The Aviationist

Days after its rollout, the first M-346 trainer jet destined to the Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team took off for its maiden flight. The first M-346 trainer jet destined to the Italian Air Force’s Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team has now conducted its maiden flight, days after being rolled out of factory at Leonardo’s facilities in Venegono. The aircraft conducted a short functional test flight on Oct. 29, 2026, before landing again at Venegono’s airfield. The photos you can see in this article we

An Italian Army CH-47F Chinook assigned to the EUFOR Althea mission crashed near Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, leaving four people dead and 11 injured. A  CH-47F Chinook helicopter of the Italian Army has crashed in Bosnia in the afternoon of Oct. 29, 2026. The helicopter, assigned to the EUFOR Althea mission, came down near Gorice, in the Brčko District. The emergency services were quickly dispatched to the area and are currently on scene. The Italian Ministry of Defense, confirming the c

On the anniversary of its first flight, NASA’s X-59 QueSST has started its first journey east from California, headed to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Oct. 28, 2026, NASA’s experimental X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) celebrated a year since its first flight as part of the agency’s program which will pave the way for the return of supersonic airliners. On the same day, the aircraft departed for its first journey east from California. After a first stop in E

GA-ASI and Saab are testing the LoyalEye radar installed in the MQ-9B’s new Airborne Early Warning pods, which first flew in May 2026. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) and Saab announced that they started the testing of the new Airborne Early Warning (AEW) payload for the MQ-9B Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS). According to the press release, the testing was conducted over the past few months using a company-owned MQ-9B carrying a Saab LoyalEye radar and flying from GA-ASI’s Desert Ho

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress taking part in STRATCOM’s annual Exercise Global Thunder staged a transatlantic global power mission, culminating in a link up with British and Norwegian forces in the High North. British F-35Bs from HMS Prince of Wales, deployed on Operation FIRECREST as part of Neptune Strike 26-4, and Norwegian F-35As joined the B-52 over the cold waters of the High North on Oct. 24, 2026. Flying from Minot Air Force Base, a single B-52 – callsign HUSH 11 &#821

The U.S. Department of Defense has issued further solicitation to industry ahead of bids being tendered for the construction of support facilities for the Boeing F-47 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The F-47 Future Campus at Nellis is projected to cost $1.057 billion and potentially involve as many as four different contractors. The chosen contractors will be expected to deliver the project rapidly, with the project’s final milestones penciled in for 2032. Contract awards are scheduled t

The DIA report reviews the three missions flown between 2020 and 2023, highlighting reported rendezvous and proximity operations during the second and third flights, before China launched the spacecraft again in February 2026.  The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released a new image of China’s secretive reusable spaceplane, captured by a Maxar Technologies spacecraft in 2024. Published in the DIA’s “Challenges to Security in Space” report on Oct. 26, 2026, the photo provides a r

The program’s first stage is complete, with all critical technologies reaching at least TRL 3 and a technology demonstrator targeted for 2030. The European Hypersonic Defence Interceptor (EU HYDEF) took a major step forward with the completion of its first stage, as announced by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) on Oct. 26, 2026. The End-of-Project (EOP) meeting took place in Madrid on Oct. 22, formally closing the stage after the Preliminary Requirements Review (PRR) had b

The U.S. Navy has transferred to the Army four MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters it was retiring, in a move expected to save more than $70 million in procurement costs. Four U.S. Navy MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters that were headed for retirement have found a second life with the U.S. Army in support of sensor testing. The aircraft have been transferred to the Army’s Redstone Test Center (RTC), which has already completed ground testing and begun flight tests at Dugway Proving Ground,

The airframe is being trucked from Boeing’s St. Louis facility to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, for final assembly ahead of ground testing. Boeing Defense and Space released a video on Oct. 26, 2026, showing the second MQ-25A Stingray unmanned refueler being rolled out of its facility in St. Louis, Missouri. The company said it is being moved from St. Louis to MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, “where it will undergo final assembly before beginning ground testing.”

The $694 million contract marks a major reversal for the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, which the Air Force nearly cancelled in 2023. The U.S. Air Force has announced on Oct. 26, 2026, that it awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract to begin production of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). The contract represents a significant turnaround for a program that the service initially sought to cancel in 2023, following a series of unsuccessful flight tests. According

As part of its work with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Castelion will now expand the Blackbeard integration effort to the F-16, adding a U.S. Air Force fighter to a program already advancing toward Navy service. Castelion announced on Oct. 26, 2026, it has received a contract modification to begin integration activities for its Blackbeard hypersonic weapon on the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The award, which applies to the company’s existing work with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), adds

The first two Canadian CF-35s arrived at Luke Air Force Base, where they will be used for training in support of the initial phase of the RCAF’s transition from the CF-188 Hornet to the Lightning II. The Royal Canadian Air Force has received its first two CF-35A Lightning II fighters, a  month after the maiden flight of the first. The aircraft arrived at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, on Oct. 22, 2026, where they will support the initial phase of the country’s F-35 program. The RCAF an

Large and lumbering, the Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant featured a cavernous cargo hold and large clamshell doors at the nose, allowing heavy equipment and bulky loads to be transported by air. Derived from the Me 321 glider, the Me 323 Gigant gave the Germans transport capabilities the Allies didn’t possess during World War II, providing a much overlooked and essential part of combat-support capabilities and leading the way to further development and even some rather unusual and obscure ideas and

The first Archange arrived at Évreux in early October, where France’s Military Air Expertise Center is participating in trials ahead of the aircraft’s planned entry into service. France’s Archange (Archangel) Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Electronic Warfare (EW) aircraft landed at its future operating base, Base Aérienne 105 (BA 105) in Évreux, for the first time, the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (French Air and Space Force – FASF) reported on Oct. 23, 2026.  Air Base

A service report sent to Congress proposes a combat capable force of 1,509 fighters by 2035, which is more than the USAF has available today, posing serious questions about funding and aircraft delivery. The report, which was delivered to the U.S. Congress on Oct. 16, 2026, was seen by  Breaking Defense, but was not available to most other media outlets. This was followed by a roundtable event with the media on Oct. 20 with Lieutenant General David Tabor, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and

Critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities recently made headlines, prompting warnings from U.S. and international security agencies. The incident highlights a defensive principle familiar to military aviation: reducing an adversary’s ability to detect and engage a target can be just as important as defending against an attack. We take a closer look at the similarities between the two domains. On Oct. 21, 2026, the disclosure of two critical vulnerabilities in PHP, one of the world’s mos

Subject to Congressional approval, the framework gives long-term certainty to the industry, helping stabilize production and supply chain while supporting improvements in aircraft availability rates. The U.S. Department of War and Lockheed Martin announced on Oct. 22, 2026 that they reached a framework agreement for ten years of F-35 production and long-term sustainment. The agreement includes at least 850 F-35 Lightning II for the U.S. military, as well as orders for international customers acr

For the first time, Royal Air Force jets have flown alongside the French Air Force during an airborne nuclear strike exercise as part of a new, deeper cooperation between France and the UK on nuclear deterrence. Codenamed Exercise RUMMY – similar to other French nuclear exercises which take on a card game theme, like the regular Exercise POKER – the drill saw the Royal Air Force deploy a small contingent of Typhoon FGR4s to France’s Saint-Dizier air base, home to both frontline

The test demonstrated sequential engagement of multiple aerial targets without landing to reload, as BAE Systems looks to extend the capability to maritime operations.  A modified version of Malloy Aeronautics’ T-150 Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS), designated TRV-150, intercepted multiple one-way attack drones during trials at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in late September, according to BAE Systems. The U.K.-developed platform fired laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS)