New York Times
• John Ismay
A new congressional report says the United States lost four F-15Es, seven KC-135 tankers and as many as 30 MQ-9 drones during the Iran war. Helicopters for casualty evacuation were deployed from four countries, while hundreds of military facilities were destroyed, underscoring the conflict’s operational demands.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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A new congressional report says the United States lost four F-15Es, seven KC-135 tankers and as many as 30 MQ-9 drones during the Iran war. Helicopters for casualty evacuation were deployed from four countries, while hundreds of military facilities were destroyed, underscoring the conflict’s operational demands.
GE Aerospace is developing a combined booster-and-cruiser all-up-round test bed for the Defense Innovation Unit, while AEVEX won up to $92.2 million to modernize SkyRange hypersonic telemetry and communications. Separately, BAE Systems launched Shadow EW, a family of compact electronic-warfare systems for crewed and uncrewed small airborne platforms.
Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace, according to the Saudi-led coalition. The incident came as Saudi forces struck targets in Yemen and Houthis reported launching drones and missiles at Saudi cities amid an expanding regional conflict.
Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force confirmed that one of its three Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawks crashed in the Sea of Japan off Tottori Prefecture after the service lost contact on Sept. 15. The accident is the tenth reported loss of a Global Hawk variant.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian drones attacked Moldovan airspace on two occasions while he was traveling through the country aboard his aircraft. The disclosure underscores the spillover risk to civil and government aviation from Russia’s ongoing drone operations near Ukraine and neighboring states.
Anduril executives said the company cannot start work on a production contract for the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft without funding in the fiscal 2027 budget. The company expects production assets to be moving through its facilities in 2027, but says internal investment alone is insufficient.
The U.S. Air Force has designated General Atomics’ CCA as the FQ-42 Vengeance and Anduril’s aircraft as the FQ-44 Fury. The service plans to field at least 500 semi-autonomous combat aircraft by 2032, with an FQ-44 production mock-up displayed at AFA Air, Space & Cyber.
High activity
JetZero has started upgrading the Pratt & Whitney engines intended for its Jet 1 blended-wing-body demonstrator. Separately, a UK-developed turbojet designed for drones and larger aircraft has advanced from concept to production and flight testing in seven months.
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