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Colombia signed a letter of intent for the acquisition of the Gripen E, launching the negotiations which would make the country the type’s second South American operator. After nearly two years of speculations and unconfirmed reports, Colombia has finally selected Sweden’s Saab JAS39 Gripen as its newest fighter aircraft. Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the […]

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The VENOM program will modify six F-16Cs into autonomous aircraft to accelerate testing of autonomy software on crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The U.S. Air Force is progressing with the Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model – Autonomy Flying Testbed program, or VENOM, which will modify six F-16Cs into autonomous aircraft. On Apr. 1, 2025, the […]

The post Last F-16 Set for VENOM Autonomous Aircraft Modification Arrives at Eglin appeared first on The Aviationist.

Few days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the Philippines, Washington cleared the sale of 20 F-16s to the country. The U.S. State Department has approved the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Philippines for 20 F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets. The development comes just few days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited […]

The post U.S. Approves Sale of F-16 Block 70/72 to the Philippines appeared first on The Aviationist.

The 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron revealed the finished livery of the heritage orange B-52H which pays tribute to the NB-52A and NB-52E. Few months after it was first spotted with the new throwback color scheme, the B-52H 61-0028 has now received all the missing decals, completing the amazing heritage orange livery. In fact, the […]

The post Up Close and Personal with the Orange BUFF appeared first on The Aviationist.

Taiwan’s first new F-16, part of an order for 66 aircraft, was unveiled during a rollout ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s facilities. Lockheed Martin has unveiled Taiwan first newly built F-16 Block 70 during a rollout ceremony at the company’s facilities in Greenville, South Carolina, on Mar. 28, 2025. The aircraft, an F-16D with serial number […]

The post Lockheed Martin Unveils Taiwan’s First Newly Built F-16 Block 70 appeared first on The Aviationist.

RDAF F-35s have started supporting the Quick Reaction Alert service intercepting a Russian Il-20 Coot-A over the Baltics. Last week, Royal Danish Air Force F-35A fighter jets were launched for the first time to identify and track a Russian ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) military aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The F-35 pilots took off from […]

The post Danish F-35s Conduct First QRA Mission, Intercept Russian Spy Plane Over Baltic Sea appeared first on The Aviationist.

The U.S. Navy released a new Request for Information for the T-45’s replacement, which will only be required to conduct Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) to wave off. On Mar. 31, 2025, the U.S. Navy released yet another Request for Information (RFI) for the program which will replace the aging T-45 Goshawk, the Undergraduate Jet […]

The post U.S. Navy’s Next Trainer Jet Won’t Need to Land on Carriers appeared first on The Aviationist.

What began as a bombing mission to destroy an enemy bridge turned into a story of heroic bravery and incredible odds for young Lt. Owen J. Baggett on March 31, 1943. Disaster Strikes and a Hero is Born Fuel tanks burned and oxygen tanks exploded as the attacks continued and 2nd Lt. Owen John Baggett […]

The post A Pistol, a Parachute, and a Prayer: The Amazing Story of Lt. Owen Baggett appeared first on The Aviationist.

U.S. Marine Col. Charles “Tre” Del Pizzo gives his account of the ejection from an F-35B which continued to fly on its own in 2023. More than a year after the bizarre incident in which a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B continued flying on its own after the pilot ejected, new details emerged online. These details […]

The post How 41 Seconds Changed the Life of a Marine F-35B Pilot appeared first on The Aviationist.

After 54 years of continuous service, the RAF’s Puma fleet is set to retire today, ending a remarkably active career. On Mar. 26 and 27, 2025, the RAF Puma HC2 carried out its final flights as a part of a farewell tour over the United Kingdom and Cyprus. The Puma had led a remarkable career […]

The post Royal Air Force Puma 1971-2025: The End of an Era appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Coyote LE SR can be fired from the air, ground or sea to detect, identify, locate and defeat threats on the battlefield and perform a variety of missions. Raytheon announced on Mar. 26, 2025, the first test fire of a new variant of the Coyote family of drones from a helicopter at the Nine […]

The post Raytheon Test Fires New Coyote LE SR Variant from Helicopter for the First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.

Designed for all-weather, night attacks, the two-seat YA-10B was meant to counter Soviet Cold War armor tactics, but only one was built. Project A-X The Vietnam War had demonstrated to the United States Air Force a need for a better CAS (Close Air Support) aircraft, along with the looming threat of the growing numbers of […]

The post A Lone Two-Seater: The Story of the YA-10B Warthog appeared first on The Aviationist.

The HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier is working towards the UK’s most ambitious carrier deployment in recent years, with two full F-35B squadrons on board. After nearly a year of fervent preparations, the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will soon set sail for its deployment to the Indo-Pacific, leading the CSG25 […]

The post HMS Prince of Wales Prepares for Carrier Strike Group 25 Indo-Pacific Deployment appeared first on The Aviationist.

Australia announced the AH-64E Apache acquisition in 2021 to replace the ageing Tigers, which have long been afflicted by maintainability and sustainment issues. The first AH-64E Apache attack helicopter for the Australian Army has entered final assembly at the Boeing production line in Mesa, Arizona, announced the company on Mar. 25, 2025. The first four […]

The post Australia’s First AH-64E Apache is Under Assembly appeared first on The Aviationist.

Tankers will be leased from the French Air Force and private company Metrea while the Indian Air Force finalizes plans for a long-term solution. India’s fleet of Ilyushin Il-78MKI tankers, introduced in 2003, have long been plagued with reliability issues. From troublesome refueling pods to difficulty sourcing spares and manufacturer support, and even questions over […]

The post India Will Lease Tankers to Overcome Il-78MKI Midas Serviceability Issues appeared first on The Aviationist.

NORAD sent two F-16s from Alaska to Greenland to reinforce posture in the Arctic. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump’s interest in buying Greenland is “not a joke.” In the last few weeks, Donald Trump has expressed interest in making Greenland part on the U.S., describing the Danish territory and world’s […]

The post U.S. Air Force Deploys F-16 Jets to Greenland In Arctic Readiness Exercise appeared first on The Aviationist.

Around 90 MIM-104E PAC-2 Patriot missiles are included in a U.S.-facilitated transfer approved in September 2024, according to media reports published on Jan. 28, 2025. Axios reporter Barak Ravid revealed the news, which was corroborated by three sources before publication. Israel previously announced the retirement of their Patriot missile systems in April 2024 as their […]

The post Retired Israeli Patriot Missile Stocks Transferred to Ukraine appeared first on The Aviationist.

Multiple fatalities have been reported after a horrific incident involving American Airlines flight 5342 and a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over Washington D.C., with first responders still at work around the wreckage in the Potomac River. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed shortly before 3:00 UTC that a midair collision had taken place […]

The post Everything We Know about the Airliner and Black Hawk who Collided On Approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport appeared first on The Aviationist.

The RAF is providing RC-135 Rivet Joint and P-8 Poseidon MRA1 aircraft from the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Force to assist NATO operation Baltic Sentry. On Jan. 22, 2025, the British government announced that RAF Rivet Joint and Poseidon aircraft will be deploying to the Baltic Sea to support the United Kingdom’s […]

The post Royal Air Force Reconnaissance Aircraft Deploy for Baltic Surveillance Mission appeared first on The Aviationist.

Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, commander of Naval Air Forces, is confident the Navy will fly its MQ-25s this year and integrate them aboard aircraft carriers as part of manned-unmanned teaming next year. The U.S. Navy is getting closer to fielding the new MQ-25 Stingray unmanned tanker, with Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, commander of Naval Air […]

The post U.S. Navy Will Fly MQ-25 Stingray in 2025, Integrate it on Aircraft Carriers in 2026 appeared first on The Aviationist.