UAV Development & Drone Programs   SAF   North America   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
The War Zone • Joseph Trevithick

USAF assigns YFQ-48A designation to Northrop Grumman Talon, calls it a 'strong contender' for CCA Increment 2

The U.S. Air Force has assigned the YFQ-48A mission-design series to Northrop Grumman’s Talon uncrewed jet and called it a “strong contender” for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme as Increment 2 begins, marking formal service recognition of the semi‑autonomous prototype.

Also: Air & Space Forces Mag, DVIDS / U.S. DoD, FlightGlobal, asdnews.com, Aviation Week, defence-blog.com, grandfleet.info, insidedefense.com, Defense One and 5 more
2025-12-22T09:05:19.203995-08:00
MRO   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
insidedefense.com

DOD IG Finds Shortcomings in Oversight of F‑35 Sustainment Contracts

By insidedefense.com: The Dec. 19, 2025 Defense Department inspector general's report assesses "DOD’s oversight of contractor performance on air vehicle sustainment contracts for the F‑35 Joint Strike Fighter (F‑35) aircraft.".

2025-12-23T08:26:31.187821-08:00
Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
Reuters • Apratim Sarkar

RTX unit Raytheon wins $1.7B contract to supply four Patriot air and missile defence systems to Spain

By Reuters: Raytheon Technologies, a unit of RTX Corp , won a $1.7 billion contract to deliver four Patriot air and missile defense systems to Spain, the U.S. defense contractor said on Tuesday.

Also: Economic Times and defence-industry.eu
2025-12-23T07:04:03.246691-08:00
Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
Airbus • News Release

Spain orders 18 C295 transport aircraft

By Airbus: The Spanish Ministry of Defence has acquired 18 Airbus C295 transport aircraft to replace the CN235 and C212 fleets of the Spanish Air and Space Force.

Also: FlightGlobal, Aviation A2Z, Janes, Aviation Week and 5 more
2025-12-23T02:57:50.550251-08:00
SAAB   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
DefenseNews.com • Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo

Swedish air chief lays out 2026 fighter decision timeline and Gripen’s anti‑drone role

By DefenseNews.com: The year 2026 promises to be a time of decisions, as the Swedish air force strives to keep its options open when it comes to a new fighter design.

Also: news.defcros.com and news.ssbcrack.com
2025-12-23T05:18:08.038359-08:00
Supply Chain   Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
tass.com • TASS

Russia’s Su-57 fighter with fifth-generation engine begins flight tests

By tass.com: The state corporation added that UAC is currently implementing a program to expand production capacity, which will allow it to increase the volume of Su-57 aircraft deliveries to the military.

Also: Air Data News, Aviacionline, The Aviationist, defensehere.com, defence.in, theaviationgeekclub.com, India Defense News, jetlinemarvel.net, news.ssbcrack.com, militarnyi.com, militarywatchmagazine.com, aerospaceglobalnews.com and 3 more
2025-12-22T00:10:27.369263-08:00