US Air Forces Europe airmen recently participated in NATO’s Brilliant Arrow exercise that is designed to certify that alliance members’ air forces are prepared for a year-long NATO Response Force readiness period next year. Hosted by Germany, 1,200 allied personnel from Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Turkey, and the United States practiced integrated command and control and combined flight operations Sept. 12-23. More than 30 aircraft, including 28 fighters, operated from 15 locations during the drills. Agreed to in 2003, the NATO Response Force is a rotating high-readiness force comprised of air, land, and sea forces contributed by member countries. Next year, NRF rotations will change from the traditional six-month stand-by period, to a 12-month alert. The next NRF rotation begins on Jan. 1. (Mildenhall report by SrA. Ethan Morgan and SrA. Jerilyn Quintanilla) (German air force release and second release) (NATO webpage on NRF)
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
