Romania, Czech Republic advance F-35 acquisition plans

WARSAW, Poland — Romania’s Ministry of National Defence has announced it aims to sign a letter of acceptance in 2024 to buy 32 F-35 Lightning II fighters in the program’s first phase, and subsequently secure a further 16 aircraft. Bucharest intends to purchase “the...

How Iranian, Russian arms makers shared a Belgrade trade fair hall

BELGRADE, Serbia — Iranian defense officials were livid at some of the organizers of the “Partner 23″ arms fair here about the placement of their colossal stand: Tucked away in a separate pavilion, shared primarily with Russia’s weapons export agency, who would come...

Australian F-35 crews end their Asian exercise spree in Indonesia

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters are taking part in an exercise in Indonesia, on the last leg of a deployment that has seen the jets visit the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia for the first time. The six Lockheed-Martin F-35A...

Iran says it successfully launched imaging satellite

Iran claimed on Wednesday that it successfully launched an imaging satellite into space, a move that could further ratchet up tensions with Western nations that fear its space technology could be used to develop nuclear weapons. Iran’s Communication Minister Isa...