Defense

NEW DELHI — India has cleared a proposal to buy 114 Rafale multirole fighter jets from France to bolster its air force in its largest-ever military hardware procurement. The push to acquire the jets comes amid a critical shortfall in the combat capability of the Indian Air Force at a time when the country has witnessed heightened tensions with Pakistan and China. The Rafales were the biggest and…

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian government forces have taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by U.S. troops as part of the war against the Islamic State group, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday. The al-Tanf base sits on a strategic location close to the borders with Jordan and Iraq. In a terse statement, the Syrian Defense Ministry said the handover…

The Marine Corps has big plans in 2026 to advance toward fielding a drone wingman to collaborate with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. On Tuesday, the Corps released its 2026 Aviation Plan, outlining its strategy to maintain and develop its aviation fleets. A top priority: testing and developing Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) TACAIR, an unmanned “collaborative combat…

İZMİR — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Saudi Arabia and Egypt earlier this month, marking fresh steps in the normalization of relations with key regional powers and opening the door to new defense deals. The first stop of the two-day tour was Riyadh, where Erdoğan met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to official statements, both sides emphasized the need to…