Saudi Arabia Seeks 48 F-35s in Major Defence Push
White House weighs multi-billion-dollar sale that could reshape Middle East military balance and test US’s pledge to preserve Israel’s qualitative edge.
biden News
Air
Air
UAE and ROK Ink Strategic Deal on KF-21 Fighter Jet
Focussed on the KF-21 fighter plane, the Republic of Korea and the UAE have inked a strategic cooperation pact allowing future cooperation and joint exercises.
Air
Weapon / Missile
Bilateral Relations
Fidan Visits US to Discuss CAATSA Sanctions and F-35 Return
After years of tension, Minister Fidan visits Washington to address easing CAATSA restrictions and revitalising Türkiye’s involvement in the F-35 development.
Air
UAE Receives First Dassault Rafale F4 Fighter Jet
The UAE announced the inauguration of the first Dassault Rafale F4 fighter jet. The jet will remain at Dassault’s Flight Test Center to perform flight tests.
Simulator / AI / Drill/ Software
Defence Politics
Homeland Security
U.S. Restricts the Sale of Artificial Intelligence Chip
The U.S. is strict about artificial intelligence chip sales to many countries. In total, 18 countries will have more access to the chips than other countries.
Land
U.S. Advisor: Abrams were not Useful in Ukraine’s Frontlines
U.S. National Security Advisor Sullivan stated that Abrams MBTs were not effective in the Ukrainian frontline against Russian aggression.
Regional / Strategy
Defence Politics
Greek Cyprus Makes a Move for NATO Membership
Greek Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulidis and U.S. President Joe Biden have formalised a joint plan for Greek Cyprus's participation in NATO.
Weapon / Missile
Biden Allows Ukraine to Use ATACMS Against Russia
U.S. President Biden allows Ukraine the use of ATACMS for limited strikes inside Russia, according to two senior U.S. officials.
Bilateral Relations
POTUS Lifts Saudi Arabia’s Ban
Reuters states that the administration of US President Joe Biden decided to lift the ban on the United States selling offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Ammunition
Ukraine Brings War to Russia
Sky News reports that Ukrainian fighter jets have fired missiles at a target on Russian soil for the first time in this war.
Air
China Offers the J-20 Fighter as an Alternative to F-35
China offers the Chengdu J-20 to the United Arab Emirates as an alternative to the F-35 if the U.S. does not respond clearly.
Bilateral Relations
U.S. Announces Security Assistance Package for Ukraine
The Biden administration announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine that includes Patriot, NASAMS, and HIMARS and totals up to $6 billion.
Bilateral Relations
Unmanned Systems
Israel States that Iran Launched Kamikaze Drone Attack
Iran deployed numerous drones against Israel on Saturday night, as reported by four U.S. and Israeli officials to Axios.
Bilateral Relations
Biden Considers Selling $18 Billion Worth F-15 Jets to Israel
The Biden administration will request Congress' approval to sell $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter fighters to Israel.
Ammunition
Bilateral Relations
US Approves More Bombs and Jets for Israel
The Biden administration authorised the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel, according to the Washington Post.
Air
Weapon / Missile
Bilateral Relations
Former US Ambassador Supports Turkiye Acquiring F-35s
James Jeffrey, the Former U.S. ambassador to Ankara, supported Turkiye's acquisition of F-35s, underlining that CAATSA is fading away.
Global Defence Trend Brief
- 09:00 NATO pushes allies to fill US air and naval capability gaps - Washington is pressing European allies and Canada to provide more manned and unmanned aircraft plus...
- 09:00 AI-driven drone swarms rise as a new NATO planning priority - NATO officials are warning that AI-enabled drone swarms could reshape warfare within five years, pus...
- 09:00 Counter-drone demand expands beyond battlefields into critical infrastructure - Growing drone incursions around airports, ports, oil facilities and data centres are accelerating de...
- 09:00 Europe’s loyal wingman race becomes a core airpower trend - Collaborative combat aircraft took centre stage at Berlin Airshow 2026 as European companies and air...
- 09:00 Ukraine’s drone combat know-how is becoming an export asset in Asia - Ukrainian drone firms are marketing battlefield-proven systems and swarm concepts in Japan, Taiwan a...
- 09:00 NATO accelerates live testing of counter-drone technologies - Alliance members and industry partners are expanding field trials of drone detection and interceptio...
- 09:00 Hypersonic threats keep driving demand for persistent tracking networks - The spread of hypersonic weapons continues to push Western defence planners toward integrated radar...
- 09:00 Military space resilience shifts toward larger distributed constellations - Armed forces are increasingly favouring proliferated satellite constellations over a small number of...
- 09:00 Autonomous maritime systems gain importance in surveillance and strike planning - Navies are broadening interest in autonomous surface and underwater systems for persistent ISR, infr...
- 09:00 Industrial surge capacity is becoming a decisive defence metric - Across missiles, drones and air defence, governments are placing more weight on production scalabili...
