The Navy completed its first arrested landing of an F-35C stealth fighter on a Ford-class carrier, validating compatibility with electromagnetic catapults and advanced arresting gear aboard USS John F. Kennedy.
France is accelerating its next-generation fighter programme after the June 2026 collapse of Franco-German cooperation, raising contractual commitments to €2.74 billion in 2027 to fund domestic development of engines and low-observable systems.
The joint venture of BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is developing a trilateral sixth-generation combat aircraft combining crewed fighters, uncrewed systems, and AI-assisted mission control to replace three nations' aging fleets.
The U.S. Navy is replacing obsolete components in the weapons control processor used by F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft to extend their service life through the 2040s.
Russia's United Aircraft Corporation flew the third Yak-130M prototype at Irkutsk, adding test capacity to meet 2028 delivery targets. Vietnam has signed a contract for 18 aircraft.
The GCAP joint venture inaugurated its first engineering facility outside Reading in Turin, planning to employ 300+ personnel by end of 2027 and scale to 1,000+ at full capacity.
The U.S. Navy intends to award Boeing a contract to design and qualify replacement parts for the obsolete AN/AYK-22 stores management processor on F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers due to diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages.
The U.S. Navy has reportedly accepted Taiwan's request for price and availability on up to 20 anti-submarine helicopters to replace its aging S-70C(M) fleet, reviving a program canceled in 2022. U.S. officials have not confirmed the report, and State Department approval and pricing remain pending.
The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin are discussing a production and sustainment contract spanning up to a decade for the F-35 fighter jet. Both FY27 defense bills would permit multi-year F-35 procurement; only the House version requires at least 5 percent savings, and neither authorizes multi-year sustainment.
Netherlands and Belgium awarded Kongsberg approximately $2.15 billion for NASAMS-3 and NOMADS air defense systems, expanding NATO's layered defense across Europe with network-centric mobile platforms.
Romania signed a contract for 12 Airbus H225M military helicopters valued at €757 million, financed through the EU's SAFE loan program, with plans for 30 additional aircraft post-2030 to establish production at the state-owned IAR facility.
Embraer's Gavião Peixoto facility completed maiden flight of the first Brazilian-assembled Gripen E fighter for the Brazilian Air Force. Embraer and Saab are negotiating a Heads of Agreement to produce 20 additional aircraft for domestic and export markets.
Germany has begun exploratory talks with the UK on joining the Global Combat Air Program, a next-generation fighter developed by the UK, Italy and Japan. Internal German assessments reportedly favor a separate collaboration with Spain and Sweden instead.
The U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman broke ground on a new B-21 final assembly line at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, with over 1 million square feet of facilities planned to increase annual production capacity by 25 percent.
The U.S. Coast Guard awarded Lockheed Martin a $735 million contract for six C-130J aircraft, expanding its long-range surveillance fleet to 25 total aircraft with deliveries from fiscal 2028 through 2030.
Taiwan took delivery of the first two of 66 F-16V Block 70 jets from a $8 billion 2019 sale, after software delays pushed back arrival. The aircraft strengthen Taiwan's air defense against Chinese military pressure.
Air Force Global Strike Command deployed the IRIS prototype communications system on B-52H bombers, integrating satellite broadband via Iridium CERTUS. The system was funded through a $26 million Strategic Funding Increase contract awarded in 2023.
Finland received its first two F-35 stealth fighters at Rovaniemi Air Base, beginning deliveries on a $9.4 billion contract for 64 aircraft. Initial operational capability is targeted for early 2028.
France has started pilot training for Ukraine's Rafale fighter jets, with 16 aircraft ordered initially and 100 planned overall. First deliveries are expected in 2028 to 2029.
UK Ministry of Defence extended its £190 million maintenance contract with Airbus for RAF's A400M Atlas fleet through April 2029, boosting daily mission-capable aircraft from 10 to 13 by end of 2027.
Boeing received a contract for four additional MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, marking the aircraft's transition to full-rate production following September 2026 IOC. The award brings total aircraft under contract to 42.
Boeing won a $20 billion contract to develop the US Navy's F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter. The award raises industrial base concerns as Boeing must simultaneously develop the Air Force's F-47 while maintaining production of F-15EX, F/A-18E/F and T-7A at its St. Louis facility.
Belgium will deliver three operational F-16AM/BM fighter jets to Ukraine by December 31, 2026, with 53 total aircraft to follow through 2029 as the Belgian Air Component transitions to the F-35A.
Shield AI and GE Aerospace will manufacture the X-BAT, an AI-piloted vertical-takeoff fighter jet, in the Seattle area with production starting mid-2027 at a target rate of 150 aircraft annually and 4,000 jobs expected by the early 2030s.
Boeing has won the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX next-generation carrier-based stealth fighter competition. The tailless, single-pilot design features advanced AESA radar and AI-driven automation for multi-role operations and unmanned teaming.
The Navy awarded Boeing a $20 billion full-scale development contract for the F/A-XX, a sixth-generation carrier-based strike fighter designed to replace F/A-18 Super Hornets starting in the 2030s.
Turkey signed an £8 billion contract with BAE Systems for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons, weapons, support and training, with deliveries starting in 2030. Turkish pilots have begun conversion training at RAF Coningsby.
The Air Force approved engine and radar upgrades for all 76 operational B-52H bombers. Boeing received $2.16B for Rolls-Royce F130 engine replacement and bomb-rack hardware; Raytheon won $603M IDIQ for AN/APQ-188 AESA radar production.
Leidos extended its contract to operate ARTEMIS, an airborne signals intelligence platform based on a modified Bombardier Challenger 650, for the Army's European Command operations through summer 2027 with two option years.
Australia's Defence Department declared Initial Operational Capability for its Triton and Peregrine ISR fleets, with three of four ordered aircraft delivered for each type.
South Korea's Air Force received its first production KF-21 Boramae fighter, with Korea Aerospace Industries set to deliver 40 jets by 2028 and 80 more by 2032.
The XVIII Airborne Corps evaluated the dual-mode SkyRunner buggy at Fort Bragg on Sept. 16, testing its 120-mile flight range and $140,000 to $150,000 price tag.
K & K Industries received a firm-fixed-price contract worth $13.65 million to build a weapons release system storage facility for the B-21 Raider program at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
U.S. Coast Guard forecasts a follow-on contract worth more than $100 million to L3Harris for installing the Minotaur Mission System Suite on four new C-130J aircraft. Award is anticipated in Q3 FY2028 with performance through April 2038.
The U.S. State Department cleared a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, pending congressional approval. The sale includes 49 Pratt & Whitney engines, communications equipment and support.
The Army awarded Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky subsidiary $234 million in undefinitized funding for 16 UH-60 Black Hawks, with total contract value of $356 million and potential for up to 150 aircraft over three to four years.
The Air Force raised Boeing's KC-46 Pegasus contract ceiling by $13.4 billion to add foreign military sales support for Japan, Israel and future partners through April 2035.
The Navy has chosen between Boeing and Northrop Grumman for its F/A-XX carrier-based stealth fighter, a program expected to exceed tens of billions over its lifetime and deliver first production aircraft in the 2030s.
Northrop Grumman opened an 845,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Layton, Utah on September 9 to expand B-21 Raider production capacity, expected to employ up to 1,500 workers by 2032.
GE Aerospace is buying longtime supplier Consolidated Precision Products for nearly $12 billion to strengthen castings and aerospace components manufacturing capacity for defense and commercial markets.