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Image of Spitfire “K5054”, seen here alongside two F35 Lightning II Jets from RAF Marham as they transit to RAF Coningsby in the UK. The first flight of the eagerly anticipated commemorative Spitfire90 tour has successfully landed at RAF Coningsby. The nine flights have been organised to celebrate 90 years since the Supermarine Spitfire’s maiden flight. Departing from Southampton International Airport earlier today, the very site where Captain Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers piloted the original Spitfire prototype K5054 on 5th March 1936, the specially painted two-seat Spitfire, replicating the original K5054, was escorted by the Dakota and Spitfire AB910 belonging to the Royal Air Force’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) as it made its way to RAF Coningsby, the home of the BBMF. During the flight, "K5054" was also joined in the vicinity of RAF Marham by two F35 Lightning II aircraft.
F-35B

Spitfire Completes Unique Formation Flights With Royal Air Force

To mark the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the legendary fighter, a Spitfire took to the skies with various frontline British aircraft.

Army officials have shared new details about plans to launch extremely long-range drones from the service's forthcoming ME-11B High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) surveillance and reconnaissance planes.
E-11

Air-Launched Drones Key To Keeping New Army Surveillance Jets Out Of Harms Way

The Army also sees drones launched from ME-11Bs offering a major boost in its ability to peer deep into hostile territory.

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week
Bunker Talk

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

"I shall look forward personally to exterminating you, Mr. Bond."

The Qatari-donated 747-8i jet envisioned as a presidential airlifter, had a recent test flight.
Air Force One

Qatari 747-8i Gifted To Trump For Interim Air Force One Is Undergoing Test Flights

The 747 is being rushed into service and the Air Force now says it is expected to be delivered this summer.

Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz but the U.S. blockade of Iran remains in effect.
Iran

Iran Reopens Strait Of Hormuz, U.S. Blockade Continues (Updated)

These moves come as Trump claims the U.S. is helping Iran remove mines from the Strait.

U.S. Army officials say the modular design of the service's new MV-75A Cheyenne II tiltrotor will make it easier to reconfigure baseline versions for the medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) mission.
MV-75

MV-75 Will Be Reconfigurable For Medevac Mission Via Kit, Not Purpose-Built Like HH-60

The Cheyenne II's speed and range will usher in a major leap in the U.S. Army's "dustoff" medical evacuation capability.

The Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit, under Air Combat Command, concluded a critical exercise with Collaborative Combat Aircraft recently at Edwards Air Force Base, California, putting principles of the new Warfighting Acquisition System into practice. The exercise employed the YFQ-44A aircraft and represents a shift toward the new concept of earlier, operator-driven experimentation to inform tactics and procedures that will accelerate the delivery of this transformative capability to the warfighter.
Loyal Wingman

YFQ-44 Fury Fighter Drone Wraps Contested Operations Test That Could Accelerate Its Fielding

“An 85 percent solution in the hands of a warfighter today is infinitely better than a 100 percent solution that never arrives.”

The U.S. shipped 10,000 Merops interceptor drones to the Middle East to take on Iranian Shahed drones.
U.S. Army

Cheap Interceptor Drones Proven In Ukraine Protected U.S. Troops Against Iranian Shaheds

The Army's top official lauded the Merops drone's performance defending against Iranian long-range kamikaze drones.

U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians board an MH-60R Sea Hawk, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14, from the flight deck of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) on Jan. 1, 2026. Frank E. Petersen Jr. is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. Units assigned to 7th Fleet conduct regular Indo-Pacific patrols to deter aggression, strengthen alliances and partnerships, and advance peace through strength. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christian Kibler)
Iran

U.S. Pursuing Iranian-Linked Ships All Over The World In Addition To Its Blockade (Updated)

The Joint Chiefs Chairman said the U.S. now has a global effort for going after ships related to supporting Iran.

MAYHEM 10 is an autonomous, multi-role launched effect designed to deliver coordinated non-kinetic and kinetic effects at standoff. Employable from air, ground, and maritime platforms, it combines advanced collaborative autonomy with modular payloads to operate effectively in contested environments.
Drones

Super-Adaptable Mayhem 10 Swarming Drone Evolved From The Switchblade

AeroVironment's Mayhem 10 is highly-modular and can seek and destroy enemy radars, jam comms, reconnoiter, strike armor and more.

Army officials and the MV-75A's prime contractor, Bell, have both pointed to a future where tanker drones like the U.S. Navy's forthcoming MQ-25 Stingray could help extend the Cheyenne II's reach.
MQ-25

Army Eyes Drone Tankers To Refuel Its New MV-75 Cheyenne II Tiltrotors

The Army and Bell have pointed to the U.S. Navy's MQ-25 Stingray drone tanker as an example of what could be on the horizon.

Apache counter-drone ammunition ramps up production
AH-64

Production Of AH-64 Apache’s New Counter-Drone Cannon Shell Ammunition Ramping-Up

The Army anticipates a five-fold increase in procurement of the XM1225 APEX ammo.

L3Harris is pushing its modular Wolf family of “launched effects vehicles” for the U.S. Army, including to equip its H-60 Black Hawk series and AH-64 Apache helicopters. The family of vehicles includes the Red Wolf, configured for long-range precision strikes against targets on land or at sea, and the Green Wolf fitted with an electronic warfare payload.
AH-64

Wolf Pack Modular Mini Cruise Missiles Pitched For Apache, Black Hawk

Already building launched effects vehicles for the Marine Corps, L3Harris now wants to bring these capabilities to U.S. Army rotorcraft.

The U.S. Army has given us our first glimpse at what the new MV-75A Cheyenne II tiltrotor will look like in its special operations configuration.
160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

First Look At What A Night Stalker MV-75 Cheyenne Will Look Like

A new rendering shows an MV-75 with special operations-specific features like a radar, other sensors, and in-flight refueling capability.

U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed China's concerns over how the war is affecting its oil supplies.
Iran

Trump Downplays Chinese Concerns Over Iran War’s Impact On Its Oil Supplies (Updated)

The friction between the U.S. and China over disruption in energy shipments the war with Iran has caused remains a major issue.

The German military has revealed details of tests in which its Wiesel armored personnel carrier has been airdropped under parachutes from A400M transport aircraft. While the diminutive Wiesel (German for weasel) is already notably mobile, including fitting into a CH-53 helicopter, this appears to be the first time that it has been airdropped, marking a significant new capability for Germany’s airborne forces.
Armored Vehicles

Germany Is Now Airdropping Its Tiny Wiesel ‘Tankettes’

Already known for its agility and small size, dropping the Wiesel from A400M transports gives Germany’s airborne forces a new way of rapidly placing firepower forward.

Boeing has provided details on its future plans for the venerable H-47 Chinook, including adding launched effects and creating a path toward an uncrewed version of the helicopter.
CH-47

CH-47 Chinook Air-Launching Swarms Of Drones Touted As Future Feature

Boeing also identifies growing interest in an optimally crewed version of the Chinook.

General Atomics is calling attention to a new mission for its Mojave short takeoff and landing (STOL) drone: hunting uncrewed aerial threats with laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets.
Q-1

Hunting Drones From Sloppy Airstrips Is General Atomics’ Future Vision For Mojave

Pushed forward to very rough fields, Mojave could also escort helicopters, strike targets, provide surveillance and networking, and even transport cargo.

The Cold War-era Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne might have been bugged my multiple issues, but there’s no doubt it was the world’s most advanced attack helicopter of its day. But so radical was the AH-56, and its revolutionary features so far ahead of their time, that it’s a very suitable moniker for the U.S. Army’s highly anticipated MV-75 tiltrotor, rolled out today, and officially named Cheyenne II.
FLRAA

Army Names Its New MV-75 Tiltrotor Cheyenne II

First applied to a failed cutting-edge attack helicopter, the Cheyenne name returns for what is perhaps the Army’s most ambitious rotorcraft program yet.

U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk Tour And Mission Brief With Its Pilots

U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk Tour And Mission Brief With Its Pilots

Branded Content: The UH-60M is a workhorse of the U.S. Army that can perform many duties, soon to include uncrewed battlefield support.