F-16   Military Aircraft Procurement   Accident   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Asia-Pacific (APAC)   Defense Policy  
AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

ROCAF F-16V crashes off Hualien; pilot missing as SAR searches amid software-fault safety concerns

A ROCAF F-16V crashed off Hualien on Jan. 6 during a night training sortie after taking off from Hualien Air Base at 18:17. The pilot ejected into the sea and remains missing as SAR teams search in rough seas, amid persistent software faults raising fleet safety and readiness concerns.

Also: South China Morning Post and Space Daily
2026-01-07T01:17:08.771825-08:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Asia-Pacific (APAC)  
Reuters • Saad Sayeed

Pakistan eyes defence pact with Bangladesh, sale of JF-17 jets

By Reuters: The air force chiefs of Pakistan and Bangladesh held talks on a potential pact covering the sale of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Dhaka, Pakistan's military said, as Islamabad widens its arms supply ambitions and beefs up ties with Bangladesh.

Also: Air Data News and english.kyodonews.net
2026-01-06T23:33:07.447053-08:00
AI   Defense Policy  
Breaking Defense • Sydney J Freedberg Jr

Air Force says AI tools outperform human planners in 'battle management' experiment

By Breaking Defense: In a complex multi-service, multi-domain scenario — not typically covered in Air Force training — the best of several AI tools generated tactical “courses of action” not only faster than military professionals but also with fewer errors.

Also: Breaking Defense
2026-01-06T13:54:10.499707-08:00
Airports   Airport Infrastructure & Air Traffic Management   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Asia-Pacific (APAC)   Defense Policy  
asiatimes.com • Gabriel Honrada

As China sharpens Pacific kill chain US revives island airfields

By asiatimes.com: As the US races to "island-hop" its airpower back across the Pacific, the real contest is whether US dispersal can stay ahead of China's.

2026-01-06T11:37:46.234198-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Deals   Defense Policy  
FlightGlobal • Ryan Finnerty

Russia adds anti-aircraft missile capability to Shahed one-way attack drones

By FlightGlobal: Russian forces appear to have modified Shahed-136 one-way attack drones to carry man-portable air defence missiles, marking a tactical evolution aimed at threatening Ukrainian fighter aircraft deployed to intercept the slow-moving UAVs.

Also: militarywatchmagazine.com and defensemirror.com
2026-01-06T13:55:10.665852-08:00
aviation   Europe   North America   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
The War Zone • Howard Altman

U.S. Coast Guard Pursues Fleeing Russian Oil Tanker as U.S. Deploys Aviation Assets to U.K. Ahead of Potential Boarding

By The War Zone: The pursuit of the tanker Marinera comes as the U.S. continues pouring aviation assets into the U.K. ahead of a potential boarding effort.

Also: The Aviationist and UK Defence Journal
2026-01-06T15:40:53.668526-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   F-16   MRO   Supply Chain   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
The War Zone • Thomas Newdick

Ukrainian F‑16 Pilot Details Operational Challenges, Tactics and Sustainment Issues

By The War Zone: After a protracted campaign to get its hands on F-16s, a Ukrainian pilot details how the jets are now a critical part of the Ukrainian Air Force. After a protracted campaign to get its hands on F-16s, the jets are now a critical part of Ukrainian Air Force capabilities.

Also: defence-blog.com
2026-01-06T09:54:10.899382-08:00