The U.S. Navy, in partnership with Skydweller Aero, successfully completed a 73-hour continuous solar-powered unmanned flight test from Stennis, Mississippi, marking a significant advancement in long-endurance unmanned aerial systems technology for maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.
Ohio school district achieves first-ever Thunderbird F-16 acquisition
The United States Air Force has awarded a retired F-16 Thunderbird demonstration aircraft to Union Local High School in Ohio, marking the first time the service has provided an authentic Thunderbird jet to a civilian educational institution rather than to military bases or state museums.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Italy awards $300M contract for EA-37B electronic warfare aircraft
L3Harris Technologies has received a $300 million contract from Italy to deliver two Gulfstream G550 aircraft modified for electromagnetic warfare operations, marking the first U.S. government-approved sale of the EA-37B system to an international ally.
Jeroen van Veenendaal/Defensie, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Israeli Air Force Ace Giora Epstein dies at 87
Brig. Gen. (res.) Giora Even-Epstein, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilot who holds the world record for aerial kills in the supersonic jet era, died Saturday in Ramat Hasharon at age 87. Epstein shot down 17 enemy aircraft during three major wars, establishing him as the most successful fighter pilot in Israeli military history.
Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
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Twin Tails, Twin Fates: The parallel paths of America’s trainer aircraft program
For over four decades, the United States Air Force has struggled to replace its aging trainer aircraft fleet. A new article by Tony R. Landis of the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command History Office reveals how management failures doomed the T-46A program while the T-7A faces similar challenges but different circumstances in its quest to finally modernize pilot training.
National Archives at College Park – Still Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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