Boeing F/A-18

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

India’s government has approved the purchase of new carrier-capable Rafale combat aircraft to equip the country’s naval air arm.

Both Boeing and the Navy need the Stingray’s success as the service looks to expand its uncrewed fleet on carriers.

The industry continues to wonder about the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter, which has been the next major contract expected to drop after the U.S. Air Force made it pick last month.

As the industry eagerly awaits the announcement of the winner of the competition for the F/A-XX 6th-generation naval fighter, there are many other lines of modernization efforts that the Navy is trying to address to increase its capabilities to better deal with current and future threats.

The U.S. Navy is targeting a 25% increase in the operational range of its future F/A-XX strike fighter compared to its existing F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet.

Delayed and over budget, the CVN 78 maintains a high sortie generation rate despite development hurdles.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, its strike aircraft and support ships are conducting an exercise off the coast of North Carolina.

The Australian government says the Lockheed Martin AGM-158C LRASM is now operationally ready for use on its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet.

A backlash to President Donald Trump’s foreign policy decisions is raising pressure on the F-35 orderbook, and dozens of planned deliveries are being reviewed.

Despite continued increases to its defense spending in recent years, Malaysia’s economic and financial realities dictate a slow and steady pace to its ambitious military aircraft modernization plans.

The French Navy is working alongside the U.S. Navy to help the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force build expertise and knowledge on aircraft carrier operations.

The move comes as the RMAF awaits Washington’s approval of the transfer of Kuwaiti F/A-18C/Ds.

The country’s defense materiel agency, FMV, has been commissioned to acquire the missile from Germany.

The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman collided with a merchant vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, the latest incident for the carrier in the past three months.

The Block II infrared search and track cleared the initial operational capability milestone three months ago.

Boeing F-15s are getting anti-ship standoff weapons as the Air Force looks to use machine learning to improve tracking of targets at sea.

The Pentagon’s V-22 fleet has seen multiple groundings and ongoing limitations to operations.

Service Secretary Frank Kendall in July 2024 paused the development of the Next Generation Air Dominance’s penetrating counter air fighter.

A U.S. Navy destroyer mistakenly downed one of the service's F/A-18Fs. Both flight crew survived, with one sustaining minor injuries.

Indecision clouds the outlook for the Navy’s budget and the Air Force’s requirements for new crewed and autonomous tactical fighters.

Syria returns to the headlines after a bloody year of conflict between Israel and Iranian proxies.

A decade’s worth of investment to counter the latest Russian and Chinese threats is finally close to entering operational service across the U.S. fighter fleet.

Top Navy officials remain confident in the affordability and design requirements for the F/A-XX as Air Force leaders consider their own next-generation fighter.

U.S. Naval Air Systems Command said in a statement that initial testing has been completed and the Navy will continue to test updates as necessary.