Budget, Policy & Operations

By Chen Chuanren
The Royal Thai Air Force is considering purchasing as many as eight Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs as part of its modernization to replace its aging fleet of Northrop F-5E/Fs and F-16A/Bs.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
The Netherlands has become the latest country to declare its F-35 fleet operational.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
After awarding about $8 billion in contracts to adversary air and other private air support providers from fiscal 2015 to 2020, the U.S. military services are reviewing the performance of these companies to understand how they can better and more cost-effectively train aircrews.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Chen Chuanren
After more than five years of negotiations and unconfirmed reports, Indonesian Air Force chief Fadjar Prasetyo has finally confirmed that his service will no longer pursue the acquisition of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters and instead focus on the Dassault Rafale and Boeing F-15EX.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force will start divesting its E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, starting with four of the aircraft in 2022, as the service tries to find its way ahead on the broad Advanced Battle Management System program to fill the aircraft’s role.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Steve Trimble
New data released by the State Department on Dec. 22 shows U.S. arms sales activity declined sharply in the first year of the Biden administration.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force has picked MacDill AFB, Florida, to be its next KC-46 base.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Chen Chuanren
The German Navy's Westland Lynx Mk 88A helicopters were used primarily for aerial surveillance, especially in enforcing sanctions against North Korea prior to the ship’s arrival into Singapore.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft are flying about eight sorties per day over Afghanistan to watch for ISIS-K and other threats after one month of no activity, according to newly released U.S. Air Force numbers.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Chen Chuanren
Japan is reportedly in the final stages of negotiations with partners from the United Kingdom to firm up the scope and price for the development of the future F-X fighter’s engine.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble, Craig Caffrey
A promising calendar of scheduled fleet upgrades faces COVID, geopolitical challenges.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
NDAA adds new aircraft as Boeing looks to strengthen its future with sales to Germany, India.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Steve Trimble
A series of disappointing test failures has set back U.S. hypersonic progress, even as international efforts accelerate.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Tony Osborne
National evaluations for the country’s €9.4 billion HX program placed F-35 well ahead of its competitors.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The Senate on Dec. 15 approved the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 89-10, signaling broad bipartisan support for increasing the Pentagon’s budget and adding dozens of aircraft to military service fleets.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
Nickolas Guertin will be the U.S. Defense Department’s next director of operational test and evaluation, filling a role that has been served in a temporary capacity since the beginning of the Biden administration after his appointment was approved by the Senate.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Craig Caffrey
The military’s budget is in the midst of an unprecedented period of decline and continues to fall as a proportion of overall spending, as Saudi Arabia focuses on economic diversification and bolstering depleted reserve funds.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
Spain’s Council of Ministers has given the green light for the €2.3 billion ($2.6 billion) purchase of 20 new-build Eurofighter aircraft for the Spanish Air Force.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Bradley Perrett
Understanding the technology-sharing understanding between three close allies.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Jen DiMascio
Japan’s F-15 upgrades; Romania Seeks Norwegian F-16s; U.S. lawmakers press for tanker details; and Australia to retire MRH90s early.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
A new report by the Pentagon’s watchdog office has concluded the Defense Department could ask TransDigm Group for payback of almost $21 million in alleged excess profit, although the company indicated it was less inclined to do so than the last time the issue arose.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
Defense industry representatives are pressing for more clear guidance on COVID-19 vaccine requirements, as the Pentagon has paused enforcement of the White House’s requirement for industry workers to get the jab after a Georgia court issued a nationwide injunction.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
Romania wants to acquire up to 32 of the Norwegian Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BMs that Oslo has up for sale as it introduces the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Chen Chuanren
From Beijing to Jakarta, a guide to the likely developments regarding combat aircraft in the region.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Europe’s defense cooperation is changing face as a new era of centrally stimulated collaboration gets underway.
Budget, Policy & Operations