The Aviationist

Final A-10C Thunderbolt II Leaves Nellis AFB A month after the final training sortie with the 66th Weapons Squadron, the last A-10C Thunderbolt II assigned to Nellis AFB has left the base. Story: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/24/final-a-10c-thunderbolt-ii-leaves-nellis-afb/

French Rafales Return to Hyakuri for PEGASE 2026 Four Rafale F4s, supported by three A330 MRTTs and two A400Ms, stopped over at Hyakuri Air Base during the latest edition of the PEGASE long-range airpower projection mission. Story: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/24/french-rafales-japan-pegase-2026/

Why An F-35 Canopy Ending Up In China Is Still A Big Deal An F-35 canopy won’t give away the secrets of the entire aircraft, but its radar-absorbent coating and construction could still provide valuable intelligence about its Low Observable technology. Story here: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/24/f-35-canopy-china/

Canada’s First F-35 Conducts Maiden Flight The Royal Canadian Air Force’s first F-35A Lightning II flew for the first time, marking a milestone in Canada’s controversial fighter acquisition program to replace the CF-188 Hornet fleet. Story: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/23/canadas-first-f-35-conducts-maiden-flight/

Hawker Hunter Formerly Known As ‘Miss Demeanour’ Crashes off California Hawker Hunter N345AX, operated by red air contractor ATAC but formerly a UK airshow star as G-PSST, went down a few miles off the California coast on Sep. 22. The pilot was rescued by a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter. Story: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/23/hunter-n345ax-crash-pacific/

Dassault Tests Rafale with New AI Technologies for Crew Support The flight tests support Dassault Aviation’s efforts to integrate AI into the Rafale cockpit as France advances development of the F5 standard. Story: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/23/dassault-tests-rafale-ai-technologies/

First Production KF-21 Boramae Delivered to ROKAF South Korea’s indigenous fighter program enters a new phase as the first series-production KF-21 joins the ROKAF. Story: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/23/first-production-kf-21-boramae-delivered-to-rokaf/

NASA Chief Teases Mysterious Aircraft as Agency Plans New X-Planes An unidentified aircraft resembling the SR-71 Blackbird appeared in Jared Isaacman’s All-In Summit presentation. Asked whether it was an SR-71, the NASA administrator cryptically replied: "You sure that's a Blackbird?". Story here: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/23/nasa-chief-teases-mysterious-aircraft/

F-35 Spare Parts Diverted to Hong Kong, Prompting U.S. and Australian Investigations F-35 fighter jet spare parts were reportedly diverted to Hong Kong from Australia, sparking inquiries on Capitol Hill and in the Australian Department of Defence over China’s possible access to classified material. Story: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/22/f-35-spare-parts-diverted-to-hong-kong/

RAAF Declares Initial Operational Capability for MQ-4C Triton and MC-55A Peregrine Australia's long-range ISR and airborne electronic warfare capabilities reached a major milestone as the MQ-4C Triton and the MC-55A Peregrine achieved IOC. Story: https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/22/raaf-ioc-mq-4c-triton-mc-55a-peregrine/