GCAP costs triple for Italy; UK, Japan figures unclear
Italy’s GCAP development budget for the first two phases has surged from €6bn to €18.6bn, while comparable cost updates for the UK and Japan remain undisclosed.
Air News
Croatia’s Rafales assume NATO air policing duty 24/7
Croatia started protecting its own airspace on 1 Jan 2026 with Rafale fighters under NATO’s IAMD, completing its MiG-21 transition and training phase.
STM Exports KARGU and ALPAGU to NATO+EU Member Customer
STM announced the export of the KARGU rotary-wing kamikaze UAV and ALPAGU tube-launched loitering munition to a customer that is both an EU and NATO member.
Bangladesh, the New Customer of TUSAŞ’s T129 ATAK?
Bangladesh might have become a customer of the T129 ATAK lightweight attack helicopter of TUSAŞ with an order for six units, according to recent local reports.
US Army Goes for the Early Fielding of MV-75 Tiltrotor
The US Army is planning to introduce the MV-75 tiltrotor, selected in the FLRAA programme to succeed the UH-60 Black Hawk, earlier than initially planned.
Baykar’s Piaggio revival plan: UAVs, Avanti Next upgrades
Baykar says Piaggio is set for a strategic revival, expanding P180 Avanti output to 25–30 per year, adding UAV production and boosting F135 engine work.
Russia Develops Geran-4 and Geran-5 for Airborne Launch
Reports from Russian sources show that two new variants of the Geran kamikaze UAVs, Geran-4 and Geran-5, meant for aircraft launch are in development.
Bangladesh Tilts Away from India with JF-17 Block III Move
Bangladesh is reportedly shifting from acquiring China’s J-10 jets to Pakistan’s JF-17 ones, signalling a strategic drift away from India’s orbit.
ASELSAN to Integrate MURAD 100-A Radar on ANKA-III UCAV
ASELSAN stated that MURAD 100-A AESA radar will be integrated on TUSAŞ’s ANKA-III stealth UCAV following F-16, AKINCI UCAV, and KIZILELMA unmanned fighter.
Erdoğan Reframes F-35 Return as a NATO Security Issue
Erdoğan outlines Türkiye’s F-35 return as vital to NATO security, signalling a shift at long waited F-16 talks expose deeper questions about US priorities.
US Awards Boeing $13bn Deal for Israel Jets, E-4B Fleet
Pentagon has awarded contracts worth nearly $13bn with Boeing, covering Israel’s F-15IA and sustainment of the US Air Force’s E-4B “Doomsday” aircraft fleet.
Two KIZILELMA Unmanned Fighters Set for Delivery in 2026
Baykar’s KIZILELMA unmanned fighter, following the completion of critical tests in 2025, is set to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force in early 2026.
Colombia Might Replace Hermes Series UAVs with Baykar’s UAVs
Colombia is reportedly planning to replace its Israeli Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 UAVs with Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 armed UAVs and Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs.
ASELSAN Exports ASELFLIR 500 EO/IR System to 20+ Countries
ASELSAN has exported the ASELFLIR 500 EO/IR system, which has succeeded CATS, to more than 20 countries, with some of them being NATO members, as of 2025.
Global Defence Trend Brief
- 15:00 US Army accelerates fielding of next-generation air defence systems - The US Army is prioritising rapid deployment of integrated air and missile defence systems to counte...
- 15:00 European defence strategies shift toward long-term industrial mobilisation - European governments are aligning defence planning with sustained industrial mobilisation, focusing...
- 15:00 China expands unmanned combat aerial vehicle capabilities - China is advancing development and deployment of unmanned combat aerial vehicles to enhance strike,...
- 15:00 Japan strengthens integrated missile defence command systems - Japan is improving coordination between sensors, interceptors and command networks to enhance respon...
- 15:00 Autonomous underwater vehicles gain prominence in naval deterrence - Navies are expanding use of autonomous underwater vehicles for surveillance, mine countermeasures an...
- 15:00 Counter-drone systems evolve toward multi-layered engagement models - Military organisations are deploying layered counter-UAS systems combining electronic warfare, inter...
- 15:00 Hypersonic weapons drive development of global tracking networks - Defence agencies are investing in integrated global sensor networks to detect, track and respond to...
- 15:00 Military space operations shift toward resilient constellation models - Armed forces are adopting distributed satellite constellations to improve survivability and maintain...
- 15:00 Collaborative combat aircraft redefine future air combat concepts - Air forces are integrating autonomous collaborative aircraft into operational planning to extend rea...
- 15:00 Industrial scalability becomes decisive factor in defence acquisitions - Governments are increasingly prioritising suppliers with the ability to scale production rapidly and...
- 09:00 US Air Force advances next-generation ISR integration - The US Air Force is enhancing integration between airborne, space-based and ground ISR systems to en...
- 09:00 European militaries expand focus on civil-military infrastructure resilience - European governments are increasingly integrating civilian infrastructure such as energy grids and t...
- 09:00 China strengthens joint firepower coordination across services - China is improving coordination between missile forces, airpower and naval assets to enable rapid an...
- 09:00 Japan enhances distributed basing for air operations - Japan is investing in dispersed airfields and rapid deployment capabilities to maintain air operatio...
- 09:00 Autonomous systems expand role in maritime domain awareness - Navies are deploying networks of autonomous surface and underwater vehicles to improve maritime doma...
- 09:00 Counter-drone systems move toward fully integrated defence networks - Military organisations are integrating detection, electronic warfare and interception systems into u...
- 09:00 Hypersonic defence efforts prioritise global sensor coverage - Defence agencies are expanding global sensor coverage through satellites and ground systems to ensur...
- 09:00 Distributed space architectures become standard military approach - Armed forces are increasingly adopting distributed satellite constellations to enhance resilience an...
- 09:00 Collaborative combat aircraft expand into electronic warfare roles - Future autonomous wingman systems are being designed to perform electronic warfare, decoy and suppre...
- 09:00 Defence procurement increasingly driven by industrial capacity - Production scalability, supply chain resilience and delivery timelines are becoming decisive factors...
