Defense News Aerospace 2026
U.S. Air Force Prepares A-10 Warthogs for Agile Combat Employment from Austere and Contested Airstrips
The U.S. Air Force is preparing the A-10 Thunderbolt II to operate from rough, damaged, and exposed airstrips, as demonstrated during expeditionary...
U.S. AC-130J Gunship Carries Hellfire Missiles and Precision Bombs in Counter-Trafficking Deployment
A U.S. Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider gunship has deployed to El Salvador with a mixed precision-strike loadout, signaling an expanded role in counte...
U.S. SOUTHCOM Launches Autonomous Warfare Command to Deploy Drones for Counter Narcotics Operations
U.S. Southern Command is moving to embed autonomous systems directly into its operations, signaling a shift toward faster, more adaptable responses...
Greece could buy 3 C-390 transport aircraft from Brazil by May 2026 to replace U.S. C-130 fleet
Greece is moving toward a final decision to acquire Embraer C-390 Millennium aircraft, aiming to restore critical airlift capacity as its aging C-1...
Romania F-16 Fighter Jets Conduct First NATO Intercept Tracking Russian Bombers and Spy Aircraft
Romanian F-16 fighter jets deployed to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission conducted their first live intercept, scrambling to identify a Russian Il...
U.S. Air Force Explores Black Widow Drone Delivering Live Video And Targeting Data To Airborne F-35 Fighters
The U.S. Air Force has issued a Sources Sought notice to field a small drone capable of feeding live video and targeting data directly to airborne ...
U.S. extends A-10 Warthog attack aircraft service to 2030 after combat use in Iran
The United States is keeping the A-10 Warthog in service until 2030 after combat operations against Iran demonstrated its continued battlefield val...
U.S. MQ-9B Drone Completes Icing Tests Paving Arctic Mission Path
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has completed MQ-9B Flight Into Known Icing flight tests, a key step toward certification that would extend th...
Airbus develops new A400M Mothership variant to launch 12 Taurus missiles or 50 drones for long-range strikes
Airbus is turning the A400M into a stand-off strike platform capable of launching cruise missiles and swarming drones from outside contested airspa...
U.S. F-22 Raptors and Philippine FA-50PHs Deepen Air Combat Interoperability in the Indo-Pacific
U.S. F-22 Raptors flying with Philippine FA-50PH fighters over Basa Air Base showed more than a routine exercise sortie. It signaled that allied ai...
Russia Receives New Su-35S Fighters to Sustain Air Superiority and Extend Long-Range Strike Capabilities
United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has delivered a new batch of Su-35S multirole fighters to the Russian Aerospace Forces, reinforcing a core air su...
U.S. Air Force Tests New AGM-188A Rusty Dagger Cruise Missile from F-16D for Stand-Off Strike Missions
The U.S. Air Force has flight-tested the AGM-188A “Rusty Dagger” cruise missile from an F-16, marking a key step toward rapidly fielding a low-cost...