The Royal Canadian Air Force’s first F-35A Lightning II flew for the first time, marking a milestone in Canada’s controversial fighter acquisition program to replace the CF-188 Hornet fleet. The first F-35A Lightning II destined for Canada has conducted its maiden flight from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, where Lockheed Martin’s […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso5h ago
A Royal Air Force Hawk T2 has crashed near RAF Valley in North Wales. Two parachutes could be seen descending to the ground as the stricken jet fell out of the sky. An emergency response was quickly triggered after the training jet impacted a field near its base on the island of Anglesey in Wales. […]
The Aviationist•Kai Greet10h ago
Hawker Hunter N345AX, operated by red air contractor ATAC but formerly a UK airshow star as G-PSST, went down a few miles off the California coast on Sep. 22. The pilot was rescued by a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter. Local news reports indicate that the wreckage of the jet has yet to be found, with […]
The Aviationist•Kai Greet11h ago
The flight tests support Dassault Aviation’s efforts to integrate AI into the Rafale cockpit as France advances development of the F5 standard. The Rafale fighter has been flight-tested with two new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies designed to support the human crew, which could potentially be included in future upgrades for the fighter, Dassault Aviation announced […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam11h ago
The new capability allows two F-16s equipped with Legion sensor pods to share tracking data, improving track accuracy and enabling near-instantaneous passive ranging against multiple airborne targets. Lockheed Martin has demonstrated a new networking capability with a dedicated datalink for its Legion infrared search-and-track (IRST) sensor pod. During the test, two pods were connected through […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso13h ago
South Korea’s indigenous fighter program enters a new phase as the first serial production KF-21 joins the ROKAF. The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) received its first serial production KF-21 Boramae fighter on Sep. 22, 2026, marking the transition of South Korea’s indigenous fighter program from development to service introduction. Tail number 25-001, bearing […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam14h ago
An unidentified aircraft resembling the SR-71 Blackbird appeared in Jared Isaacman’s All-In Summit presentation. Asked whether it was an SR-71, the NASA administrator cryptically replied: “You sure that’s a Blackbird?”. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has offered an intriguing glimpse of what could be ahead for the agency’s aeronautics research. During his keynote titled “A New […]
The Aviationist•David Cenciotti16h ago
F-35 fighter jet spare parts were reportedly diverted to Hong Kong from Australia, sparking inquiries on Capitol Hill and in the Australian Department of Defence over China’s possible access to classified material. First reported by Audrey Decker and Mark Satter at Politico on Sept. 18, 2026, a number of anonymous sources close to the matter […]
The Aviationist•James Gray22 Sept
A 52nd Fighter Wing (FW) pilot ejected and is receiving medical attention after an F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed at Spangdahlem Air Base, the second U.S. F-16 incident in a week. The aircraft, which officials confirmed in a statement as belonging to Spangdahlem’s 52nd Fighter Wing (FW), crashed onto the base’s golf course, which lies under […]
The Aviationist•Kai Greet22 Sept
Australia’s long-range ISR and airborne electronic warfare capabilities reached a major milestone as the MQ-4C Triton and the MC-55A Peregrine achieved IOC. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for its MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft and MC-55A Peregrine Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare (ISREW) aircraft. The announcement, arrived on […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso22 Sept
After the only test stand capable of validating Aircraft Mounted Accessory Drives failed, maintainers overcame supply-chain challenges, fixed technical problems and cleared a major aircraft maintenance backlog. The 530th Commodities Maintenance Squadron (530th CMMXS) at Hill AFB, Utah, helped preserve the U.S. Air Force’s ability to sustain its F-22 Raptor and B-2 Spirit fleets by […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam22 Sept
One of the FQ-42 Collaborative Combat Aircraft deployed at Creech AFB has flown alongside an F-35A and F-15E in preparation for collaborative control operations with manned aircraft. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has released a photo showing a prototype of its FQ-42 Vengeance Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) flying in formation alongside an F-35A Lightning II and […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso21 Sept
The 355th Operations Group, 357th Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Generation Squadron, and 355th Training Squadron were inactivated during a ceremony, marking the end of A-10 operations at Davis-Monthan. The U.S. Air Force took another step towards the drawdown of the A-10C Thunderbolt II fleet when the last units to operate the type at Davis-Monthan Air […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam21 Sept
Two Royal Danish Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs landed at Kangerlussuaq Airport alongside U.S. F-16s and Canadian CF-18s as part of NATO’s Arctic Sentry initiative. For the first time, Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) F-35A Lightning IIs were deployed to Greenland, landing at Kangerlussuaq Airport on Sep. 16, 2026, alongside U.S. Air Force F-16s and […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam21 Sept
New photos provide another look at an F-22A Raptor carrying the external sensor pods, while also revealing distinctive light-colored panels on the aircraft’s underside. Newly emerged photos provide another look at an F-22A Raptor carrying the external sensor pods which are currently being developed for the stealth fighter. Interestingly, distinctive light-colored panels can be seen […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso21 Sept
The A-10C completed its final training sortie with the 66th Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB, marking the end of the aircraft’s operations with the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. The A-10 Thunderbolt II has completed its final training flight with the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, bringing the service’s […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso20 Sept
Fast and agile at low altitudes, the F-105 gained new respect for the amount of punishment it could dish out as well as absorb. Designed as a Cold War fighter-bomber capable of delivering tactical nuclear bombs at low altitudes, the F-105 carried the air war in Vietnam to the enemy at high speeds and at […]
The Aviationist•Darrick Leiker20 Sept
The first two F-35A Lightning IIs of the Finnish Air Force, which has signed on for 64 aircraft, arrived at the Lapland Air Wing. The Finnish Air Force’s (Ilmavoimat) first two F-35A Lightning II landed in Finland on Sep. 18, 2026. Tail numbers JF-510 and JF-512 landed at the Lapland Air Wing in Rovaniemi, where […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam19 Sept
While the J-XDS was recently seen with a painted radome, an exhibition poster also appears to depict a laser-related system associated with China’s other next-generation aircraft, the J-36. New unofficial visuals of China’s second next-generation jet, the J-XDS (also identified as the J-50) have revealed some interesting details, shedding some more light on the aircraft’s […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam19 Sept
Finland has joined France’s Forward Deterrence initiative, a framework intended to deepen European cooperation on nuclear deterrence and strategic signalling. Announced on Sept. 14, 2026, in a joint Finnish and French press statement, the agreement is intended to deepen their defence and security cooperation on nuclear deterrence. According to the French Ministry of Defence, international […]
The Aviationist•James Gray18 Sept