Alert 5

Indonesia finalizes KF-21 payment as Malaysia, UAE and Philippines study the jet

Posted on July 2, 2026 by alert5

South Korea’s KF-21 Boramae fighter program has reached a turning point. Indonesia, the aircraft’s only co-development partner, has confirmed it is walking away from local production in favor of buying the jet directly from Seoul, closing out a decade-long industrial partnership even as Korea works to turn the KF-21 into its first fighter jet export success.

ROK Ministry of National Defense's public work is used according to Korea Open Government License (KOGL) (KOGL Type 1 or KOGL Type 1), via Wikimedia Commons
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GCAP eyes Canadian observer status while Australia and Singapore expressed interest

Posted on July 2, 2026 by alert5

According to a news report from the Nikkei, Japan, Britain and Italy are considering bringing Canada into their next-generation fighter jet program as an observer, a status that would give Ottawa access to confidential development data.

Hunini, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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French investigators detail cockpit confusion behind fatal Rafale mid-air collision

Posted on June 26, 2026 by alert5

A French military safety investigation has concluded that a brief, uncoordinated struggle for control of one of two Rafale fighter jets was central to a mid-air collision in August 2024 that killed two airmen near the town of Colombey-les-Belles in eastern France.

Graphic: BEA-É
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Japan’s 1st Airborne Brigade set to jump within 200 kilometers of Taiwan

Posted on June 18, 2026June 18, 2026 by alert5

Members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force are preparing to parachute onto a small island in the northern Philippines later this month, a drill that will put Japanese paratroopers on the ground closer to Taiwan than at any point in recent memory.

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force paratroopers assigned to the 1st Airborne Brigade prepare to conduct static line jumps out of a C-130J Super Hercules over Camp Narashino, Japan, Oct. 1, 2024. Approximately 90 JGSDF paratroopers assigned to the 1st AB performed airdrop training from two U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron. Training opportunities, like this, aim to improve interoperability, deepen mutual understanding of each unit, and to further cement the U.S. and Japanese alliance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Spencer Tobler)

UAE deploys fleet of C-17s to airlift South Korean Cheongung missile system via Malaysia

Posted on June 13, 2026June 13, 2026 by alert5

The United Arab Emirates has sent a fleet of military transport aircraft to South Korea on a tight, near-daily schedule, as Abu Dhabi moves to secure additional batteries of the Korean-made Cheongung interceptor missile system months ahead of their original delivery date.

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