Light Attack and Advanced Training

Surprise Chinese attack helicopter appearance highlights worldwide trend despite increase in low-altitude threats.

About three years before its first scheduled fielding, the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet has a new group of F-16-based testbed aircraft.

The U.S. Navy in March received the first of 22 former Swiss Air Force Northrop F-5s that will be converted to adversary aircraft for Navy and Marines training.

A Spanish company will produce active and passive inceptor controls for Turkish Aerospace’s (TAI) Hurjet advanced jet trainer.

The U.S. Navy appears set to begin buying replacements for its aging T-45 Goshawk training aircraft, with budget documents showing procurement to begin in 2026 after a contract has been awarded.

The U.S. Air Force has pushed back the in-service date by about another year for the Boeing T-7 Red Hawk to 2028.

The negotiations began after a Feb. 19 demonstration of the turboprop-powered A-29 at Accra Airbase attended by top Ghanaian Armed Forces officials.

Even though the current Hawk T2 fleet is not due for retirement until 2040, groundwork planning needs to begin now for a program to replace the Hawk.

Over the past few months, the service, largely through its newly renamed Airman Development Command (ADC), has released a series of requests for information.

Embraer has several A-29 Super Tucanos that await signed orders before they can be delivered, the head of the company’s defense business tells Aviation Week.

The U.S. Air Force will add an automatic ground collision avoidance system (AGCAS) to its Boeing T-7A Red Hawk trainer fleet.

The country’s order for armed H145Ms is the largest order yet for Airbus’ militarized light twin.

Romanian airframer Avioane Craiova SA is getting ready to begin flight testing of an upgraded version of the IAR-99 Soim jet trainer.

Ukrainian pilots are training to fly the F-16 fighter in Denmark ahead of potential transfers of the aircraft to Ukraine’s air force later this year.

The U.S. Air Force is looking to potentially outsource its training of NATO pilots on fast jets.

The Indonesian Air Force says four people died when two of its Embraer A-29 Super Tucano counterinsurgency aircraft crashed into a mountainside.

Boeing plans to release a strategy soon for adapting the T-7A for new missions after the trainer jet enters full-rate production.

European defense ministers have inaugurated a center to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 combat aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force is looking to industry to stand up a new F-16 training program for international partners.

The UAE Defense Ministry has confirmed it has closed a contract with China’s CATIC to purchase a fleet of L-15 advanced jet trainers.

The U.S. Air Force’s first T-7A Red Hawk trainer has arrived at its main training base.

Ascent uses government-furnished Hawk T2s to provide Phase 2 fast jet training.

Latvia plans to purchase MD530F single-engine light helicopters from MD Helicopters.

Launch operator Mozambique has logged 70 flight hours on the Paramount Mwari light attack and observation aircraft.

Boeing and Red 6 have integrated and flown an augmented reality headset in a TA-4J jet trainer.