PODCAST: Military aircraft news around the world, with the Australian Aviation editor Adam Thorn

Joint-capabilities
|
By: Robyn Tongol

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, aircraft expert and Australian Aviation editor Adam Thorn joins senior journalist and host Robert Dougherty to discuss recent international military aviation news from the Middle East, over the South China Sea, and in Australia.

In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, aircraft expert and Australian Aviation editor Adam Thorn joins senior journalist and host Robert Dougherty to discuss recent international military aviation news from the Middle East, over the South China Sea, and in Australia.

The pair discuss:

  • The Australian Defence Force’s MH90 Taipan helicopter fleet at career’s end, with a recent fatal crash during Exercise Talisman Sabre and previous struggles with a number of technical issues.
  • The United States Department of Defence reports detailing close encounters, release of flares, and dangerous manoeuvres of People’ Liberation Army fighter jets near US reconnaissance aircraft over international waters.
  • Australia’s launch of repatriation flights in the Middle East as conflict continues between Hamas and Israel. The Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules and C-17A Globemaster heavy transport aircraft have both been deployed.
  • Finally, the pair wrap up the podcast with some lighthearted analysis of the recently US-published 2023 Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena from October this year.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Defence Connect a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Defence Connect as a preferred news source.

Tags:

Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: PODCAST: Contested logistics and Australia’s defence industry priorities at Land Forces 2026, with Amentum Australia’s Kim Katheklakis
Episode 10: PODCAST: Containerised solutions and human-in-the-loop systems at Land Forces 2026, with IAI’s Maxim Zemer
Episode 9: SPOTLIGHT: Lockheed Martin Australia’s priorities, leadership and life after service, with Jeremy King
Episode 8: THE PROGRESS REPORT: Leadership, mentorship and life at sea – Commander Melanie Lennard on 17 years in the Royal Australian Navy
Episode 7: PODCAST: Australia’s munitions manufacturing push at Land Forces 2026, with NIOA Group’s Robert Nioa
Episode 6: PODCAST: EOS showcases new interceptor and layered drone defence at Land Forces 2026, with Lee Kormany
Episode 5: CONTESTED GROUND: The information advantage – how AI is reshaping influence, competition and power
Episode 4: PODCAST: Next-generation equipment at Land Forces 2026, with Aquaterro’s Graeme Bulte
Episode 3: SPOTLIGHT: Defence electronics supply chains, counterfeit components and shortages
Episode 2: PODCAST: AUKUS, China and Australia’s defence industrial future, with former prime minister Scott Morrison