Officials in Greece say they have formally approved the purchase of 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the United States as part of a major defense overhaul.

The Czech Republic’s government has signed an agreement with the United States to acquire 24 U.S. F-35 fighter jets as part of a deal worth about $6.6 billion, the biggest single purchase for the Czech military.

The Czech government has approved a Defense Ministry plan to acquire two dozen U.S. F-35 fighter jets in a deal worth around 150 billion Czech koruna ($6.5 billion).

The crash of an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in South Carolina over the weekend has raised numerous questions about what prompted the pilot to eject after experiencing a malfunction and how the $100 million warplane was able to keep flying pilotless for 60 miles before crashing.

A Sweden-based watchdog says global military spending grew for the eighth consecutive year in 2022 to an all-time high of $2.24 trillion.

Canada has finalized an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp. and the United States government to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets.

The Czech government has approved a bill aimed at bringing defense spending at the required NATO goal of 2% of gross domestic product as Russia's war in Ukraine continues.

Switzerland’s defense department says any delay to a planned multibillion-dollar acquisition of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets would have “grave consequences” for Swiss security.

Movie fighter pilots are depicted as highly trained military aviators with the skills and experience to defeat adversaries in thrilling aerial dogfights.

The United Arab Emirates is suspending talks on a $23 billion deal to purchase American-made F-35 planes, armed drones and other equipment, a rare dispute between Washington and a key ally in the Persian Gulf.

British Royal Navy commanders say the U.K.’s newest aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is helping to take on the “lion’s share” of operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq.

The Biden administration has put a temporary hold on several major foreign arms sales initiated by former President Donald Trump. Air Force via AP)WASHINGTON – The Biden administration has put a temporary hold on several major foreign arms sales initiated by former President Donald Trump. It called the pause “a routine administrative action” that most incoming administrations take with large-scale arms sales. In its waning months, the Trump administration authorized tens of billions of dollars in new arms sales, including announcing plans to send 50 F-35s to the UAE. Less than a month after the Nov. 10 UAE sale was announced, an effort to block the deal fell short in the Senate, which failed to halt it.

But on Wednesday the effort to turn back the arms sales failed to reach the 51-vote majority needed for passage. The Senate will take up the broader defense bill soon. Israeli officials have previously expressed some concern about an F-35 sale. On Wednesday, senators narrowly rejected one resolution to disapprove of the F-35 sales, 47-49, and the other over the sale of armed drones, 46-50, in procedural votes largely along party lines. Even after Wednesday's setback, Congress is poised to approve the sweeping annual defense bill despite Trump's objections.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had authorized the sale in keeping with the administration’s Middle East peace efforts. The notification to lawmakers follows the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE, under which the Arab states have agreed to normalize relations with Israel. Israeli officials have previously expressed some concern about an F-35 sale because it could affect the balance of military power in the region. The sale, worth up to $23.37 billion, includes 50 F-35s, 18 advanced armed drone systems and a package of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. At the time Israeli officials denied they had agreed to the sale but later dropped public objections to it.