Military Aircraft Procurement News

Breaking Defense • Bartosz Głowacki

Poland Signs $3.8 B Deal with Lockheed to Upgrade 48 F-16C/Ds to F-16V

Poland has signed a $3.8 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to upgrade its 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighters to the F-16V Block 70/72 configuration, enhancing sensors, avionics and interoperability with F-35s. The mid-life upgrade aligns with Warsaw’s goal of boosting defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2026.

2025-08-14T08:33:53.040164-07:00

Aviation Week

U.S. Navy Nears Downselect on F/A-XX as Sixth‑Generation Program Regains Momentum

2025-08-25T08:49:01.482121-07:00

Reuters

Turkey, UK Sign Preliminary Eurofighter Typhoon Sale After Germany Lifts Export Veto

2025-07-23T01:59:26.566974-07:00

Reuters

Spain shelves F-35 purchase, eyes Eurofighter and Europe’s FCAS

2025-08-06T00:43:54.941495-07:00

Military Aircraft Procurement News Timeline

rollcall.com

Randy 'Duke' Cunningham, Navy F‑4 ace turned congressman convicted in bribery scandal, dies at 83 Randy 'Duke' Cunningham, one of two U.S. Navy F‑4 Phantom II aces from the Vietnam War who later served in Congress, died at 83 in Little Rock. He resigned after pleading guilty to taking at least $2.4 million in bribes and was pardoned in 2021.

2025-08-29T03:17:34.057457-07:00

Randy 'Duke' Cunningham, Navy F‑4 ace turned congressman convicted in bribery scandal, dies at 83

The War Zone

U.S. Navy Removes Carrier-landing Requirement from 'Wings of Gold,' Reshaping Jet‑trainer Plans The U.S. Navy has removed mandatory carrier‑landing qualification from the 'Wings of Gold' fighter pilot graduation, so new aviators will defer carrier landings until later in the training pipeline. The shift is a watershed change with major implications for jet trainer requirements, capacity and syllabus design.

2025-08-28T09:02:04.136873-07:00

U.S. Navy Removes Carrier-landing Requirement from 'Wings of Gold,' Reshaping Jet‑trainer Plans

Aviation Week

U.S. Navy Nears Downselect on F/A-XX as Sixth‑Generation Program Regains Momentum The U.S. Navy is preparing to advance its sixth‑generation F/A‑XX program, with service leaders signalling an imminent downselect on a prime contractor and parallel decisions on a fighter‑like trainer variant to relieve pressure on frontline carrier air wings. Officials say the choices would shift the program toward design and prototyping.

2025-08-25T08:49:01.482121-07:00

U.S. Navy Nears Downselect on F/A-XX as Sixth‑Generation Program Regains Momentum

Aviation Week

U.S. Navy Moves Toward F/A‑XX Down‑Select as Sixth‑Gen Fighter Program Regains Momentum The U.S. Navy says its F/A‑XX sixth‑generation fighter program has regained momentum and officials are ready to execute a down‑select, moving the project from planning toward selection and early acquisition steps. The decision marks a key transition in the program’s timeline and procurement posture.

2025-08-24T10:20:01.796202-07:00

U.S. Navy Moves Toward F/A‑XX Down‑Select as Sixth‑Gen Fighter Program Regains Momentum

Air & Space Forces Mag

First flights of Anduril and General Atomics Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes imminent, sources say Sources say the first flights of Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes built by Anduril and General Atomics are imminent. The launches would mark an early flight‑test milestone for prototype CCAs and accelerate evaluation of autonomous, networked combat aircraft concepts in operationally relevant environments.

2025-08-22T18:13:52.055212-07:00

First flights of Anduril and General Atomics Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes imminent, sources say

Reuters

Boeing defense workers' holdout halts fighter-jet production amid contract negotiations Boeing defense factory workers have mounted a holdout amid stalled contract negotiations with IAM, keeping fighter-jet production lines idle and delaying assembly work. The walkout follows rejected offers and ongoing bargaining, freezing output while talks continue and raising near-term delivery risks.

2025-08-21T18:41:30.515562-07:00

Boeing defense workers' holdout halts fighter-jet production amid contract negotiations

The War Zone

Kratos developing 'Clone Ranger' pickle‑fork stealth drone with buddy refueling and short‑field long‑range capability Kratos is developing the 'Clone Ranger', a pickle‑fork stealth unmanned aircraft designed to carry a mix of munitions and sensors, operate from short fields over long distances, and accept buddy refueling to extend reach. The concept targets dispersed, long‑range strike and ISR missions.

2025-08-18T17:22:23.138100-07:00

Kratos developing 'Clone Ranger' pickle‑fork stealth drone with buddy refueling and short‑field long‑range capability

Breaking Defense

Poland Signs $3.8 B Deal with Lockheed to Upgrade 48 F-16C/Ds to F-16V Poland has signed a $3.8 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to upgrade its 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighters to the F-16V Block 70/72 configuration, enhancing sensors, avionics and interoperability with F-35s. The mid-life upgrade aligns with Warsaw’s goal of boosting defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2026.

2025-08-14T08:33:53.040164-07:00

Poland Signs $3.8 B Deal with Lockheed to Upgrade 48 F-16C/Ds to F-16V

Create a free account to see more recent Military Aircraft Procurement stories.