Middle East • The Defense Post

Sep- 2026 -

18 September

An F-35A, in flight above the Mojave Desert in California, January 6, 2023. A developmental test team from the 461st Flight Test Squadron conducted the first flight of an F-35 in the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) configuration at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The 50-minute flight, which took the jet to 35,000 feet at speeds just shy of the speed of sound above the desert, marked the start of an extensive flight test campaign. TR-3 provides the computational horsepower to support modernized Block 4 capabilities. The F-35 Joint Program Office is the Department of Defense's focal point for the 5th-generation strike aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marines, and our allies. The F-35 is the premier multi-mission, 5th-generation weapon system. Its ability to collect, analyze and share data is a force multiplier that enhances all assets in the battle space: with stealth technology, advanced sensors, weapons capacity, and range. The F-35 has been operational since July 2015 and is the most lethal, survivable, and interoperable fighter aircraft ever built.

US Greenlights $24.3B Sale of F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia

The US State Department has approved a foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia of 48 F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft and ancillary equipment valued at up to $24.3 billion.

18 September

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

New Israeli 4D Radar Takes On Drones Too Quiet for RF Sensors

Fiber-optic drones may fly without a radio signal, but Israeli firm Arbe Robotics said they cannot hide from its new ultra-high-resolution 4D imaging radar.

17 September

Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, California. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Samantha Alexa

Egypt Partners With Intel to Localize AI for Military Production

Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production is pushing to build domestic AI capabilities through a new agreement covering AI training, technology transfer, and the potential local assembly of edge AI systems.

16 September

Render of Loft Orbital’s AI-enabled, multi-sensor Altair satellite constellation. Image: Loft Orbital

Samantha Alexa

UAE, France Back $1B Push to Build ‘World’s Largest’ Space AI Infrastructure

A planned 50-satellite constellation will use artificial intelligence to analyze sensor data in orbit, transmitting the results to Earth.

16 September

Palestine residents crying and walking over a rubble of a building after an Israeli strike

Giulia Bernacchi

UN Demands Gaza Access for War Crimes Investigation

The UN has urged Israel to grant investigators access to Gaza, saying bodies recovered from the rubble may provide evidence of war crimes.

15 September

Christine Casimiro

Elbit, Diehl Demonstrate SkyStriker Kamikaze Drone’s Capabilities

The SkyStriker loitering munition, jointly offered to Germany by Elbit Systems and Diehl Defence under a partnership inked in June, has presented several of its capabilities in a live demonstration.

14 September

ANAVIA HT-100 Naval helicopter drone. Photo: ANAVIA/EDGE Group

Rojoef Manuel

Angola Takes Delivery of HT-100 Naval Helicopter Drones From UAE

UAE’s state enterprise EDGE Group has finalized the delivery of six ANAVIA HT-100 Naval rotary-wing unmanned aerial systems to the Angolan Navy.

14 September

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

Elbit Unveils AI-Powered Operating System to Orchestrate Air and Ground Assets

Bringing large formations of autonomous aircraft and ground vehicles under real-time coordinated control was the driving concept behind Dominion-X, a new AI-powered operating system from Elbit Systems’ FUSE.

11 September

Iranian firefighters work to recover the body of an Afghan woman from the ruins of a residential building in Tehran, Iran, on March 27, 2026.

Giulia Bernacchi

US-Israeli Strikes in Iran May Constitute War Crimes: Amnesty

US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran killed civilians and may constitute war crimes, according to a new Amnesty International investigation.

10 September

Ronald Watkins

Russia Reportedly Aiding Iran’s Development of Supersonic Cruise Missile

Russia has provided Iran with technical assistance for a program to develop supersonic cruise missile technology, potentially giving Tehran a new capability against naval and land targets, the Financial Times reported.

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