Typhon was featured during the annual bilateral exercise Resolute Dragon, which started last week, with more than 19,000 U.S. and Japanese troops participating in the exercise that focuses on maritime defense and littoral protection and held across Japan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

The land-based weapon, capable of firing the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk cruise missiles that can hit targets on China’s eastern coasts, was delivered last month to the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Iwakuni, in southwestern Japan. Its exhibition in Japan follows its deployment in the Philippines last year, triggering criticisms from China and Russia.

The U.S. Army is not expected to fire Typhon or other advanced missile systems during the Resolute Dragon exercise, and its deployment in Iwakuni is only for the exercise ending on Sept. 25, Japanese public television NHK reported.

Japan has been rapidly accelerating its military buildup, especially the so-called strike-back capability with mid- to long-range missiles as a counter to missile and nuclear threats from China, as well as North Korea and Russia.

“Employing multiple systems and different types of munitions, it is able to create dilemmas for the enemy,” Col. Wade Germann, commander of the U.S. Army’s 3d Multi-Domain Task Force, said in a televised news conference from Iwakuni.

It also comes days after Japan’s Defense Ministry said it spotted China’s newest aircraft carrier Fujian for the first time in the East China Sea, in waters just north of Japanese-controlled disputed islands Senkaku, which Beijing also claims and calls the Diaoyu.

Marine Attack Fighter Squadron 251, or VMFA-251, received its first F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter in mid-September before the unit officially reactivated in a ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, on Dec. 5, according to the service.

“Our immediate focus is working towards initial operational capability, which means that VMFA-251 has enough operational F-35C Lightning II aircraft, trained pilots, maintainers, and support equipment to self-sustain its mission essential tasks,” Lt. Col. Evan Shockley, squadron commander, said in a release.

Following those moves, Shockley said, the unit will pivot to reach full operational capability. The squadron, which was established during World War II, was deactivated in 2020 after 34 years as an F/A-18 Hornet squadron, according to the release.

As a fifth-generation fighter jet, the F-35C and F-35B are linchpins in the Corps’ aviation future. Beyond the jet’s stealth and maneuverability, its sensor and information fusion capabilities not only allow the pilot to see across the battlespace but also enable the aircraft to act as both a sensor and shooter in the larger network of weapons and military systems.

Recent defense funding developments, however, could disrupt F-35 plans across the U.S. military. Under the proposed annual defense spending bill, Congress would fund 68 Lockheed Martin-made F-35s, but block the Pentagon from accepting 20 of those aircraft until military leaders solve problems with the fighter program, Defense News reported Tuesday.

Under the proposed National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2025, which lawmakers released Saturday, the Marine Corps would get nine F-35Bs, the short takeoff and vertical landing version. Nine aircraft carrier-capable F-35Cs, meanwhile, would be delivered to the Navy and Marine Corps.

Problems with the jet’s Technology Refresh 3 upgrades caused a delivery halt in mid-2023 that lasted nearly a year, while a logjam of new jets sat in Lockheed’s Fort Worth, Texas factory. The company is now delivering the newest F-35s with an interim version of the software that will immediately allow pilots to fly combat training missions, but not actual combat operations until 2025.

Congressional leaders have “grown frustrated” over these and other challenges with the program, a senior staff member of the House Armed Services Committee told reporters in May.

The Marine Corps’ long-term aviation plan seeks to fully field all variants of the F-35 by 2030, phasing out aircraft such as the AV-8B Harrier F/A-18C/D Hornet.

On Nov. 26, however, billionaire Elon Musk, the future head of President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, took to his social media platform X, where he railed against manned fighter aircraft and took shots at the F-35 in particular.

“The F-35 design was broken at the requirements level, because it was required to be too many things to too many people,” Musk wrote. “This made it an expensive & complex jack of all trades, master of none. Success was never in the set of possible outcomes. And manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed.”

For years, military leaders in the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force have touted the jet’s effectiveness in combat and as part of the larger battlefield network. At the same time, critics and declassified reports have shown security and reliability the platform has encountered over several years.

Meanwhile, Marines on Nov. 9 marked the first F-35C overseas combat strike during a mission against Houthi targets in the Red Sea, an operation carried out by 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s Marine Attack Fighter Squadron 314, or VMFA-314, out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California.

Before fielding the F-35C, the U.S. military deployed the F-35A and F-35B. The “B” variant first saw combat in 2018 against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Islamic State in Syria, while military pilots first used the “A” variant in combat in 2019 against ISIS targets in Iraq.

The Marines stood up their first operational F-35B squadron on the East Coast in February, also at Cherry Point. As of July, the Corps boasted eight operational F-35B squadrons and two training squadrons, comprising more than 100 F-35B aircraft in total, Marine Corps Times previously reported.

In 2020, VMFA-314 became the first to fly the F-35C, with the unit hitting initial operational capability that year. Earlier this year, VMFA-311, also based on the West Coast, became the second F-35C squadron to reach that mark.

The Marine Corps in August announced the $28 million overhaul of the airfield at Camp Davis, North Carolina, less than 25 miles from Camp Lejeune. That move followed the service’s June recertification of an airfield on the Pacific island of Peleliu.

The two locations are crucial for Marine plans to improve the service’s aviation capabilities, both in future operations and in training.

A particular challenge for Marines is to effectively execute the service’s Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations mission, which seeks to disperse small Marine units across vast distances. This approach relies heavily on aircraft support, from precision strike and reconnaissance to refueling and resupply.

“Aviation and ground units across the region will be able to use this runway to exercise the full spectrum of training capabilities in preparation for missions around the globe, to include simulating austere airfield conditions in conjunction with Expeditionary Advanced Basing Operations,” said Col. Ralph Rizzo, Marine Corps Installations East commander.

While the North Carolina location adds more air options for training, the Peleliu airstrip puts Marine and joint military aircraft within 1,000 miles of Manila, Philippines, and 1,400 miles from the bulk of Marine forces in Okinawa, Japan.

That positioning gives units flowing into the region an aircraft refit and refuel point just beyond the first island chain surrounding China.

The 18-month Camp Davis revamp, meanwhile, saw the aged runway “torn up, raised and resurfaced with three layers of rock, gravel and asphalt,” according to the installation release.

Workers then installed concrete landing pads and an apron designed to handle “high-intensity heat generated during hovering, landing and turning maneuvers.”

Those features are especially important because the Corps plans to use the airfield, located north of Holly Ridge in the Greater Sandy Run Training Area, as a multipurpose landing field.

That means it will have to handle every Marine airframe, from the KC-130 Hercules to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, MV-22 Osprey, other rotary wing aircraft and the Air Force’s heavy lift C-17.

The 4,525-foot airstrip holds a 3,600-foot asphalt runway and concrete turnarounds at each end for vertical take-offs and landings, such as those conducted by the Osprey.

The entire airfield occupies about 275 acres.

The Camp Davis airfield was originally an Army installation, built in 1941 for use as an anti-aircraft artillery training center during World War II, according to the Marine release.

The Army ceased using the installation in 1946. The property was absorbed into the Navy’s Greater Sandy Run Training Area in 1992, and used primarily by rotary wing units at Marine Air Station New River.

Now, in a recent update to its recommendation, the Government Accountability Office noted that while the number of requested aircraft had been reduced, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC, officials still hadn’t justified why they need that many aircraft.

The armed overwatch program aims to field fixed-wing aircraft for AFSOC to deploy to austere locations, Defense News previously reported. The current aircraft at the program’s center is the AT-802U Sky Warden, a single-engine, two-person platform made by L3Harris Technologies and Air Tractor.

The command expected to spend $2.2 billion to buy the originally requested 75 aircraft, which replaces the U-28 Draco.

SOCOM had purchased 16 Sky Wardens as of last year, with plans to purchase another dozen this year, Defense News reported.

The most recent update, published Sept. 5, notes SOCOM has plans to divest two of its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, platforms. However, those platforms were used to support armed overwatch.

The watchdog “found that SOCOM has not taken steps to plan for, or add, critical ISR capabilities provided by soon-to-be divested aircraft,” according to the GAO report.

SOCOM also failed to address risks associated with losing those capabilities if the new armed overwatch aircraft didn’t have them as part of the platform’s fielding, the report found.

The armed overwatch program’s austere mission means that developers must provide an aircraft with minimal logistics and support needs.

The aircraft itself must be able to give ground troops close air support, precision strike and ISR capabilities, according to the report. It’s primarily expected to be used in such roles in counterterrorism and irregular warfare missions, according to program information.

The GAO report stated SOCOM “concurred” or “partially concurred” with its six major recommendations.

Those recommendations included reevaluating the number of aircraft needed; limiting procurement to the minimum needed for testing until the fleet size is determined; assessing risks to missions if the ISR capabilities are not added; identify challenges to operate and deploy the aircraft; and assess whether the program remains an affordable priority; and update concepts for the types of operations the aircraft might conduct.

Fiscal 2026 is marked in the GAO report as a key year for deadlines such as completing the operational test and evaluation, making a full rate production decision and reaching initial operational capability.

The U.S. Air Force began a capability assessment in 2017 to evaluate potential light attack aerial platforms for use with coalition partners. At the time, then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told Congress that the purpose was to free up more advanced and costly assets for other tasks.

Wilson cited an example of F-22 fighter jets being used to strike a drug laboratory in Afghanistan — a mission that could have been accomplished with a less sophisticated platform at a lower cost.

After a series of experiments, the program transferred to SOCOM. In 2021, the command filed its request for 75 aircraft, according to a Congressional Research Services report.

The per-hour operating cost of an aircraft like the Sky Warden is about 2% to 4% of that of advanced fighters, the report noted.

The jammer system will be “increasing the lethality” of 4th and 5th generation platforms and strike weapons, according to Rear Adm. John Lemmon, program executive officer for tactical aircraft programs.

The low band system under development is part of a larger system that will first augment and then replace the existing ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System on the EA-18G Growler, which is a specialized version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet with electromagnetic warfare equipment.

The added low band upgrade to the Grower will allow the aircraft to defeat more adversary systems. It is scheduled to reach early operational capability in 2029, according to a release.

In addition to the jamming system contract, the Navy also awarded a $16 million bid to Fuse Integration to equip the company’s Fuse CORE 4.0 virtualized network system on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

The Northrop Grumman-built Hawkeye is a battle management command and control platform, used to orchestrate multi-platform information sharing.

The $16 million upgrade will improve reliability and maintainability by replacing “bulky and obsolete routers,” the release said.

It will also add the ability to host applications the current system can’t handle, according to Shawn Thompson, the assistant program manager of systems engineering for the E-2D program.

“CORE 4.0 enables an additional layer of cyber-security for the platform by hosting new firewall applications as part of the Beyond Line-of-Sight upgrade program for the E-2D,” Thompson said.

Last year the United States approved a $1.4 billion sale to Japan of the E-2D Hawkeye, with its radars, navigation and display systems included, Defense News reported.

The Pentagon modified that contract to $1.5 billion this year. Japan has requested nine aircraft under the contract.

Austria decided in recent years to withdraw its fleet of Saab 105 OE jet trainers — a variant purpose-built for the country by the Swedish manufacturer — after five decades in service. A plan for a replacement was not initially announced.

But in the past year, the tune has changed, with the country’s military leadership suggesting that plans were being prepared to find a successor after all. Last month, Austrian defense minister Klaudia Tanner said she had received an “interesting” proposal from her Italian counterparts for the joint procurement of the Leonardo M-346 advanced jet trainer.

Under Tanner, the country’s defense forces have gone on a spending spree, procuring new helicopters, aircraft, land vehicles and air defense systems.

This latest possible purchase would fit into the recent trend of Austria buying expensive new military equipment in cooperation with other countries.

Vienna has taken a similar route in getting a successor for its C-130 Hercules large, fixed-wing transport aircraft in the form of the Brazilian C-390, bought together with the Netherlands. Similarly, 18 Leonardo AW169 helicopters are being procured jointly with Italy to replace the ancient Alouette III, which has been in service since 1967.

The M-346 played a prominent role at this year’s Airpower show, where the Italian Air Force presented the jet’s aerobatic abilities to an audience of up to 250,000 people, including representatives from Austria’s military.

Austrian pilots are already familiar with the aircraft type. Since the retirement of the Saab 105, the country’s pilots have been training on the Leonardo jet at the International Flight Training School in Sardinia, Italy.

Other training has taken place on the Eurofighter, a costly endeavor and likely driving force behind the decision to buy new dedicated trainers. In early September, the Vermont Air National Guard temporarily moved four F-35 fighters to Zeltweg to train with their Austrian counterparts through the State Partnership Program.

While the M-346 appears to be the frontrunner, officials have yet to announce a decision. Its main competitor seems to be the Czech-origin Aero L-39NG. The jet appeared in the static display at the previous Airpower show in 2022, where Filip Kulštrunk, a company vice president, pitched directly to Austrian decision-makers.

“In the case of Austria, the Czech Ministry of Defense fully supports the project and offers full government-to-government sale,” he said.

There was also talk of involving Austrian companies directly in the manufacturing process, forging longer-term industrial cooperation between the countries. Kulštrunk further relayed that Czechia was open to joint pilot training, “therefore sharing logistics and operational costs.”

Austria’s armed forces, particularly its air force, have long been plagued by insufficient funding. Cost considerations have been a driving factor behind the recently favored model of joint procurements under Defense Minister Tanner.

Similarly, budgetary constraints are also exerting pressure on its fleet of 15 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. In 2017, the country announced it would phase out older versions by 2020, though those plans appear to have been dropped indefinitely. Intermittently, there were media reports that the country might be unable to afford flying all 15 jets at once.

Last year, the government announced a €1.6 billion ($1.77 billion) upgrade package, which includes procuring new jet trainers and upgrading the Eurofighter fleet.

The 27th Special Operations Wing was the first to conduct a Combat Readiness Inspection, a new assessment that gives airmen the opportunity to fail in a “controlled exercise environment,” according to the Air Force.

Any mistakes or shortcomings that pop up during such inspections will be treated as learning opportunities, and not lead to punishments, the service said.

“The goal for this event was never perfection,” Lt. Gen. Mike Conley, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, said in a release. “We wanted the Wing to be all in, face tough challenges, discover areas for improvement, and work together to problem solve for the future…and they did just that.”

The 27th Special Operations Wing underwent the new inspection as part of the Emerald Warrior exercise.

Air Force Inspector General Lt. Gen. Stephen Davis watched the 27th at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, and made sure that the tests were realistic, the Air Force said.

Inspectors for the test judged the readiness of a 27th Special Operations Wing Special Operations Task Group that included aviation, special tactics and logistics units.

During the inspection, elements of the wing established multiple bases across Idaho and Nevada, and used 200 personnel to conduct a variety of operations.

In late August, personnel with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11 and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 out of Miramar, California, became the first to run ordnance operations with the missile — the AGM-158A — using F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, Marine officials said.

The Air Force first used the air-to-ground missile in combat in 2018, firing it from B-1B Lancer bombers to strike a Syrian chemical weapons manufacturer, according to the statement.

“The (missile) not only surpasses the capabilities of any other weapon currently in the Hornet’s extensive weapons portfolio, but also the Marine Corps at large,” said Maj. Bradley Kirby, an aviation ordnance officer with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

The missile, which is also slated for use on F-35B and F-35C aircraft, comes in two variants: the AGM-158B extended range version and the AGM-158C long-range, anti-ship version.

The Lockheed Martin-manufactured extended range variant can strike targets out to 620 miles, Air Force Times previously reported.

Marines validated and verified the missile for use on the Hornet through a series of tests that included loading, software compatibility, transportation, safe handling, weapon arming and de-arming.

The validation process is often completed using a training round, but Marines used live munitions due to the unavailability of training versions.

The work done by the munitions and safety specialists involved will be used to develop a set of checklists for future use of the weapon, said Warrant Officer Josiah Hood, a squadron ordnance officer.

Meanwhile, the missile is one of multiple new tools to debut this year for Marine Corps aviation.

In July, a Marine helicopter crew sank a moving training vessel near Okinawa, Japan, with a newly acquired “fire and forget” missile, the AGM-179.

That was the first time the Corps used that munition in a strike mission, Marine Corps Times previously reported.

An AH-1Z Viper crew belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) and attached to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted the training mission.

The 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 5 to commemorate the arrival of the first AC-130J Ghostrider, which was delivered at the end of August.

Training for the gunship is currently split between Kirtland and Hurlburt Field, Florida. However, with the aircraft’s arrival at Kirtland, all future training will take place there under Air Education and Training Command, or AETC.

“Creating a consolidated training location will reduce travel costs and allow for training timelines to be accelerated,” a spokesperson for the 58th Special Operations Wing said.

The AC-130J, armed with a howitzer cannon and advanced navigation features, provides defense support to ground troops, among other capabilities.

Currently, AC-130J training falls under the jurisdiction of AETC and Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC, at Hurlburt Field.

Students complete their first round of training under AETC at Kirtland before traveling to Hurlburt Field for mission qualification training under AFSOC, where they learn to operate the AC-130J.

“The training focuses on getting aircrew trained on the AC-130J specifically and preparing them to operate in a combat environment and defend our national interests,” a spokesperson for the 58th Special Operations Wing said.

Consolidating training into one location will reduce gunship training by 30 days, the Air Force said.

The Air Force praised New Mexico’s terrain as a perfect match for training that will include academic and simulator instruction.

Five more Ghostriders are on their way to Kirtland, with their arrival expected to bring 299 active duty airmen and their families to the New Mexico base.

The U.S. military said it was aware of the Houthis’ claimed downing of a drone over the country’s southwestern Dhamar province, without elaborating.

The Houthis have exaggerated claims in the past in their ongoing campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, the online video bolstered the claim, particularly after two recent claims by the Houthis included no evidence.

Other videos showed armed rebels gathered around the flaming wreckage, a propeller similar to those used by the armed drone visible in the flames. One attempted to pick up a piece of the metal before dropping it due to the heat.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, identified the drone as an MQ-9, without elaborating on how he came to the determination. He said it was the third downed by the group in a week, though the other two claims did not include similar video or other evidence. The U.S. military similarly has not acknowledged losing any aircraft.

Saree said the Houthis used a locally produced missile. However, Iran has armed the rebels with a surface-to-air missile known as the 358 for years. Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in seaborne shipments heading to Yemen despite a United Nations arms embargo.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemen for years.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

Those attacks include a barrage that struck the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea. Salvagers have begun towing away the burning oil tanker, hoping to avoid a catastrophic leak of its 1 million barrels of oil on board.