Australia’s new F-35 fighter jets may be technologically out of date when they arrive in Australia in December after the Pentagon’s decision to delay the approval of the plane’s new weapons system. Known as the TR-3, the system allows the new Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) to run a software platform called Block 4 that provides…

The Pentagon said on Sept 7 that it has halted deliveries of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets after a component used in the plane’s engine was found to be sourced from China. U.S. Defense giant Lockheed Martin, the company making the F-35s, said the component is a magnet on the plane’s turbomachine pumps manufactured by U.S….

The Saab Gripen E and the Lockheed Martin F-35 are in a dogfight to replace the aging CF-18s, as Canada is finally on track to choose its next fighter plane this year. The Boeing Super Hornet was also in the running, but was officially eliminated in November 2021. Now the bids from Sweden and the…

The United States said that it is advancing on a $23 billion defense deal with the United Arab Emirates after the Arab state threatened to pull out following disagreements regarding issues concerning Chinese espionage in the country. The deal includes 50 top-of-the-range F-35 Lightning II stealth jets from Lockheed Martin valued at approximately $10.4 billion,…

DUBAI—Russia showed off a prototype of its new fifth-generation warplane at the Dubai Airshow on Sunday as the United Arab Emirates’ deal to buy American F-35 fighter jets makes slow progress. It was the first time the Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate, unveiled in July, had been shown outside Russia, and according to the Russian state news…

Lockheed Martin said on Sept. 27 that it had agreed with the Pentagon to deliver 151 to 153 F-35 fighter aircraft in 2022, and 133 to 139 this year. This is fewer than the 169 jets it had planned to deliver initially for 2021. There has been an aircraft shortfall last year due to the…

WASHINGTON—China is reportedly looking into curbing the export of rare earth minerals to the United States, which may become a new source of friction between the two countries. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in January proposed draft controls on the production and export of rare earth minerals and provided 30 days for public…