Aircraft Carrier News

Breaking Defense • Aaron Mehta

Saab and General Atomics to Field Uncrewed AEW on MQ-9B in 2026

Saab and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will integrate an airborne early warning radar onto GA-ASI’s MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft family—including SkyGuardian, SeaGuardian, Protector and the new STOL model—in a program set to fly in 2026, filling a gap as momentum for a crewed E-3 Sentry replacement fades.

2025-06-15T21:12:03.414067-07:00

Politico

US Bolsters Airpower with Tankers to Europe, Nimitz Carrier Redeploys to Middle East

2025-06-16T10:30:02.064471-07:00

DefenseNews.com

Stealth Fighter Mock-Up Emerges at China’s Carrier Test Facility

2025-06-22T03:59:26.702577-07:00

CNN

Second F/A-18 Super Hornet Goes Overboard from USS Harry S. Truman in Red Sea, Pilots Eject Safely

2025-05-06T17:59:35.813889-07:00

Aircraft Carrier News Timeline

UK Defence Journal

Wildcat Helicopter Conducts Live-Fire Drills off India during Prince of Wales Deployment A Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, embarked on HMS Prince of Wales, conducted live weapons firing drills off India’s coast, marking a key milestone in the carrier strike group’s regional training programme. It tested the platform’s maritime strike capability ahead of planned Indo-Pacific operations.

2025-06-30T01:10:12.775681-07:00

Wildcat Helicopter Conducts Live-Fire Drills off India during Prince of Wales Deployment

South China Morning Post

10,000 Tickets for Hongkongers to View Chinese Aircraft Carrier Sell Out in 45 Seconds Ten thousand free tickets for Hongkongers to view a Chinese carrier battle group were snapped up in 45 seconds, with 2,000 allocated for the Shandong and 8,000 for two accompanying PLA Navy vessels. The public event offers a rare live display of China’s carrier aviation at close range.

2025-06-29T20:51:04.941685-07:00

10,000 Tickets for Hongkongers to View Chinese Aircraft Carrier Sell Out in 45 Seconds

South China Morning Post

Chinese Carrier Shandong-Led Fleet to Visit Hong Kong for Five-Day Public Tours China’s carrier strike group centred on the aircraft carrier Shandong will dock in Hong Kong on July 3 for a five-day visit, offering public tours of the carrier and accompanying vessels alongside a series of cultural exchange events.

2025-06-28T08:03:31.643030-07:00

Chinese Carrier Shandong-Led Fleet to Visit Hong Kong for Five-Day Public Tours

nationalsecurityjournal.org

Iran’s Navy Shifts to Drone Carriers and ‘Black Hole’ Kilo Subs to Guard Strait of Hormuz Iran’s naval force, a compact green-water fleet, has ramped up asymmetric deterrence in the Strait of Hormuz through the use of ‘drone carriers’ and three Russian-built Kilo-class ‘black hole’ submarines, supported by small frigates and fast-attack vessels. These measures aim to complicate adversary operations in its strategic coastal zones.

2025-06-28T06:44:34.372884-07:00

Iran’s Navy Shifts to Drone Carriers and ‘Black Hole’ Kilo Subs to Guard Strait of Hormuz

Air & Space Forces Mag

USAF’s 2026 Budget Cuts F-35 Buys, Boosts F-15EX Orders and Rebalances Fighter Fleet In its fiscal 2026 budget request, the US Air Force proposes reducing F-35 Lightning II procurement while increasing F-15EX orders and adjusting force-structure investments in both 4th- and 5th-generation fighters. The shift aims to address rising sustainment costs, readiness shortfalls and evolving mission requirements.

2025-06-26T16:03:07.861927-07:00

USAF’s 2026 Budget Cuts F-35 Buys, Boosts F-15EX Orders and Rebalances Fighter Fleet

Naval News

Chinese Aircraft Carriers Conduct 1,120 Sorties Near Japan Since May China’s two carrier strike groups have flown roughly 1,120 flight operations near Japanese waters since late May, underscoring the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s intensifying maritime air power projection in the Western Pacific.

2025-06-24T14:33:48.842036-07:00

Chinese Aircraft Carriers Conduct 1,120 Sorties Near Japan Since May

Associated Press

USS Gerald R. Ford Departs Norfolk for Scheduled Deployment Amid Middle East Tensions The US Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group departed Norfolk on Tuesday for a routine deployment, with its escorts and Carrier Air Wing 8 en route toward the Middle East. The mission aims to bolster regional deterrence amid escalating Israel-Iran frictions and Houthi threats.

2025-06-23T21:09:44.591854-07:00

USS Gerald R. Ford Departs Norfolk for Scheduled Deployment Amid Middle East Tensions

UK Defence Journal

Royal Navy and RAF Team Up to Develop Carrier-Launched Fixed-Wing Drones The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have launched a joint program to develop fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles capable of operating from Britain’s aircraft carriers, aiming to extend maritime strike and reconnaissance capabilities beyond traditional manned aircraft.

2025-06-23T04:01:45.349494-07:00

Royal Navy and RAF Team Up to Develop Carrier-Launched Fixed-Wing Drones

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