Daily Report

Dec. 23, 2025

Editor’s Note

The Daily Report will go on a holiday break and not publish from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2.

Air Force Designates New Northrop CCA as YFQ-48A

The Air Force has given Northrop Grumman’s new Project Talon aircraft the official designation of YFQ-48A, the service announced Dec. 22. That makes Northrop's potential competitor for USAF's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program the third CCA to be designated an uncrewed fighter aircraft.

B-1A Flies for the First Time

Company pilot Charles Bock Jr., U.S. Air Force Col. Emil Sturmthal, and flight test engineer Richard Abrams make the first flight of the Rockwell B-1A variable-geometry bomber from Palmdale, Calif.

Radar Sweep

Next-Gen Air Dominance and Surprise New Air Force Leadership: 2025 Review

Breaking Defense

This year had its fair share of developments in air warfare, both in the United States and abroad. In the U.S., the Air Force notched a number of firsts, like the flight of drone wingmen and an award for a sixth-gen fighter. A funding boost provided by reconciliation was also critical for infusing cash into top priorities like ramping up munitions production.

Sabotage Attack on Russian Su-30 Fighters Shown in Video

The War Zone

Two Russian Su-30 Flanker multirole fighters have been damaged in an overnight arson attack on the military airfield at Lipetsk in the region of the same name in southwest Russia. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the raid was launched by “a representative of the resistance movement in Russia.”