Lockheed Martin F-35

A rapidly developed surface-to-air missile system based on MBDA’s Asraam has achieved hit rates of 90% against Russian targets in Ukraine.

New concepts are in the works, such as military areas that move with the activity along a defined trajectory.

DAPA said the deal was signed in early December, and that the F-35As will have “significantly improved performance” over its current 39 F-35As.

An agency of Italy, Japan and the UK will run the Global Combat Air Program, supported by a yet-to-be formed industrial joint venture.

Fleets are set to grow in all sectors except military and year-over-year growth is projected to be highest for the commercial and business aviation aftermarket.

If 2023 is any indication, 2024 could be a yearlong Festivus in the supply chain.

Despite the conflict in Gaza, the Middle East’s military modernization is continuing.

China’s own upgrades are driving other nations in the region toward change.

Rearmament in Europe is focused on strengthening combat and support aircraft capacity and ground-based air defenses.

The service is looking at 15% budget increases per year. But if Congress does not pass an appropriations bill, that expected growth will be on hold.

Repeated sightings of a new form of low-observable features means infrared stealth technology is progressing out of military and industry laboratories.

Aviation Week has assembled this guide to some of the most important contests that are unfolding between 2024 and 2033.

The F-35 Joint Program Office head says he still cannot predict when a software issue that has halted deliveries from Lockheed Martin will be corrected.

An ongoing software problem haunts Lockheed Martin’s production and modernization agenda for the F-35 as a raft of new competitors hit key milestones in 2024.

The $280 billion largesse of the CHIPS and Science Act has started filtering down to the industrial centers supplying parts to Pentagon programs.

Belgium has been presented with its first F-35 even though the country has delayed delivery, awaiting certification of the latest software release.

The UK has established its second frontline F-35 Joint Strike Fighter squadron.

Readers write about Check 6, F-35 and Pratt & Whitney engine problems and aircraft carrier ops. Plus: Behind the Scenes at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center.

A contract dispute between F-35 maker Lockheed Martin and key supplier Howmet Aerospace has become public with a Lockheed lawsuit and a vocal Howmet defense.

Auditors have determined the UK Defense Ministry’s plans to purchase equipment over the next 10 years are again unaffordable.

Most fighter aircraft made in the U.S. are in line to get improved radar warning receivers and self-protection jammers.

As military needs evolve in airspace use, improved collaboration with civil users and more cross-border cooperation are to be expected.

Portugal appears to be moving toward an acquisition of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, statements by the country’s air chief suggest.

New-build deliveries of fighter aircraft are expected to eclipse 5,000 airframes globally, for a total value of nearly $460 billion USD. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 is expected to capture 34% of that total.

A preliminary design review for the F-35 Engine Core Upgrade is scheduled by the end of January, paving the way to start the next phase of development.