The exercise marks the first deployment of Chinese J-16 fighters to Africa and sees them training against Egyptian Rafales and MiG-29M2s. Building on the 2025 edition of the Egyptian-Chinese Eagles of Civilization drills, this year’s exercise sees People Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) J-16s training with Egyptian Air Force (EAF) Rafale and MiG-29M2 fighters. The […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam26 Aug
An MH-60 Black Hawk of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment crashed in a wooded area in Colorado, and the crew was able to escape without injuries. A U.S. Army MH-60 Black Hawk, assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), has crashed in Colorado on Aug. 25, 2026. The crew was […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso25 Aug
A U.S. Air Force C-17 was noted making an unusual journey into Russian airspace on Aug. 25, 2026 shortly before U.S. media outlets broke the story that CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Moscow for undisclosed talks. The C-17 Globemaster III, flying under Air Mobility Command (AMC) callsign REACH 4555 (four digit callsigns have been […]
The Aviationist•Kai Greet25 Aug
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham cleared MBDA to release classified technical data to Ukraine on UK components used in the Storm Shadow in exchange for access to Avengers AI Labs. The decision was announced ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to Kyiv, his first foreign visit since taking office, on Aug. 24, 2026, and allows […]
The Aviationist•James Gray24 Aug
In an obscure and perhaps less glorious role, Britain’s well-known World War 2 fighter excelled at important photo-reconnaissance missions while donning some unusual paint schemes. Sometime in 1939, a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer made an observation that the current method of utilizing modified bombers, which were heavy and slow, for photo reconnaissance missions was […]
The Aviationist•Darrick Leiker24 Aug
The MB-339, one of the most recognizable symbols of Italian aviation, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight. The Italian-made MB-339 jet trainer turned 50 on Aug. 12, 2026. The aircraft took to the skies for the first time from the Aermacchi facilities in Venegono, near Varese in northern Italy. The two-seat jet trainer […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso24 Aug
Unveiled at the recent ILA Berlin air show, the Cobra 600 is a jet-powered uncrewed aircraft developed by Polaris to carry and launch a Diehl Defense IRIS-T air-to-air missile. The prototype for Diehl Defense’s Cobra 600 drone-based air defense system has made its first flight, the German aerospace startup Polaris Raumflugzeuge announced on Aug. 22, […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam23 Aug
The decision comes as Argentina restructures its Naval Aviation fleet, retires legacy aircraft and introduces new capabilities. After nearly forty years of service, including combat operations during the 1982 Falklands (Malvinas) war, the Argentine Navy (Armada de la República Argentina – ARA) will retire its French-built Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard naval fighter. The decision was announced […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam23 Aug
The U.S. has approved a possible foreign military sale (FMS) of up to 21 UH-60M Black Hawks to Norway plus spares and associated equipment for $2.3 billion. Just months after Norway reneged on its plan to acquire nine HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters, which was approved by the U.S. Department of State in 2025, the […]
The Aviationist•Kai Greet23 Aug
The U.S. Navy has publicly revealed a previously little-known next-generation air-to-air missile: the AIM-424 LRAAM (Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile), officially named “Malice.” The new missile was announced at the Tailhook Symposium held in Reno, Nevada on Aug. 22, 2026, and was first reported by The Aviation Week. The weapon then appeared on the Navy’s official Fact […]
The Aviationist•Rin Sakurai23 Aug
Saab plans to fly the first A3-001 demonstrator within 18 months, with three prototypes planned as the design evolves. Swedish defense company Saab unveiled on Aug. 21, 2026 a full-scale model of its next-generation unmanned fighter aircraft, called the A3-001. The unveiling comes ahead of the Jubilee Air Show on Aug. 22 and 23 at […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam22 Aug
New details emerged in the recent photos of the Shaanxi Y-15, initially known as Y-30, which is believed to be China’s future tactical transport aircraft. China’s new Y-15 four-engine turboprop transport aircraft, developed by the Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation (SAC), has appeared in its clearest images yet. The aircraft is the latest development in Shaanxi’s long-running […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam22 Aug
The U.S. State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Italy of the air-to-air variant of the APKWS-II, which would include over 5,000 guided rockets. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Italy of the air-to-air variant of the Advanced […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso21 Aug
A Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen C launched for the first time a Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile over the Vidsel Test Range. The Swedish Air Force released a video on Aug. 21, 2026, announcing that a JAS 39 Gripen launched for the first time a Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile. The live fire […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso21 Aug
President Trump toured the ornate, granite helipad under construction on the White House South Lawn with reporters, adding his signature to a piece of the stonework that could see use as soon as next month. Commissioned following the long, highly publicized drama of the new VH-92A Patriot helicopters being unable to land at the White […]
The Aviationist•Kai Greet21 Aug
The Secretary of the U.S. Air Force confirmed that Seymour Johnson AFB is the planned recipient of the F-15EX Eagle II aircraft included in the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget. The Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Troy Meink confirmed in a letter to Senator Ted Budd that Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso21 Aug
The TB-001 was intercepted alongside a Y-9Z electronic warfare aircraft as Chinese and Russian aircraft continue to operate in Japan’s Air Defense Identification Zone. Japan has said China’s Tengden TB-001 “Twin-Tailed Scorpion” surveillance-strike drone has been probing its airspace, triggering scrambles by Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighter jets. The Tengden TB-001 is a large […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam20 Aug
The Block II’s open architecture for the E-2D’s mission systems, computers and displays enhance cockpit functionality, support future upgrades and improve sensor fusion. The U.S. Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft’s Block II upgrades have completed the Critical Design Review (CDR), Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy announced on Aug. […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam19 Aug
The main landing gear of a JASDF F-15 collapsed during landing, causing the aircraft to slide on the runway and turn 180 degrees as it slowed down. An F-15 of the Japan Air Self Defense Force appears to have suffered a left main landing collapse while landing at Naha Airport on Aug. 18, 2026. The […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso18 Aug
The award follows other investments in munitions production capacity aimed at reducing delivery times, strengthening supply chains and supporting U.S. and allied demand. Raytheon, an RTX business, has received a $22.9 billion, seven-year contract from the U.S. Navy to accelerate production of Tomahawk cruise missiles, the company and Department of War announced on Aug. 17, […]
The Aviationist•Parth Satam18 Aug