British carrier hosts world’s largest fifth-gen air wing
Britain has deployed 24 of its F-35B Lightning stealth jets aboard aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, forming the largest fifth-generation air wing ever put to sea as part of multinational NATO exercises in the Mediterranean.
RAF joins allies in Italy for high-intensity F-35 drills
The Royal Air Force has joined European and US allies in Italy for Exercise Falcon Strike 25, a multinational air combat exercise testing fifth-generation fighter operations in contested environments.
America launches ballistic missile over 4,000 miles
The unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile travelled about 4,200 miles to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
British F-35 role shifts from ‘Tier One’ to specialist ally
Britain remains a core partner, but its standing within the F-35 enterprise has evolved from prime mover to trusted contributor.
Nearly 200 drone sightings near UK military sites this year
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that there have been 187 drone sightings near high-security military establishments across the UK since the start of 2025.
Britain accelerating military drone production
Defence Minister Al Carns told MPs that the UK is accelerating drone production and reforming procurement to bring uncrewed systems into service faster, following lessons learned from Ukraine’s battlefield use of drones.
UK and Germany speeding up new 2,000km strike missile
Defence Secretary John Healey has confirmed that work on the joint UK-German long-range strike missile is speeding up, describing it as one of several major milestones under the Trinity House defence agreement.
British Apache gunships to get autonomous attack drones
The Ministry of Defence has released detailed new information on Project NYX, a flagship Army programme to test autonomous aircraft designed to work alongside Apache AH-64E attack helicopters.
Britain’s new jet must prepare for Russia–China threat
Witnesses told the House of Lords that Britain’s Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) must be fully funded and strategically focused if the UK is to meet the growing security challenges posed by deepening military cooperation between Russia and China.
Experts warn UK faces software, dependency risks with F-35s
Britain’s reliance on the U.S.-led F-35 fighter programme could leave it exposed to technical and strategic vulnerabilities, experts have told the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee.
