Category -- Air -- The Defense Post

Sep- 2026 -

23 September

A Green Beret assigned to 4th Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) demonstrates the operation of an unmanned aerial system during a drone course at Fort Carson, Colorado, Dec. 2, 2025. The training enhances operators’ understanding of drone capabilities and mission integration, improving the unit’s ability to employ unmanned systems in complex operational environments. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Zachary Myers)

Pentagon Names Top 10 Drone Makers in Latest $1B Drone Challenge Flyoff

The US Department of Defense has named 10 top-performing drone makers from Gauntlet II, the second major competition in its $1-billion Drone Dominance Program.

23 September

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

Missile Swarms on a Budget? Indra Reveals 300-Kilometer ‘SQUALL’

Spanish defense firm Indra has unveiled SQUALL, a low-cost cruise missile designed to strike high-value targets more than 300 kilometers behind enemy lines.

23 September

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

New Data Link Helps F-16 Fighters Track Airborne Targets Without Radar

A new data link between Legion sensor pods let two F-16s share infrared tracking data in flight, helping pilots rapidly range multiple airborne targets without radar and prioritize the most critical threats.

23 September

Rojoef Manuel

Taiwan Flexes Attack Drones Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

The Republic of China (ROC) Armed Forces brought multiple types of attack drones into a joint live-fire exercise for the first time in Pingtung County, days before a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

23 September

Inder Singh Bisht

Denmark Acquires Weibel Radars to Strengthen Counter-Drone Defense

Denmark has acquired several XENTA-M5 radar systems from Danish company Weibel Scientific to detect and identify combat drones.

23 September

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in flight.

Inder Singh Bisht

US Army Awards Sikorsky $234M Contract for 16 Black Hawks

The US Army has awarded Sikorsky a $234.46-million contract modification for the procurement of 16 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters.

22 September

Christine Casimiro

US Air Force Retires Final EC-130H Electronic Attack Aircraft

The US Air Force has retired its final EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, deployed since the early 1980s for electronic warfare operations in support of US and coalition forces.

22 September

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

Lockheed Breaks JASSM Free From Air-Only Launches With New FLEX Airframe

Lockheed Martin’s AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile family could soon take on a wider range of missions through a newly developed modular airframe.

22 September

Image shows a. RAF Voyager from RAF Brize Norton landing at Nellis Air Force Base during Red Flag 23-1. A Royal Air Force detachment, operating from Nellis Air Base Nevada, is honing its cutting-edge air combat skills in the largest scale Exercise Red Flag to date. Exercise Red Flag is the pre-eminent annual air combat training exercise run by the United States. The United States Air Force has expanded this long-established exercise to include a vastly increased geographical area to challenge participants to overcome what USAF planners are calling the Tyranny of Distance in addition to the traditional combat air missions of previous exercises. The Exercise has previously been run over the Nevada Test and Training Range and area of 12,000 square miles of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land. Now training areas in Utah and California have been added, as well as missions being flow out over the Californian Pacific Coast. The exercise area has therefore become vast and is aimed to reflect the challenges of conducting air operations at range The RAF detachment of around 300 personnel currently taking part on the exercise is operating seven Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth based II (Army Co-operation) Squadron, plus a Voyager operated from 10 and 101 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton. In addition, aircrew from 51 Squadron based at RAF Waddington have been integrated into the flight crew of a USAF RC-135 Rivet Joint intelligence gathering aircraft. Australia is the only other nation participating, reflecting the close Defence partnership between our three countries.

Giulia Bernacchi

UK to Deploy Refueling Aircraft in Support of Saudi Air Defenses

The UK will deploy an aerial refueling aircraft to support Saudi Arabia’s response to Houthi missile and drone attacks.

22 September

The partnership between L3Harris and NAWCWD China Lake addresses rising capacity needs for key munitions, including Raytheon’s Tomahawk cruise missile.

Jodesz Gavilan

L3Harris Boosts Tomahawk Production With New US Navy Deal

L3Harris Technologies has signed a multiyear agreement with the US Navy to increase production capacity for components used in Tomahawk cruise missiles.

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