Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas bid farewell to its last T-1A Jayhawk last month, as the Air Force continues its drive to retire the heavy aircraft trainer. Laughlin’s last Jayhawk, from the 86th Flying Training Squadron, took off from the base December 17. It joined a pair of T-6A Texan IIs and a pair of T-38C Talons as the centerpiece of a five-plane flyover, which twice passed over Laughlin’s airfield and air traffic control tower. After the other planes split off, the T-1 continued to its final resting place at “The Boneyard,” an airplane graveyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
Middle East & Africa
Turkey said Monday that it was “only a matter of time” before Syrian Kurdish fighters – seen by the West as essential in the fight against Islamic State jihadists – will be wiped out. “Conditions in Syria have changed. We believe it’s only a matter of time before PKK/YPG is eliminated,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference in the capital Ankara. Turkey sees the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – the main component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – as a terror group linked to its outlawed domestic foe the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Europe
The Swedish government partially funded Romania’s replacement for its Patriot air defense system donated to Ukraine. A total of $27 million has been transferred to Bucharest as part of the effort, the Swedish Ministry of Defence announced in a press release. The amount has been delivered under the German-led Immediate Action on Air Defense project and comes from previously announced support packages for Ukraine.
Asia-Pacific
India has announced plans to develop its own ammunition for two Russian-origin anti-aircraft weapons, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. The Ministry of Defense has invited local companies to submit proposals for 23-millimeter anti-drone ammunition, which will be used with the Zu-23mm and Schilka air defense systems. Despite their high rate of fire, the current ammunition used in these guns is reportedly ineffective against high-speed drones, creating a need for specialized munitions.