Two men have been charged with serious security offenses in Britain after being arrested in connection with the incident last month near RAF Fairford, the air base in England that had been used by the U.S. military to launch strikes on Iran, the U.K. Crown Prosecution Service said Oct. 27.
The U.S. Air Force is moving forward on a push to broaden the supply base of its fighter jet engines, hosting an industry day in early November for its fighter engine recompetition effort.
“The U.S. Air Force needs to make some hard choices about its fighter aircraft to avoid ceding air superiority to China. Two new stealth aircraft have appeared in Chinese skies, and rising J-20 production rates mean China could have up to 1,000 fifth-generation fighters by 2030. The Air Force’s F-47 promises to help offset some of these Chinese gains, but it can only do that if Pentagon planners make an informed decision on how much to spend on the new fighter, how many to buy, and when to buy them,” writes Casey Nicastro, a senior analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine encouraged hundreds of military personnel and commercial logistics insiders gathered in Texas on Oct. 26 to embrace more entrepreneurialism as they prepare for future wars.
The cost of the U.S.’s war against Iran has gone up to $47 billion, an increase of more than $3 billion since last month, as President Donald Trump mulls launching strikes against the Islamic Republic after the U.S. midterm elections. The biggest chunk of the cost is munition replacement at $29 billion, according to an Oct. 16 U.S. Central Command estimate, which was shared with Congress and obtained by The Hill on Oct. 27.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived at Cebu, Philippines, on Oct. 27 for a quick turnaround visit to the Pacific theater, where he is slated to meet with counterparts from across the region at a major Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers gathering.
After creating a new directorate on warfighter optimization within the Department of Defense, the Pentagon announced it will form a federal advisory committee to weigh in on issues affecting troop performance and health.
Iranian-backed militias carried out a precision strike last month, hitting the pumping stations of Saudi Arabia’s most important oil pipeline. Days later, another attack hit a Saudi military air base, damaging an Italian fighter jet inside a hangar. Crucial to the strikes’ success was what was happening in the skies overhead: For days beforehand, a constellation of Russian spy satellites converged over the pipeline and the air base to gather intelligence.
The U.S. military killed five people on Oct. 27 aboard what Southern Command described as a “go-fast vessel” associated with “narco-terrorists” in the eastern Pacific Ocean, bringing the death toll from its campaign against suspected drug traffickers to at least 240 since September 2025.
“Congress has an opportunity to reset an acquisition approach that relies too heavily on uncertain, year-to-year fighter purchases. Turning the recently announced F-35 framework into a funded production agreement—and establishing a similarly predictable path for the F-15EX—would help ensure the combat aircraft our nation depends upon are available, ready, and relevant when we need them,” writes retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Defense technology company Anduril, best known for building drones and AI-enabled software for the military, is branching out into a new product manufacturing business: laptops. The company on Oct. 27 announced the launch of a computer initiative, dubbed BlueChip, in partnership with wireless tech giant Qualcomm.
Canada has received its first pair of new F-35 fighter jets, with Ottawa still deliberating over how many of the American planes it will buy. The Royal Canadian Air Force announced Oct. 23 on social media that it received the two Lockheed Martin jets, sharing a photo from Phoenix, Ariz., showing one plane with a maple leaf roundel.
Aviation entrepreneur, veteran naval aviator, and record-setting pilot Douglas G. “Doug” Matthews will be inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame on Nov. 21, 2026. Hosted by the San Diego Air & Space Museum, the Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose achievements have shaped aviation and space exploration.
