Military Aviation

A well-known South African test pilot was killed in the crash of a vintage jet fighter at an airshow there on Saturday. “It is with profound sadness that the organizers of the West Coast Airshow confirm a fatal accident involving James O’Connell, a highly skilled and respected test pilot from South Africa,” the statement said. […]

Boeing will build what is widely believed to be the Air Force’s last crewed fighter air craft. President Donald Trump told reporters in an Oval Office briefing that the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) is designated the F-47. The aircraft is a sixth-generation design incorporating stealth aerodynamics with advanced threat detection and precision weapons systems. […]

A familiar sight and sound will return to British airshows this year after the 10-month grounding of the RAF’s Merlin-powered Hurricanes and Spitfires. The iconic Second World War fighters were grounded almost a year ago after the May 25, 2024, crash of a Spitfire flown by Sqn Leader Mark Long, one of the many RAF […]

Canada and Portugal are both considering backing out of deals to buy Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters, citing geopolitical factors. One of Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first directives was to tell Defence Minister Bill Blair “to determine if the F-35 contract, as it stands, is the best investment for Canada, and if there are […]

The on-again, off-again export tariff tiff between the U.S. and Canada is prompting calls from some for Canada to reconsider more than $20 billion in contracts for two military aircraft procurements. Canada has committed to buying 88 F-35 fighters and 16 P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance platforms, but a rising sense of uneasiness with […]

Some Air Force pilots will leave the service with a tailwheel endorsement. The Air Force expects to get its first (of 75) OA-1K Skyraider II light attack fighters in the next couple of months, and its nickname pays homage to what was likely the last taildragger to actively serve. The original A-1 Skyraider was a […]

President Donald Trump is apparently rejecting Boeing’s plan to delay delivery of two new aircraft to serve as presidential transports to 2029. Fox News said its sources revealed the new date and the administration isn’t happy about it. “It is ridiculous that the delivery of a new Air Force One airplane has been delayed for […]

A U.S. Navy EA-18G “Growler” electronic warfare aircraft crashed this morning (Feb. 12) in San Diego Bay near Shelter Island. Both crew members ejected and were picked up within minutes by a fishing boat, transferred to a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) vessel and taken to a hospital. They are reported in stable condition. The […]

The NTSB has declined to confirm statements by Sen. Ted Cruz that the crew of an Army Black Hawk helicopter had the aircraft’s ADS-B Out transmitter “turned off” when it was in a collision with a PSA CRJ700 at Reagan National Airport in late January. The NTSB said in a media update on Saturday that […]

Online military website The War Zone reported today that the U.S. Marines are exploring possible successors to the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor. The program is advanced enough to have an acronym—the Next Generation Assault Support (NGAS) initiative. Originally planned to continue in service into the 2060s, the troubled Osprey program has faced growing scrutiny, including a […]