Light Attack and Advanced Training

Boeing has redesigned components of the T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft after tests showed how a bird strike against the cockpit canopy would endanger the pilot.

The U.S. Air Force has formally activated a new aggressor squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35As, highlighting a recent switch to stealth aircraft for a dedicated combat training role.

Red 6, a developer of synthetic air-combat training, has flown the first multi-aircraft training flight against multiple augmented-reality assets.

A botched formation approach caused two T-38s to crash upon landing in November 2021 at Laughlin AFB, Texas, shortly after the U.S. Air Force had banned formation landings of the aircraft because of another fatal crash.

The U.S. Air Force has decided to not renew an ongoing contract with Draken International for adversary air training at Nellis AFB, Nevada, because it has determined the contractor’s jets can no longer provide the effective training it needs.

Since the A-29 Super Tucano took its first flight at the end of the last century, it has impressed the military with its performance, flexibility and robustness as a light attack aircraft and advanced trainer.

The OEM says longer certification timelines are a new fact of life as development woes and fixed-price contracts force first-quarter losses.

Boeing on April 28 unveiled the first T-7A Red Hawk trainer for the U.S. Air Force, though the aircraft will remain at the company’s St. Louis facility for more ground and flight tests before being handed over to the service.

Aero Vodochody plans to deliver 12 L-39NG jet trainers to Hungary's defense forces in 2024 under a new contract announced on April 20. The contract

Serbia has confirmed it is in negotiations with both France and the UK for new combat aircraft.

The UK Royal Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office has made additional investments in modular jet trainer development startup Aeralis.

An order for a fleet of Tactical Surrogate Aircraft (TSA) could be combined with the U.S. Navy’s plans to replace the Boeing T-45 Goshawk with a new

The third A-29C was delivered in March to the 6th Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Florida, for the Combat Aviation Advisor mission.

Five bidders have been downselected as potential buyers for troubled Italian aerospace firm Piaggio Aerospace.

The contract awards come as the UK retires the majority of its Hawk T1 fleet as part of cost-saving measures introduced in the government’s Integrated Review published last year.

Leonardo says a flight instructor was killed in the crash of a company-operated M346 jet trainer in Northern Italy.

The U.S. Air Force has selected a small company to develop an unmanned, fighter-like aircraft that can be used for training combat pilots.

The surprise decision follows the appearance of the jet trainer at last year’s Dubai Airshow, and would make the UAE the first Middle Eastern customer for the platform.

Turkish Aerospace has secured a type certificate for a new version of the company’s Hurkus turboprop trainer.

Startup’s ATARS is also fielding international interest.

The U.S. Navy is open to forming a joint program with the U.S. Air Force for the Tactical Surrogate Aircraft, and basing the platform on a common derivative of a future training jet to replace the Boeing/BAE Systems T-45 Goshawk.

Another advanced jet trainer type has joined's Qatar's already highly varied and expanding fleet.

China’s J-20 stealth fighter carrying PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles poses many challenges for the U.S. Air Force, not least in providing realistic training against it.

The first of the Canadian-based company’s F-16As configured as an Advanced Aggressor Fighter (AAF) completed an initial test flight on Jan. 19.

Pandemic-related parts shortages and other supply chain issues have set the U.S. Air Force’s T-7 Red Hawk schedule back about seven months, but Boeing believes it can gain back some of that time as the shortage issues recede and tests continue on built aircraft.