The Japanese defense ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency estimates it would cost 646.5 billion yen ($5.61 billion) to upgrade and operate 68 Mitsubishi F-15Js from 2019-49, the agency announced Feb. 4.

Two new-build Falcons will be acquired, replacing the long-serving BAe 146 regional airliners that have been used for the RAF’s Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) mission. 

The U.S. Army is expected to bear the brunt of budget cutbacks when the Pentagon’s spending plan is finally rolled out, and that could require some bold moves including ending what the service had said is its top aviation procurement priority.

The U.S. Air Force’s new head of acquisition started work Feb. 7 and he already has extensive additional duties.

The Swiss government claims that its future fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35s will have similar noise levels on an annual basis than its current fleet of fighters, despite the aircraft being measured as 3 dB louder during takeoff than the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. 

Jordan has been cleared to buy up to 16 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters in a deal worth up to $4.21 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on Feb. 3. The proposed deal, if signed by Jordan, would make the Arab kingdom the sixth customer for the latest version of the F-16.

The U.S. Air Force finally has an acquisition boss, as the Senate is moving to approve more of the pending Defense Department nominations that have been waiting for months.

A long-range U.S. special operations raid in northwestern Syria resulted in the death of the leader of the Islamic State group and the destruction of a specialized Sikorsky MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after a significant mechanical issue rendered it unsafe to complete the mission, officials announced Feb. 3.