Defense News Aerospace 2026
China's PL-17 long-range air-to-air missile appears in first close-up view
As reported by Rupprecht Deino on January 27, 2026, a close-range image of the Chinese PL-17 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile used by the Peo...
Qatar Orders French Thales GM200 and GM400 Alpha Radars to Modernize National Air Surveillance
French defense and aerospace company Thales confirmed on January 28, 2026, that the Qatar Emiri Air Force has officially placed an order for Ground...
Poland Evaluates A-29 Super Tucano Light Attack Aircraft as Potential Shahed Drone Hunter
Poland has taken a closer look at Brazil’s A-29 Super Tucano as it reassesses how best to counter unmanned aerial threats and stretch its airpower ...
Germany Ramps Up TYTAN Counter-Drone Production to 3,000 Interceptors per Month
TYTAN Technologies has opened a new production facility in Bavaria and signed a cooperation agreement with HENSOLDT to scale manufacturing of its c...
UAE Orders 168 Unmanned Helicopters to Expand Autonomous Battlefield Operations
The EDGE Group announced on 22 January 2026 that the UAE Ministry of Defence has ordered 168 ANAVIA unmanned helicopters, including HT-100 ISR plat...
India clears $1 billion plan to acquire six Boeing 767 tankers after 20 years of delays
As reported by DefenseNews on January 26, 2026, India cleared a long-pending requirement to acquire six converted Boeing 767 aerial refuelling airc...
Türkiye Advances Stealth Combat Drone Capability as Anka III Enters Advanced Flight Testing
Turkish Aerospace Industries has confirmed that the Anka III unmanned combat aerial vehicle has entered an advanced phase of testing, following a s...
China restarts AC352 helicopter flight tests for search and rescue operations
As reported by China Aviation News on January 27, 2026, the AVIC AC352 multipurpose helicopter, also known as the Harbin Z-15, resumed flight testi...
STM Executes Türkiye’s First Live-Fire Drone Swarm Using 20 KARGU Loitering Munitions
On January 27, 2026, STM announced that its swarm unmanned aerial vehicle technology had successfully demonstrated coordinated engagement capabilit...
U.S. Navy Test Squadron VX-9 Observed Operating U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Variant
According to imagery published on January 23, 2026, by the aviation photographer behind the X account @Task_Force23, a U.S. Navy aircraft was obser...
China’s J-20A stealth fighter finally flies with WS-15 engines to challenge the F-22 Raptor
On January 24, 2026, China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation shared pictures showing a J-20A stealth fighter flying with exhaust features consistent w...
Indonesia Takes Delivery of First Rafale Jets Heralding New Era of Air Power in Southeast Asia
On 26 January 2026, Indonesian officials confirmed to Reuters that three Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France had arrived in-country, marking t...