The Aviationist
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Portuguese Air Force Receives First Five NATO-Compliant A-29N Super Tucanos
Following the delivery earlier this year, the first Portuguese Super Tucanos have been retrofitted with NATO-compatible systems. The Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa – FAP) received on Dec. 17, 2025, the first five of its A-29N Super Tucanos converted to NATO standards from Embraer, the service and the company announced. The retrofit of the […] -
U.S. Navy Conducts First Shipborne Launch of LUCAS One-Way Attack Drone
A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) was launched from the flight deck of littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara while operating in the Persian Gulf on Dec. 16, 2025. In a press release, the U.S. Department of Defense said on Dec. 18, 2025 that the launch of a Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) […] -
Lockheed Martin Completes Production of F-16s for Slovakia and Bulgaria
Lockheed Martin has completed the production of the 14 F-16s Block 70 ordered by Slovakia and the eight of the initial order by Bulgaria, with eight more to be produced as part of the second batch. Lockheed Martin has announced on Dec. 15, 2025, the completion of the production of the F-16s Block 70 for […] -
U.S. Marines Practice Large Scale Distributed Aviation Operations During Steel Knight 25
Steel Knight focused on contested maritime operations, with assets operating from far-off Forward Arming and Refueling Points and Air-Delivered Ground Refueling nodes in the ‘hub-and-spoke’ concept. The U.S. Marine Corps’ Steel Knight 25 exercise saw the I Marine Expeditionary Force’s (I MEF) 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW) and its subordinate Marine Aircraft Group 13 […] -
Budget Constraints Force Smaller Swiss F-35 Buy
Switzerland, after approving a US$7.5 billion expenditure for its next generation of fighter aircraft, is being forced to cut back its planned order of 36 F-35A Lightning IIs in order to remain within budget. The decision to procure the F-35A Lightning II over competition from the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super […]