DefenseNews.comTanya Noury

US hands Ain al‑Asad to Iraq, ending more than 20 years of U.S. presence in western Iraq

The United States has completed its withdrawal from Ain al‑Asad Air Base in Iraq's western Al‑Anbar province, with Iraqi authorities taking full control. The Iraqi Ministry of Defence announced the transfer, marking the end of a U.S. military presence in western Iraq that lasted more than two decades.

AeroTimeClement Charpentreau

Czech PM Babis rejects transfer of L-159 light combat jets to Ukraine amid debate over drone threats

By AeroTime: Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis rules out selling or donating L-159 light combat jets to Ukraine to combat drones, rebuffing President Petr Pavel’s plan.

Also: Aviation Week and prm.ua
2026-01-19T06:04:23.260688-08:00
ga.com

GA‑ASI Demonstrates Autonomous Aerial Intercept with MQ‑20 Avenger Using Government Autonomy Software

By ga.com: In its latest demonstration of advanced autonomy development, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) successfully executed a mission autonomy flight using its MQ-20 Avenger® jet equipped with the latest government reference autonomy software.

2026-01-18T18:16:05.054826-08:00
FlightGlobalCraig Hoyle

Qinetiq wins five-year follow-on engineering support contract from UK Ministry of Defence for RAF Typhoon fleet

By FlightGlobal: Qinetiq has secured a five-year contract extension from the UK Ministry of Defence to provide "mission-critical engineering services" in support of the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) Eurofighter Typhoon fleet.

2026-01-19T07:27:33.012785-08:00
AeroTimeClement Charpentreau

Ukraine expands access to ICEYE SAR imagery as European partners deepen space-based ISR support

By AeroTime: Ukraine broadens access to ICEYE’s SAR satellite imagery for day-night, all-weather tactical intelligence as European partners deepen space-based ISR support.

2026-01-19T04:07:39.813552-08:00