Pilots from Malaysia and the US have joined forces for Cope Taufan 06—a three-week air-to-air training exercise, designed to sharpen air combat tactics and build closer relations between the Pacific allies. Cope Taufan—Taufan meaning “big storm” in Malaysian—is a biannual exercise by the Royal Malaysian Air Force, with this year’s installment including eight USAF F-15s and more than 114 maintainers, munition handlers, and pilots. The RMAF is participating with MiG-29 Fulcrums, Hawk 208s, and the F/A-18 Hornet.
Air Force senior statesmen explained the reasons they jointly sent a letter to Congress urging restoration of the E-7 Wedgetail and more F-35s to the fiscal 2026 defense budget.