Air Data News
• Ricardo Meier
The U.S. Marine Corps plans to decommission its legacy F/A-18 Hornet force by 2030, aligning the drawdown with a transition toward an all-F-35 posture. The service is also setting up for the AV-8B Harrier II’s final operational flight, underscoring the accelerating retirement timeline for legacy aviation platforms.
AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
By AeroTime: Thales carried out the first firings of its X-Fire ground-based long-range strike launcher on May 20, 2026, advancing France's FLP-T program.
FlightGlobal
• Greg Waldron
By FlightGlobal: The Marine Attack Helicopter will provide firepower to South Korean marines, including an air-to-air capability. The Korea Aerospace Industries Marine Attack Helicopter (MAH) is entering its final development phase following an extensive test campaign.
politico.eu
• Nicholas Vinocur, Zoya Sheftalovich
By politico.eu: A recent increase in incursions into Baltic airspace has bolstered interest in what Kyiv has learned in more than four years of war with Moscow.
AeroTime
• Stephen Pope
By AeroTime: A guilty plea in a US export-control case shows how aircraft parts allegedly moved to Russia through shadowy brokers and intermediaries.
The War Zone
• Joseph Trevithick
By The War Zone: The persistent surveillance capabilities the glider-like ULTRA offers are in high demand, especially amid MQ-9 losses in fighting with Iran.
Air Data News
• Ricardo Meier
By Air Data News: Standard procedure restores fleet readiness after tanker destroyed in accident earlier US Air Force (USAF) is pulling a KC-135 Stratotanker out of long-term storage at the Davis-Monthan boneyard in Arizona to replace a tanker destroyed in a crash earlier this month, military officials confirmed.
AeroTime
• Joshua R. Kroeker
By AeroTime: Europe’s critical infrastructure faces a growing drone threat, but resilience must move beyond compliance paperwork and into operational readiness.
