The Aviationist

The Republic of Singapore has expressed its first interest in joining a 6th Generation fighter programme only a week after Canada joined GCAP as an observer. As reported by Janes on Tuesday, Singapore has begun early discussions on possible involvement in GCAP, with reports suggesting that the talks are currently only “exploratory” and not indicative of any future orders or involvement in the programme. Currently GCAP is manned by the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan, with Canada having only just

The U.S. Air Force’s 355th Wing conducted the final flight with the A-10C Thunderbolt II at Davis-Monthan AFB, as the service ends A-10 operations at the installation. The A-10C Thunderbolt IIs assigned to the U.S. Air Force’s 355th Wing flew for the last time at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The flight celebrated the end of the A-10 operations at the installation after 50 years, as the aircraft first arrived there in 1976. The flight was a two-ship formation piloted by the 355th Operat

The USMC received the last of its 359 MV-22B tilt-rotor aircraft, which will remain the mainstay of the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) aerial logistics until 2055. The U.S. Marine Corps reached a major milestone on Jul. 28, 2026 with the delivery of its last MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, completing its Program of Record (PoR) of 359 aircraft. With the Corps now shifting its focus from operationally fielding to modernization and sustainment of the aircraft, the service and Bell stresse

As Farnborough International Airshow has come to a close, The Aviationist brings you some of the highlights, from the unveiling of BAE System’s Brontanax to the USAF F-35A that interrupted many media briefings throughout the week. With the cancellation of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) due to the ongoing war between the United States and Iran, the Farnborough International Airshow took on more importance for aviation fans than it usually would have been. Taking place from July 20 to

Photographs from Gifu Air Base show F-2B prototype 63-8101 carrying the new Air-Launched Type 25 anti-ship missile during the programme’s first publicly observed captive-carry flight tests. Japan has taken another step towards fielding its series of next-generation indigenous stand-off weapons, with the first captive-carry flight tests of the air-launched variant of the Type 25 Surface-to-Ship Missile (SSM) completed on Jul. 30, 2026. The designation for the air-launched missile is yet to

The U.S. Navy’s C-2A Greyhound conducted its last ever flight, landing at Naval Air Station Pensacola to be inducted into the National Naval Aviation Museum. Following the final flight operations off an aircraft carrier last month, the U.S. Navy’s C-2A Greyhound has flown for the last time on July 28, 2026. The aircraft, attached to the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 landed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola’s Sherman Field, greeted by nearly 6,000 onlooker

A month after contracts were awarded, GA-ASI and Anduril announced that their CCAs are already in production. The U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program took a major leap forward on Jul. 28, 2026, with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) and Anduril announcing major progress on the production front of their respective aircraft. While GA-ASI declared the FQ-42A Dark Merlin entered production with “full-scale manufacturing underway,” Anduril rolled out the firs

The CCA Experimental Operations Unit tested the uncrewed aircraft in Agile Combat Employment scenarios in a realistic operational environment at Creech AFB. The U.S. Air Force is continuing testing with Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), this time at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. The base is not new to operations with uncrewed aircraft, as it hosts the 432nd Wing with its MQ-9A Reapers and, notoriously, RQ-170 Sentinels. The testing was conducted by the CCA Experimental Operations Unit (EOU),

The JASDF dismantled the C-1 transport aircraft’s second prototype and last flying airframe, still adorned in a commemorative Phoenix livery, at Iruma Air Base. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) dismantled the C-1 prototype 28-1002 at Iruma Air Base, bringing an end to one of the most historically significant aircraft in Japan’s post-war aerospace industry. Dismantling of the last flying C-1 aircraft The aircraft, which wore a distinctive “Phoenix” livery during its final months of

France has deployed the newly-developed firefighting kit aboard the A400M to support the assets suppressing the fires in the country’s southwest. The Airbus A400M conducted its first firefighting operation when an aircraft  operated by the French Air and Space Force (FASF) dropped fire retardant over raging wildfires in France’s southwest on Jun. 25, 2026. The move is part of the response to the massive fires that are raging in France. With the flames now closing in on the city of Bordeaux,

Just weeks after the shock news that the Wildcat AH1 would be withdrawn from service, Leonardo spoke at Farnborough International Airshow about its belief in the future of both the Wildcat and Merlin platforms.  Still ‘digesting’ the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) released on Jun. 30, 2026, Leonardo Helicopters UK Managing Director Nigel Colman says the firm is working with the Ministry of Defence to understand fully how Leonardo can best support the MoD’s ambitions for the

The new Ellyon multi-mission platform integrates multiple payloads for Electronic Warfare, SIGINT and ISTAR roles. Israel’s state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has unveiled a new airborne platform offering combined Electronic Warfare (EW) and Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities, called Ellyon. The platform integrates the different payloads into a “new generation multi-mission […] unified airborne platform,” the Jul. 20, 2026 pre

The Aviationist sat down with representatives from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and Sikorsky divisions to discuss and understand the firm’s ambitions for the future of autonomous military capabilities.  Lockheed Martin first entered the uncrewed domain in the 1960s, producing the D-21 surveillance drone designed for launch by the M-21, a specially configured variant of the Lockheed A-12, and by B-52 Stratofortress bombers. By the 1990s, Lockheed Martin was developing fully auto

Greater Manchester Police are investigating a hoax bomb threat made against a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, which led to an emergency response by Royal Air Force Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon FGR4s.  The police force confirmed on Jul. 25, 2026, that an investigation into a bomb threat made against a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 en route to Manchester Airport is being ‘assisted’ by a 14 year old boy.  Typhoon FGR4s, callsigns RIGID 11 and RIGID 12, were launched from RAF Coning

The new UMPK kit, strapped on to a FAB-500T bomb, has an elongated body with improved aerodynamics and space for a small turbojet motor. Russia’s Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers are now flying carrying four bombs equipped with the improved (UMPB/UMPK) glide bomb kits. The new kits have an elongated body that has the potential to carry a small jet motor. The first official videos from the Russian Ministry of Defense’s, published on Jul. 15 and Jul. 24, 2026, show the Su-34 dropping the bombs. 15t

The long awaited Defence Investment Plan has finally been published for public viewing and it seemingly generates more questions for UK Defence than it answers. In one of his last acts as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer has released the UK’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP), cementing the largest sustained funding increase for the UK’s Armed Forces since the Cold War. Questions however remain as to whether the document and the commitments within it go far enough,

The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) sixth-generation fighter project is advancing to its next development stage with a new boost of funding by partners Italy, Japan, and the UK, running through to the end of 2027. Announced on Jul. 3, 2026, the huge new contract will provide for the next steps in finalising the design requirements and capabilities of the next generation aircraft. It follows on from the initial contract award of £686 million to Edgewing – the joint venture that acts as t

A Nyan One Way Effector (OWE) was launched from the experimental testbed vessel XV Patrick Blackett while the ship was underway off the south coast of England. The trial, which according to image data took place in early June 2026, is billed as the next step towards the operational integration of one way effector (OWE) drones into the British military. The Nyan OWE, designed by BAE Systems subsidiary Callen-Lenz, was previously tested from land by British Army personnel in Estonia. The Royal Nav

A report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) assesses that it is ‘highly likely’ many of recent drone incidents throughout Europe were ordered by Moscow as part of a wider hybrid campaign against NATO. The investigation focuses on incidents taking place between August 2024 and February 2026, including incursions into the airspace of thirteen individual countries. All but one of these nations, the exception being Ireland, are members of NATO.  Among the incursions doc

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat took part in a flight with the F-15EX and a proof-of-concept FARP operation as part of the Experimental Operations Unit’s activities during Valiant Shield 2026. The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) released new undated photos from Exercise Valiant Shield 2026, showing that the MQ-28 Ghost Bat flew together with the F-15EX Eagle II. The milestone flight transformed into reality Boeing’s concept artworks which suggested the goal of having the two platforms work together in Manned-Unm