AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
NATO aircraft were scrambled after drones approached or entered Estonian and Latvian airspace, triggering air-threat warnings and an alert involving Turkish F-16s based in Estonia. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned airlines and insurers that Ukrainian drone activity had effectively closed Russian airspace.
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Ukraine’s air force is tracking incoming missile shipments closely as it manages a shortage affecting its F-16 fleet. The limited supply has made deliveries time-critical, with commanders uncertain whether replenishment will arrive before Russia’s next aerial barrage.
NATO aircraft were scrambled after drones approached or entered Estonian and Latvian airspace, triggering air-threat warnings and an alert involving Turkish F-16s based in Estonia. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned airlines and insurers that Ukrainian drone activity had effectively closed Russian airspace.
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The sole-source agreement covers F-15 production, modernization and sustainment for U.S. and foreign customers, extending Boeing’s fighter work through 2037. The defense-industrial activity also includes Raytheon’s $50 million Mississippi expansion and Lockheed Martin’s proposed $1.8 billion industrial package tied to Peru’s F-16 purchase.
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Saab’s two-seat Gripen F completed its maiden flight from Linköping on Aug. 28, flying for approximately 40 minutes. The milestone advances the Brazil–Sweden fighter program as Saab renews its Canadian sales effort and positions the aircraft for future operations alongside drones and rapid software upgrades.
Lockheed Martin has presented Peru with a $1.8 billion industrial and social package linked to its proposed acquisition of 12 F-16C/D Block 70 fighters. The plan includes local aerospace participation, technology transfer, MRO expansion, maintenance training, drone assembly and workforce-development initiatives, with first deliveries expected in 2030.
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A Hungarian Air Force Gripen fighter jet crashed at or near Szolnok military base during an emergency landing after a reported onboard computer malfunction. The pilot ejected and was transported to Budapest in stable condition; no civilian casualties or damage outside the base were reported, and an investigation is underway.
Romanian F-16s destroyed a suspected Russian naval drone near the Neptun Deep offshore gas project in the Black Sea, while Romanian and U.S. forces trained with Gepard air defenses in Poland. Ukraine has also added its first domestically developed jet-powered drone interceptor to its counter-UAS arsenal.
Peru has selected L3Harris Technologies’ Viper Shield electronic warfare suite for its planned F-16C/D Block 70 fighters. The decision adds a key survivability system to the modernization program, which will replace the country’s decades-long reliance on Soviet-designed combat aircraft.
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