Reuters
• Johan Ahlander, Simon Johnson
Sweden’s Gripen is set to be tested in the mission profile it was designed for: confronting Russia in an operational air-war context, following Ukraine’s decision to position the fighter as a backbone of its air force. The move signals a transition from procurement optimism to mission-specific validation under combat pressure.
Aviation Today
• Frank Wolfe
By Aviation Today: For the U.S. Air Force’s CCA Increment 1, the General Atomics YFQ-42A Dark Merlin is competing against the Anduril Industries YFQ-44A Fury, and the service this year is to pick a winner and begin Increment 2.
Aviation Today
• Calvin Biesecker
By Aviation Today: Hermeus on May 28 said it has received a $159 million contract modification from the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to demonstrate high-Mach flight and high-speed payload carry and release to aid the development of future military capabilities.
Reuters
By Reuters: Brazil has expressed interest in purchasing 20 additional Gripen model E and F fighter jets from Sweden's Saab , Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Thursday.
airforce-technology.com
AeroTime
• Jean Carmela Lim
By AeroTime: Australian and Japanese military aircraft linked up over the Pacific Ocean in May 2026 during a joint exercise that tested each air force’s ability to share intelligence data through a tactical battlefield network while airborne.
Australian Aviation
FlightGlobal
• Greg Waldron
By FlightGlobal: As the KC-46 tanker’s new Remote Vision System completes initial flight tests, Boeing is looking to improve the fleet's readiness.
Bloomberg
• Isabel Demetz
By Bloomberg: Switzerland will review extending the lifespan of its current fighter jets because a proposed 6 billion-franc ($7.6 billion) deal to buy new aircraft from the US is caught up in a dispute over the price.
Reuters
• Greg Torode, Karen Lema
By Reuters: Satellite images obtained by Reuters confirmed the presence of a structure at the entrance of the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea last week, though later imagery suggests it is no longer there.
Space Intel Report
• Peter B. de Selding
