MANILA, Philippines — Negotiations between Lockheed Martin and the Philippine government over the potential purchase of F-16s continue, but the deal remains in limbo while officials here seek ways to break the fiscal deadlock that has hounded the fighter jet acquisition program.
Earlier this week, the Philippine ambassador to the U.S., Jose Manuel Romualdez, said the Philippines is “not…
India clears the way for landmark deal to acquire French Rafale jets
February 16, 2026
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…
ROME — Italian shipyard Fincantieri will boost revenue by 40%, hit profits of €500 million ($593 million) and double its defense production in Italy by 2030 as global defense spending booms, the firm has said.
In a new business plan covering 2026-2030, the Italian…
The U.S. Air Force said Thursday that government-owned autonomous software programs have been successfully integrated into both of its prototype collaborative combat aircraft, in a major milestone.
In a statement, the service said this shows a central pillar of its CCA strategy — that they can be easily modified and upgraded using a modular open systems architecture — can work, and improve how…
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…
SINGAPORE — Beyond China’s ostentatious display of its J-35A fighter jet at the Singapore Airshow was a lower-profile piece of equipment, the new Wing-Loong X combat drone, which experts say is far more likely to find international success.
Beijing banked on Asia’s…
PARIS — NATO kicked off operation Arctic Sentry to bolster the alliance’s posture in the high north, after weeks of deliberations by allies how to address claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that security threats in the region require the United States to take control of Greenland.
The operation will tie together various allied activities in the region, including Denmark’s Arctic Endurance…
US Marine Corps advances plans for drone wingman
February 12, 2026
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…
MILAN — Russia is not expected to attack any NATO member states in the next two years, a testament, in part, to European efforts to quickly boost their defenses in the last few years, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service concluded in a report this week.
But Moscow’s…
German startup aims to deliver European hypersonic strike by 2029
February 11, 2026
PARIS — German startup Hypersonica claimed a “significant” step toward delivering Europe’s first sovereign hypersonic strike capability by 2029, after the company’s first hypersonic test flight in Norway pushed its missile prototype to more than Mach 6 and a range of more than 300 kilometers.
The startup based near Munich plans further test flights to demonstrate advanced flight control…
