron operational when Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542 (VMFA-542) ‘Tigers’ – a component of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) – achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina on February 5

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Ethiopia acquires Su-30K fighters and Akinci drones

The Ethiopian Air Force (EAF) has taken delivery of two Russian-built Su-30K Flanker-F multi-role fighters and an unspecified number of Turkish-made Bayraktar Akinci unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs)

F135 Engine Core Upgrade: Powering the Future

After Pratt & Whitney’s F135 Engine Core Upgrade solution was chosen by the USAF to enhance the F-35’s powerplant ahead of the highly anticipated Block 4 configuration, Khalem Chapman spoke with the firm about the progress being made and the benefits it will bring to not only the Lightning II family, but also future sixth-generation fighters

Italian Tornados relieve Eurofighters on deployment in Kuwait

The Italian Air Force has deployed an unspecified number of Panavia Tornado IDS ground attack/strike aircraft to Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait as part of its latest Task Group Devil detachment to the Middle East region