AeroTime
• Gabriele Petrauskaite
A series of overnight strikes linked to the Russia-Ukraine war damaged a Russian strategic bomber airfield, a seven-million-ton refinery, air-defense and radar sites, and a major Wildberries logistics hub. Separately, a Russian drone entered Romanian territory for roughly 20 minutes before returning to Ukraine and being shot down.
Defense Policy
Latest source-backed stories
A series of overnight strikes linked to the Russia-Ukraine war damaged a Russian strategic bomber airfield, a seven-million-ton refinery, air-defense and radar sites, and a major Wildberries logistics hub. Separately, a Russian drone entered Romanian territory for roughly 20 minutes before returning to Ukraine and being shot down.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command conducted joint air and naval combat drills around Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, describing the exercises as a response to regional instability. The patrols were intended to test combat readiness and reinforce China’s territorial defense capabilities.
Space Force leaders are developing ways to demonstrate the operational realities of conflict in orbit to lawmakers, who can observe exercises involving tanks, warships and combat aircraft but lack an equivalent view of space operations. The challenge reflects the speed, distance and extended timelines that shape satellite encounters.
A Brookings discussion with Gen. Chance Saltzman, then a senior fellow and now chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force, examines how conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are shaping thinking about space warfare, military operations and the future role of the domain.
An Air Force office has assumed responsibility for the sprawling M-Code effort, which aims to equip as many as one million platforms and systems with GPS receivers resistant to jamming and spoofing. Receivers intended for ships and aircraft are expected to complete testing by 2027.
Spain’s new Air and Space Force vision emphasizes AI, collaborative combat, missile defense and space dominance, while Spanish A330 MRTT forces participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2026. Separately, A400M aircraft are demonstrating expanded utility as high-capacity wildfire retardant bombers in France and Spain.
Ukraine may be able to use its F-16 fleet to target Russian ballistic-missile launchers within weeks, but the effort depends on Washington authorizing or enabling a specific capability. The potential mission would expand the aircraft’s role beyond conventional air operations into counter-launcher missions.
Australia, the United States and Japan have formalized a trilateral agreement to strengthen air logistics cooperation among their air forces. The accord signals deeper operational coordination between the three partners, potentially improving the ability to move personnel, equipment and supplies across the region.
Create a free account to see more recent Defense Policy stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
