A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
Switzerland has made its procurement of the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft official. The country’s defense procurement agency, Armasuisse, signed the CHF6.035 billion ($6.25 billion) contract for 36 F-35 conventional …
Switzerland Concludes F-35 Purchase Read More
Barely two months after grounding its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-21 Lancer jet fighters, the Romanian Air Force has returned them to service as a stop-gap measure. Although the fleet was …
Romania Returns MiG-21 Fleet to Operational Service Read More
As the conflict in Ukraine continues to drag on and the Ukrainian Air Force suffers attrition and wear-and-tear to its combat aircraft component, help is pouring in from NATO member …
International Support Bolsters Ukrainian Air Force Fighter Capability Read More As Germany begins its surprising about-face on matters pertaining to defense and security policy, it will undertake procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II new-generation combat aircraft to fill …
In a Reversal, Germany Taps F-35A to Fill Nuclear Deterrent Role Read More
Making official a long-rumored deal, Indonesia has announced an order for 42 French-built Dassault Rafale multirole combat aircraft, with a first phase firm order of six fighters. The signing ceremony …
Indonesia Pulls the Trigger on Rafale Order Read More
The Indonesian National Defense-Air Force (TNI-AU) has given up its quest to acquire Russian combat aircraft. Instead, the service will shift its focus to two Western alternatives, the Boeing F-15EX …
Indonesia Drops Russian Fighter Acquisition Plans Read More The Swiss government has tapped two American-sourced solutions to meet the requirements of its Air 2030 program to replace the Swiss Air Force’s aging fleet of both F-5 Tiger and …
Switzerland Taps F-35, Patriot to Meet Its Air 2030 Requirements Read More
The U.S. State Department has approved a Philippines government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) request for F-16 Block 70/72 combat aircraft, with notification of the proposal delivered to Congress on June …
Guns and Diplomacy: Philippines’ F-16 FMS Request Approved by U.S. Read More
India intends to forgo a planned acquisition of 114 foreign-sourced combat aircraft in favor of more indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCAs). The move comes a little over two years …
India Plans to Scrap 114-Unit Fighter Order in Favor of More Tejas LCAs Read More
Germany’s Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced toPparliament on April 21 the decision to split the replacement program for the Panavia Tornado combat aircraft into two platforms. The long-rumored purchase plans …
German Defense Minister Makes Tornado Replacement Plans Official Read MoreSign up for the latest blog posts and products sent straight to your inbox.