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For the first time, we now have an image of General Atomics’ YFQ-42A in the flesh. Alongside Anduril’s YFQ-44A, they will be the U.S. Air Force’s first uncrewed fighters. General David Allvin, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, revealed the aircraft in a post on social media. He describes Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), […]
The post General Atomics YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft Officially Revealed appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The National Nuclear Security Administration announced on May 19, 2025, that production of the first B61-13 variant nuclear bomb has been completed at the Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas. The first completed bomb unit was unveiled at a small ceremony at the vast Pantex nuclear weapons facility, 20 miles from Amarillo, Texas, where U.S. Secretary […]
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New test demonstrated F-35’s ability to collect, analyse and share advanced data across geographically dispersed networks. RDAF (Royal Danish Air Force) F-35s flying over the U.S. have successfully executed a new flight test validating secure, classified data-sharing between Lightning II jets flying over the U.S. and a Command Center in Denmark. The event, announced by Lockheed […]
The post RDAF F-35s Flying In Texas Share Classified Data With a Command Center in Denmark appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The third F-16C ever built, 83-1120, flew from Edwards AFB to AMARG on May 7, 2025, ending an illustrious 41-year career. Joining its former Edwards F-16 force compatriots, 83-1118 and 83-1119, the aircraft will become part of the extensive collection at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Generation Group (AMARG), Davis-Monthan AFB, near Tucson, Arizona. AMARG, […]
The post Stalwart Edwards F-16, Conformal Fuel Tank Demonstrator and Diverterless Supersonic Inlet Testbed, Retired from Service appeared first on The Aviationist.
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UK and Germany announced their intention to jointly develop a “deep precision strike” missile with a range of 2,000 km (1,243 miles) as part of the Trinity House Agreement. The announcement came as German Federal Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, hosted the UK’s Defence Secretary John Healey MP on May 15, 2025, in Berlin, for […]
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Brig. Gen. Wickert Shares interesting insights in podcast interview. In a wide-ranging and insightful interview on Episode 147 of the TALK4 Podcast, Brigadier General Douglas “Beaker” Wickert, Commander of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, shared exclusive updates and reflections on some of the most high-profile developments in U.S. Air Force aviation. […]
The post 412th Test Wing Commander Talks F-47, B-21 Testing, AI Agents, YF-23 and More appeared first on The Aviationist.
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While Gray Eagle STOL demonstrated anti-drone capability with AGM-114 Hellfire and APKWS II, the STOL kit for the MQ-9B would enable organic anti-submarine warfare and fleet defense. General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) released a video on May 14, 2025, showing both computerized illustrations and actual test footage of its Gray Eagle Short Take-Off Landing (STOL) […]
The post GA-ASI Tests Gray Eagle STOL in C-UAS Role and MQ-9B’s STOL Kit appeared first on The Aviationist.
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Created during the Cold War as a system of progressive levels of defense readiness for a potential nuclear attack, DEFCON is a ranking of perceived nuclear threat level facing the national security of the U.S. The Origins of the DEFCON System DEFCON is short for Defense Condition, or sometimes referred to as Defense Readiness Condition, […]
The post A Brief History of the DEFCON System appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The tanker qualification partnership paves the way for an extended reach and enhanced interoperability for allied airpower, says the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) announced that testing is in progress to improve interoperability with allies by allowing the French-made Rafale to refuel the F/A-18 family of jets. “The tanker […]
The post U.S. and France Working on Rafale’s Certification to Refuel F/A-18 appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The A6M3 Model 32 Zero was resurrected by combining the damaged remains of two aircraft found at Taroa island in the Marshall Islands in early 1990. A Second World War A6M3 Model 32 (Reisen) Zero fighter of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) took to the skies again for the first time from Paine Field in […]
The post Restored 83-Year-Old WW2 A6M3 Zero Fighter Flies Again appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The proof-of-concept, which involved a jet damaged after a belly landing, validated the feasibility of the F-35’s wing removal and reinstallation. The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy worked together to successfully remove the wing of a divested South Korean F-35A jet […]
The post ROKAF Salvages Damaged F-35A as Training Platform with First-Ever Wing Removal appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The RAF said that FPV drones have proven their ‘effectiveness in recent conflicts’, reflecting the service’s vision of a future land war in Europe. In an exercise marking the increasing tactical importance of First-Person View (FPV) drones, the Royal Air Force (RAF) announced on May 10, 2025 the completion of a trial deployment of one […]
The post RAF Flies FPV Quadcopter Drone from CH-47 Chinook in ‘Hornet’s Nest’ Trial appeared first on The Aviationist.
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A UK Government minister has confirmed that construction of the initial two new Chinook airframes has begun at Boeing’s Philadelphia facility. Answering a written question submitted to the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the status of the outstanding Chinook order, department Minister of State Maria Eagle confirmed for the first time that Boeing has […]
The post First RAF H-47ER Chinooks In Production appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron flew the first mission training sortie for the EA-37B on May 2, 2025, says the service, referring to the Compass Call mission. An EA-37B Compass Call aircraft, the U.S. Air Force’s newest dedicated standoff airborne electronic attack aircraft, assigned to the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron (ECS), flew its first mission […]
The post USAF’s EA-37B Compass Call Flies First Mission Training Sortie appeared first on The Aviationist.
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President Trump described the F-55 as a substantial upgrade over the F-35, together with the ongoing upgrades to F-35 and F-22. U.S. President Donald Trump is currently on a tour in the Middle East, and on May. 15, 2025, made the second stop of the tour in Qatar. Trump began the day at a breakfast […]
The post Trump Touts Twin-Engine F-35 Variant Dubbed F-55 appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The AIM-174B, also known as the Standard Missile 6 Air Launched Configuration, received the new nickname in the recent Naval Aviation Playbook 2025. Almost a year after it was introduced in service, the AIM-174B long-range missile has now been officially nicknamed “Gunslinger.” The name was included among the new capabilities listed for the F/A-18 Super […]
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Internal disagreements at the Pentagon over future direction of the AEW role could lead to the E-7 Wedgetail becoming a victim of the 2026 budget, sources tell Aviation Week. Elements inside the U.S. Department of Defense, as reported by Aviation Week, favor a dramatic shift in focus from aircraft to satellites for the U.S. military’s […]
The post E-7A Wedgetail Order Under Threat in New Department of Defense Budget appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The USAF Chief of Staff posted a graphic featuring the Boeing F-47 stating the aircraft will be in service in the 2025-2029 timeframe with 185+ units planned. Chief of Staff General David Allvin shared the graphic on X/Twitter on May. 13, 2025, commenting that the U.S. Air Force “will continue to be the world’s best […]
The post U.S. Air Force Chief Teases Boeing F-47 Performance and Possible In-Service Date appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The turbine-powered variant offers ten times the range of the original Grasshopper autonomous glider at a fraction of the cost of the manned platforms. DZYNE Technologies, the company that developed the Grasshopper autonomous glider meant to deliver cargo in contested environments, successfully tested a turbine-powered Long-Range Grasshopper with “10 times” the range of the original […]
The post Turbine-Powered ‘Long-Range Grasshopper’ Autonomous Cargo Delivery System Tested by DZYNE appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The aircraft is the first of 42 F-35B Lightning IIs that will be delivered to the Japan Air Self Defense Force. The Japanese F-35B BX-1 successfully completed its first test flight from Lockheed Martin Facility at NAS Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, on May 12, 2025. Our friends and contributors Gherardo and Victoria Fontana caught […]
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U.S. officials speaking to The New York Times said Houthi rebels ‘nearly struck’ U.S. F-16s and an F-35 within the first 30 days of Operation Rough Rider. A month into Operation Rough Rider, an intensified campaign of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, President Trump wanted to see results. Targeting Houthi air defence sites and […]
The post Houthi Air Defenses Nearly Hit U.S. F-35s and F-16s appeared first on The Aviationist.
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U.S. Navy and Marine Corps RF-8A Crusaders played an important, often forgotten, high-speed low-level and dangerous recon role during a time the world was on the brink. Backyard Threat On Oct. 14, 1962, United States Air Force Major Richard Heyser flew a Lockheed U-2 belonging to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from Edwards Air Force […]
The post The Overlooked Role of the Vought RF-8A and VFP-62 in the Cuban Missile Crisis appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The completion of the Flight Performance Handling & Qualification testing is a key milestone in proving the jet’s airworthiness with consistent performance for the full flight envelope. Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC)’s RAPCON-X aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (A-ISR) aircraft successfully completed its initial Flight Performance Handling & Qualification flight testing, the company announced on May […]
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Having previously broken cover in frontline videos from Ukraine, the UK-developed ASRAAM-based air defense system has now been shown off to the press and public for the first time. Colloquially called ‘FrankenSAM’ within the armed forces, the Raven integrates a launcher system for the AIM-132 Advanced Short-Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM) – the UK’s […]
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We had the unique opportunity to interview the pilot of the E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) aircraft during its first airshow appearance at the recent Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Open House. The airshow at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, is high on the list of many airshow enthusiasts, when planning their yearly schedule […]
The post Secretive E-11A BACN Aircraft Makes First Airshow Appearance at Seymour Johnson AFB appeared first on The Aviationist.
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Turkish Aerospace Industries will exhibit a full-size model of its Hurjet trainer in Spanish Air Force markings at the Feindef 2025 exhibition. Few months after Spain and Turkey signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to procure the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) Hurjet, the Turkish manufacturer is set to showcase full-size model of the aircraft in […]
The post First Look at the Full-Size Model of the Hurjet in Spanish Air Force Markings appeared first on The Aviationist.
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Reports emerged suggesting that President Donald Trump will officially accept the gift of a Boeing 747-8 aircraft from the Qatar Royal Family during an overseas trip next week. The aircraft, currently registered P4-HBJ, would be intended to serve as Trump’s primary Air Force One aircraft until the end of his term in January 2029, when […]
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The AIM-174B long-range air-to-air missile made what could possibly be its first public appearance since it was fielded during the JMSDF-MCAS Iwakuni Friendship Day. MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, hosted on May 4, 2025, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force-Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Friendship Day, which is held annually to strengthen relationships with the host community and […]
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Italian F-35B Lightning IIs have landed on HMS Prince of Wales as it heads through the Mediterranean Sea on the mammoth CSG 25 deployment. Aircraft carriers HMS Prince of Wales and ITS Cavour have rendezvoused as the former travels through the Mediterranean on the Carrier Strike Group 25 deployment, taking a chance to demonstrate the […]
The post CSG 25 Updates: F-35B Cross-Decking, Submarine PHOTEX, and Russian Snooping appeared first on The Aviationist.
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The UK Military Aviation Authority issued a Military Type Certificate for the RAF’s MQ-9B Protector RG1, clearing the aircraft for flight in regular airspace. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) announced on May 8, 2025, that their MQ-9B aircraft, designated Protector RG1 in UK service, had successfully passed the airworthiness assessments that will clear it […]
The post Protector RG1 Completes UK Certification Enabling Flights Outside of Restricted Airspace appeared first on The Aviationist.
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