Priya Shah, Author at DEFENSE-AEROSPACE

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Violette Hosack

Meink Assures No Leadership Gap as Gen. Allvin Prepares to Retire and Wilsbach Moves Toward Confirmation

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. The Air Force will not face a leadership gap when Gen. David W. Allvin retires in early November. Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink told reporters on Sept. 22 that “we’re not gonna not have a chief,”

October 8, 2025

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Diego Berumen

Defense Budgets / Policy

Meink Orders Shift of Maintenance Effort to High-Priority Fleets amid Parts Shortages and Aging Airframes

“If a system is not capable of operating in a contested environment, then we need to be second-guessing how much money we’re dumping into readiness on those platforms,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said at National Harbor during the 2025

September 23, 2025

Industrial Partnerships

France Seeks Year-End Phase 2 Accord on FCAS as Dassault and Airbus Clash Over Fighter Workshare

Paris officials want Phase 2 of the Future Combat Air System agreed with Berlin and Madrid before year-end, with a fighter demonstrator plan included in that package. The ministry described the target as a “mutually acceptable solution.” France, Germany, and Spain repeated

September 22, 2025

An air-to-air right side view of a Soviet MiG-31 Foxhound aircraft.

News & Policy

Russian MiG-31 Formation Crosses Into Estonian Airspace – Tallinn Summons Russian Chargé d’Affaires

Three Russian MiG-31s crossed into Estonian airspace near Vaindloo Island on September 19 and stayed about twelve minutes. Estonian air surveillance tracked them entering from the Gulf of Finland, five nautical miles inside the border at the deepest point, then exiting to

September 19, 2025

Joint Exercises / Special Ops Training

More Than 100 Stratospheric Balloons Scheduled for 2026 Indo-Pacific Exercise to Validate Autonomous Swarming

The US Army has drawn up a 2026 field event that sends well over one hundred high-altitude balloons across open water in the Indo-Pacific to test massed stratospheric operations.

September 8, 2025

U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Codie Trimble

Aircraft (civil/military systems)

Sierra Nevada Starts Flight Trials on $13 Billion Program to Replace the E-4B National Airborne Operations Center

The first company-led flight of the Survivable Airborne Operations Center took place on Aug 7, 2025, out of the Aviation Innovation and Technology Center at Dayton International Airport. The prime contractor reported the sortie as the opening step in a structured test

September 2, 2025

Aircraft

Israel orders two KC-46A tankers and commits NIS 5 billion to speed Merkava Barak, Namer and Eitan production

Israel's Defense Ministry moved this week to strengthen two core elements at once. Aerial refueling for long-range missions, and the armored force used in urban combat. It instructed its U.S. mission to finalize a Foreign Military Sales case for two additional KC-46A

September 2, 2025

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Patrick Boyle

Aircraft (civil/military systems)

Pentagon Narrows F-35 Upgrades to Stabilize Schedule as Costs and Shortages Rise

A Government Accountability Office audit reported the F-35 modernization package known as Block 4 will field fewer capabilities than earlier plans, with completion targeted “at the earliest” in 2031. The audit lists a reduced set focused on electronic warfare, added weapons, communications,

September 1, 2025

Joint Exercises / Special Ops Training

USAF Selects Red 6 to Field Helmet-Mounted ATARS on Two F-16s for In-Flight AR Training

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Red 6 a contract to integrate its Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) on the F-16. The move takes cockpit-grade augmented reality out of trainers and places it in an operational fighter. Company and defense officials

September 1, 2025

Contracts & Deals

Pratt & Whitney wins $2.9B Navy order to supply F-35 F135 propulsion through 2028

The Navy awarded Pratt & Whitney a not-to-exceed $2.88 billion modification to produce 141 F135 propulsion systems for F-35 Lot 18. The award covers engines for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, along with partner nations and foreign military sales customers.

August 25, 2025

Priya Shah

Meink Assures No Leadership Gap as Gen. Allvin Prepares to Retire and Wilsbach Moves Toward Confirmation

Meink Orders Shift of Maintenance Effort to High-Priority Fleets amid Parts Shortages and Aging Airframes

France Seeks Year-End Phase 2 Accord on FCAS as Dassault and Airbus Clash Over Fighter Workshare

Russian MiG-31 Formation Crosses Into Estonian Airspace – Tallinn Summons Russian Chargé d’Affaires

More Than 100 Stratospheric Balloons Scheduled for 2026 Indo-Pacific Exercise to Validate Autonomous Swarming

Sierra Nevada Starts Flight Trials on $13 Billion Program to Replace the E-4B National Airborne Operations Center

Israel orders two KC-46A tankers and commits NIS 5 billion to speed Merkava Barak, Namer and Eitan production

Pentagon Narrows F-35 Upgrades to Stabilize Schedule as Costs and Shortages Rise

USAF Selects Red 6 to Field Helmet-Mounted ATARS on Two F-16s for In-Flight AR Training

Pratt & Whitney wins $2.9B Navy order to supply F-35 F135 propulsion through 2028

Authors

Julien Mercier

Clara Nguyen

Priya Shah

Michael Adler

Lena Kovacs

Diego Ramos

Peter Johansson

Lucas Meyer