Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Airport Infrastructure & Air Traffic Management   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
DefenseNews.com • Tom Kington

Italy to open Trapani‑Birgi as first multinational F‑35 pilot training centre outside U.S.

Italy will establish a multinational F‑35 pilot training centre at Trapani‑Birgi by 2029, investing €112.6 million. The facility — Italy’s third operational F‑35 hub — will be readied under oversight of the F‑35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin to serve NATO and European partners.

2026-01-08T08:35:06.980476-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
Breaking Defense • Michael Marrow

Northrop Grumman, Kratos Selected to Integrate XQ-58 Valkyrie for Marine Corps MUX TACAIR Program

By Breaking Defense: Northrop Grumman will serve as the prime contractor and integrate mission systems on Kratos’s XQ-58 Valkyrie for the Marine Corps’s MUX TACAIR Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.

Also: GlobeNewswire, ir.kratosdefense.com and insidedefense.com
2026-01-08T06:09:17.995465-08:00
aviation   China   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
Air Data News • JCC; Ricardo Meier

AVIC video shows J-35 prototype in green primer after test flight, signaling start of production

By Air Data News: Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) released images and video showing a J-35 stealth fighter in green primer completing a flight at the Shenyang.

2026-01-08T02:31:52.616967-08:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Asia-Pacific (APAC)   Defense Policy  
FlightGlobal • Greg Waldron

Southeast Asia accelerates fighter procurement amid heightened geopolitics

By FlightGlobal: Regional air forces are recapitalising combat fleets as geopolitical tensions prompt governments to prioritise defence capabilities, with Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand leading procurement efforts despite funding constraints and fragmented acquisition strategies.

2026-01-08T04:08:10.223761-08:00
F-16   Military Aircraft Procurement   Accident   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Asia-Pacific (APAC)  
FlightGlobal • Greg Waldron

Taiwan presses US to speed Auto-GCAS retrofits after F-16V loss amid reported avionics failures

By FlightGlobal: Taiwan's air force is pressing the USA to accelerate installation of automatic ground collision avoidance systems across its F-16V fleet after a fighter disappeared during a night sortie on 6 January, with the pilot reporting computer malfunctions before transmission ceased.

Also: aerospaceglobalnews.com and news.ssbcrack.com
2026-01-07T22:04:51.597809-08:00