FlightGlobal
• Greg Waldron
Peru is scheduled to receive its first F-16C/D Block 70 fighter in 2030 under a 12-aircraft program, while Lockheed Martin has outlined a $1.8 billion industrial and social package. The proposal includes local parts production, drone assembly, MRO expansion, maintenance training and aerospace skills development.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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Peru is scheduled to receive its first F-16C/D Block 70 fighter in 2030 under a 12-aircraft program, while Lockheed Martin has outlined a $1.8 billion industrial and social package. The proposal includes local parts production, drone assembly, MRO expansion, maintenance training and aerospace skills development.
Saab detailed plans for Sweden’s future fighter technology demonstrators at an air force show, where it also displayed a mock-up of an autonomous collaborative platform. The initiative points to Saab’s work on next-generation combat-air technologies and autonomous systems alongside crewed fighter development.
Five drones crossed Moldovan airspace hours before Moldova’s Independence Day parade, with two dropping off radar inside the country, according to the report. The incident underscores the exposure of national airspace and major public events to unmanned-aircraft incursions, without establishing the drones’ origin or intent.
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Zuri has unveiled a hybrid-electric uncrewed tiltrotor designed for civil and defense logistics, carrying more than 100 kg over 569 km with a 30-minute reserve, or 679 km by design. The aircraft cruises at 220 km/h and can operate from pads, ship decks or open ground, following a €6 million Series A tranche.
Fujitsu and General Atomics will examine maintenance, repair and overhaul opportunities for uncrewed aircraft as Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force prepares to begin operating the MQ-9B in 2027. The initiative could establish local sustainment capabilities for the platform before its entry into Japanese service.
The U.S. Navy has begun testing the low-cost Blackbeard hypersonic missile on the F/A-18 Super Hornet and is targeting a limited operational arsenal within two years. The effort points to a potentially faster, more affordable path to deploying hypersonic capability from existing tactical aircraft.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Elon Musk Ukraine’s Order of Freedom, citing his contributions to protecting life and freedom, as Kyiv seeks broader access to SpaceX’s Starlink terminals for battlefield communications and potentially drone strikes deep inside Russia—an expansion Musk has been reluctant to approve.
Turkish Aerospace has demonstrated a new launch method for its Simsek-K UAV, successfully deploying the vehicle from a rail using a rocket booster. The test expands the system’s launch flexibility and underscores Turkey’s continued investment in domestically developed unmanned aircraft capabilities.
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