220614-N-LY962-1307 PACIFIC OCEAN (June 14, 2022) An F/A-18F Super Hornet, from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, prepares to make an arrested gear landing on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jared Mancuso)

The ITPS Canada has ordered six M-346T Block 20, with options for six more, to support the expansion of NATO and Allied tactical fighter pilot training.

Leonard has announced that the International Test Pilots School Canada (ITPS Canada) has ordered the M-346T Block 20 as its new jet trainer. ITPS Canada provides both flight test training (with the International Test Pilots School) and advanced military tactical training, with the M-346 planned to support the latter.

The acquisition

The company said the new trainer will support the expansion of NATO and Allied tactical fighter pilot training at its International Tactical Training Centre (ITTC) in North Bay, Ontario. A total of six M-346s have been ordered, with options to acquire six more and expected to enter service in 2029.

The value of the contract has not been disclosed. Although not mentioned in the press release, the contract is likely including also the Ground-Based Training System (GBTS) as part of the larger M-346 Integrated Training System.

ITPS Executive Chairman Giorgio Clementi signed the contract during a ceremony at Leonardo’s Venegono plant in Italy. The ceremony also included a final evaluation flight of the aircraft, said the press release. FULL ARTICLE: https://theaviationist.com/2026/05/26/itps-canada-orders-the-m-346t-block-20/

Three F-14A "TOMCAT" Fighters, of VF-143, in flight over Mount Shasta, California, in May 1981. Photo by Lieutenant Bob Julian.

The Polish Air Force has taken delivery of its first three F-35A Lightning II fighters on national soil. The aircraft landed at Łask Airbase on May 22, 2026, at the end of the delivery flight which took them from Lockheed Martin’s production plant in Fort Worth, Texas, to Poland, after a stop in the Azores at Lajes Airbase. “This is a great day for Poland, for the Polish Armed Forces, for the Air Force,” said Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. “The first three F-35s have landed in Poland, in the 32nd Air Base in Łask, which today becomes a home for our F-35 aircraft.”

(The image is updated to april 10th)

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/05/22/congressional-report-tallies-42-us-aircraft-lost-or-damaged-in-operation-epic-fury/

A Congressional Research Service report released this month tallied 42 U.S. aircraft lost or damaged during Operation Epic Fury, the 40-day campaign against Iran that began Feb. 28. It is the most complete public accounting of a war the Pentagon has yet to assess on its own terms.

The Phantom is just such a cool aircraft

Israel has officially contracted a $34 million program to equip its F-35I "Adir" stealth fighters with external, range-extending fuel tanks. Signed in May 2026 with Cyclone, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, the deal responds to severe aerial refueling constraints highlighted during long-range strike campaigns inside Iran

Germany's newest Eurofighter variant is the Tranche 5, developed in tandem with a specialized electronic warfare (EW) version called the Eurofighter EK. Berlin finalized a €3.75 billion contract for 20 new Tranche 5 jets, which will be built by Airbus in Manching, Germany, and are slated for delivery between 2031 and 2034.

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The twin-seat variant of Russia's Su-57 Felon—provisionally designated as the Su-57D, Su-57UB, or Su-57ED—officially began flight testing on May 19, 2026. This milestone follows ground taxi trials that were first leaked by Russian aviation channels just days earlier. Built on a modified prototype airframe, the aircraft marks a massive departure from standard single-seat fifth-generation configurations. It makes the Su-57 only the second stealth fighter of its generation to feature a twin-seat design, following China's

The recent appearance of the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet carrying the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) is a major development in U.S. military aviation because it is the first public evidence that the long-secret missile is reaching advanced integration testing. Photos taken at Eglin Air Force Base showed a Navy test aircraft from VX-31 carrying what appears to be a live AIM-260A, a next-generation beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile designed to replace or supplement the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The missile is intended to give U.S. fighters a longer engagement range against advanced threats such as China’s PL-15 and PL-17 missiles while still fitting on existing aircraft stations and inside stealth fighter weapon bays. Reports suggest the AIM-260 uses improved propulsion and guidance systems to increase range, terminal maneuverability, and resistance to electronic warfare, making it a key future weapon for aircraft like the F/A-18E/F, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Lightning II.

Northrop Grumman's YFQ-48A Talon Blue combat drone successfully completed its first fully autonomous taxi test on May 14, 2026. Conducted at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, this milestone clears the way for the aircraft's upcoming first flight

On May 14, 2026, the Argentine Air Force officially and definitively retired its remaining Douglas/Lockheed Martin A-4AR and OA-4AR Fightinghawk fleet. This historic deprogramming marks the absolute conclusion of 60 years of A-4 Skyhawk operations in Argentina, which began when the nation became the aircraft's very first export customer in 1966.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is now being equipped by the Royal Air Force with APKWS laser-guided rockets as a lower-cost way to destroy hostile drones in the Middle East. Instead of using expensive air-to-air missiles that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each, RAF Typhoons can now engage slower UAVs with precision-guided 70 mm rockets that are far cheaper but still highly accurate. The move reflects a growing shift in military aviation doctrine after conflicts in Ukraine and the Red Sea showed that countries need affordable ways to counter large numbers of drones without exhausting expensive missile stockpiles.