Defense News

F-16 Europe Accident

AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

USAF F-16 crashes near Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany; pilot ejects safely

A U.S. Air Force F-16 assigned to Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany crashed Tuesday while attempting to land after a routine training exercise. The pilot ejected safely and was receiving medical care; the cause was not immediately known, and the aircraft was the second USAF F-16 involved in an incident in a week.

The War Zone • Howard Altman

USAF F-16 Crashes At Spangdahlem Air Base In Germany

aviationnews.eu • Rob Vogelaar

USAF F-16 Crashes During Landing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Pilot Ejects Safely

Also: Reuters, The Aviationist, The Independent and 7 more

23 Sources

2026-09-22T08:08:26.674279-07:00

Helicopter Accident Aviation Safety & Regulation

FlightGlobal • Dominic Perry

Mistaken engine cut-off condemned Merlin HC4 helicopter to fatal ditching: report

By FlightGlobal: Crew of ill-fated Merlin had intended to practice deck landings from carrier at night Crown Copyright Two serviceable powerplants were shut down as Royal Navy crew attempted to make an emergency landing on deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth.

1 Source

2026-09-22T08:05:23.826215-07:00

Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons Defense Industry & Major Contractors

NEW

FlightGlobal • Brooke Ingemi

GE-Kratos GEK800 turbofan engine passes ignition test

By FlightGlobal: Kratos and GE Aerospace's GEK800 Serial Number 1 cruise missile propulsion engine successfully ignited at the X-58 test facility in San Diego, California.

Also: Seeking Alpha, interestingengineering.com and defence-industry.eu

4 Sources

2026-09-22T09:05:12.461245-07:00

Satellite Defense Industry & Major Contractors Asia-Pacific (APAC) Boeing

Breaking Defense • Mike Yeo

Boeing picks Lite Coms for Aussie BLOS SATCOM terminals

By Breaking Defense: SINGAPORE — US company Lite Coms has been selected by Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) to provide Beyond Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) terminals for an Australian program.

3 Sources

2026-09-22T06:50:38.938114-07:00

Saudi Arabia Middle East Military Aircraft Procurement Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact Export Controls & Trade Compliance Defense Deals

AINonline • Charlotte Bailey

F-35 Fighter Buy Approved As Saudis Struggle to Counter Houthi Threat

By AINonline: Trump administration says $24.3 billion deal will bolster Saudi Arabia's self-defense capability.

1 Source

2026-09-22T04:51:13.321443-07:00

Saudi Arabia Middle East Military Aircraft Procurement Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact Defense Policy Airbus A330

Air Data News • Ricardo Meier

RAF Voyager tanker to refuel Saudi fighter jets amid Houthi attacks

By Air Data News: UK will deploy an Airbus A330 MRTT tanker for a limited mission after Riyadh requested defensive air-to-air Royal Air Force (RAF) will deploy a Voyager tanker to provide air-to-air refueling for Saudi fighter jets as the kingdom responds to a new wave of Houthi drone and missile attacks.

adsadvance.co.uk

UK deploys Voyager to support Saudi fighters amid renewed Houthi attacks

FlightGlobal

RAF Voyager to provide air-to-air refuelling support for Saudi Arabia

Also: AeroTime, BBC and UK Defence Journal

6 Sources

2026-09-22T00:15:46.654705-07:00

Satellite AI Europe Space Defense & Militarization

SpaceWatch Global • Joshua Faleti

Marble Imaging and msg Systems Partner on European Sovereign ISR Capabilities

By SpaceWatch Global: Marble Imaging and msg Systems signed an MoU to combine Earth observation, AI and secure IT infrastructure for European ISR applications.

1 Source

2026-09-22T01:16:01.593401-07:00

FlightGlobal • Greg Waldron

Think tank calls for specialised, missile-toting CCA to escort support aircraft

By FlightGlobal: Collaborative combat aircraft could neutralise Chinese investments in long-range air-to-air capabilities designed hit vulnerable support aircraft.

Also: FlightGlobal

2 Sources

2026-09-21T22:05:16.689107-07:00

USAF F-16 crashes near Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany; pilot ejects safely

USAF F-16 Crashes At Spangdahlem Air Base In Germany

USAF F-16 Crashes During Landing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Pilot Ejects Safely

Mistaken engine cut-off condemned Merlin HC4 helicopter to fatal ditching: report

GE-Kratos GEK800 turbofan engine passes ignition test

Boeing picks Lite Coms for Aussie BLOS SATCOM terminals

F-35 Fighter Buy Approved As Saudis Struggle to Counter Houthi Threat

RAF Voyager tanker to refuel Saudi fighter jets amid Houthi attacks

UK deploys Voyager to support Saudi fighters amid renewed Houthi attacks

RAF Voyager to provide air-to-air refuelling support for Saudi Arabia

Marble Imaging and msg Systems Partner on European Sovereign ISR Capabilities

Think tank calls for specialised, missile-toting CCA to escort support aircraft

GE-Kratos GEK800 turbofan engine passes ignition test

F-16 crashes near Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, pilot ejects

Mistaken engine cut-off condemned Merlin HC4 helicopter to fatal ditching: report

Boeing picks Lite Coms for Aussie BLOS SATCOM terminals

F-35 Fighter Buy Approved As Saudis Struggle to Counter Houthi Threat

Marble Imaging and msg Systems Partner on European Sovereign ISR Capabilities

Chinese Next-Generation Submarine Developments Spotted In New Satellite Imagery

General Atomics FQ-42A Vengeance CCA Now Flying Together With USAF Fighters

Lockheed wins US Army missile contract worth up to $1.2 billion

UK's Burnham agrees to Saudi request for refuelling support

F-35A components diverted from Australia to Hong Kong, prompting U.S. congressional probe

Space Force seeks commercial satellites for on-demand orbital inspection and electronic-interference tracking

US Air Force to field Collaborative Combat Aircraft in large-scale exercise for first time

China’s J-50/XDS tailless fighter may be testing a new radar

The day’s aerospace signal, in one email.

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