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Tamir air-o-air variant

The Case For Arming Drone-Hunting Fighters With Iron Dome’s Tamir Missile

By Tyler Rogoway
May 30 3:37 PM EDT
Experimental Alpha Draco hypersonic boost-glide vehicle preparing for launch, 1959.

Alpha Draco Paved The Way In The Late 1950s For Future Hypersonic Boost-Glide Vehicles

By Oliver Parken
May 29 6:00 PM EDT
In a major new development for the Ukrainian military, Sweden is to donate it Saab 340 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft equipped with Erieye radar. The aircraft is being provided as part of Sweden’s biggest military aid package for Ukraine so far and they will bring an entirely new capability for the Ukrainian Air Force, providing much enhanced air and sea surveillance and working together with its forthcoming F-16 fighters.

Ukraine Getting Swedish Airborne Early Warning Radar Planes Is A Big Deal

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway
May 29 11:51 AM EDT
F-16 Belgium ukraine

Ukraine Situation Report: First Of 30 Belgian F-16s To Be Delivered “This Year”

By Thomas Newdick
May 28 7:24 PM EDT
An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter crashed in Albuquerque New Mexico.

F-35 Crashes In New Mexico (Updated)

By Howard Altman
May 28 6:15 PM EDT
How the A-10's Avenger cannon went from terrible to terrifying.

How The A-10’s Avenger Cannon Went From Terrible To Terrifying

By Tyler Rogoway
May 28 6:04 PM EDT
Black Flag 24-1, out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, run by the Air Force’s 53rd Wing.

Massive China-Focused Black Flag Test Exercise Flies Deep Into The Virtual Realm

By Thomas Newdick
May 28 12:39 PM EDT
Taiwan under threat during second day of Chinese drills.

China Stages Mock Strikes On Taiwan In Day 2 Of “Punishment” Exercise

By Howard Altman
May 24 6:40 PM EDT
Nearly 50 warplanes, along with ships and assets ashore, took part in the first day of what Chinese authorities have dubbed "punishment" drills encircling Taiwan following the inauguration of the island's latest President.

China’s “Punishment” Drills Around Taiwan: Day One

By Joseph Trevithick
May 23 8:52 PM EDT
B-2/B-21 comparison

B-21, B-2 Comparison Image Shows Just How Weird The Raider’s Windows Really Are

By Tyler Rogoway
May 23 7:45 PM EDT
Su-34 launches new glide bombs

Russia’s Small Diameter Bomb-Like Weapon Seen In Action For The First Time

By Thomas Newdick
May 23 6:35 PM EDT
Exercise TARTAN SPIRIT has tested, trained and integrated critical capabilities to ensure they are ready for any operational missions. From scenario driven training to Tactical Landing Zones, this Exercise takes personnel from RAF Brize Norton, the RAF’s largest station and home to the UK’s Air Mobility Force, Prestwick Airport is the Deployable Operating Base and West Freugh the Forward Operating base. II Squadron RAF Regiment deployed alongside the Air Mobility Force to further strengthen their tactics, training and techniques alongside various aircraft. These skills are essential for ensuring RAF aircraft can operate safely across the globe. By training together we continue to provide integrated and scaleable Air Force Protection capability whilst preparing all RAF personnel for the rigours of operations, providing them with critical skills to survive, operate and maintain their operational edge.

Confessions Of A C-130 Hercules Pilot

By Thomas Newdick
May 23 3:15 PM EDT
Everything We Learned About The Next Doomsday Planes For The Air Force

Everything We Learned About The Next Doomsday Planes For The Air Force

By Joseph Trevithick
May 23 12:49 PM EDT
B-21 raider first air-to-air image

First Aerial View Of B-21 Raider Offers New Insights

By Tyler Rogoway
May 22 3:56 PM EDT
The quiet closing out of the Air Force's SHiELD program and issues the Army has been having with is laser-armed DE M-SHORAD variants of the 8x8 Stryker reflect broader hurdles facing directed energy weapons of this type.

U.S. Military Laser Weapon Programs Are Facing A Reality Check

By Joseph Trevithick
May 21 3:19 PM EDT
ADM-160 MALD seen on MIG-29 in Ukraine for the first time.

ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoy Spotted On Ukrainian MiG-29

By Thomas Newdick
May 21 11:48 AM EDT
The War Zone has now obtained additional high-resolution imagery better showing the extent of the destruction at Russia's Belbek Air Base from recent Ukrainian strikes.

MiG-31 Foxhounds Confirmed Destroyed In New Imagery Of Belbek Air Base

By Joseph Trevithick
May 16 8:25 PM EDT
The Viper Demo team has painted their jet in the YF-16's scheme to commemorate the type's 50th anniversary.

Viper Demo Team Secretly Painted Jet In YF-16 Scheme To Celebrate Type’s 50th Anniversary

By Tyler Rogoway
May 15 9:04 AM EDT
Members of Congress are pushing to block the US Air Force from retiring more than half of its F-15E Strike Eagles.

Move To Block F-15E Strike Eagle Cuts Being Made In Congress

By Joseph Trevithick
May 14 2:29 PM EDT
T-6 ejection seat mishap

T-6 Pilot Dies In Ejection Seat Accident

By Oliver Parken
May 14 2:10 PM EDT
Recent imagery provides our best views so far of Russia’s modern Kh-38M air-to-ground missile, apparently employed in the war in Ukraine. Previously, various videos had been released showing airstrikes that purportedly involved Kh-38Ms, but new photos show, in some detail, the missile carried under the wing of Su-34 Fullback strike fighters, seemingly taking part in combat sorties.

Our Best Look At Russia’s Kh-38 Missile Now Being Used In Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick
May 14 1:07 PM EDT
Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has released a new rendering of a stealth tanker concept amid uncertainty about the U.S. Air Force's future tanker plans.

New Skunk Works Stealthy Tanker Concept Unveiled

By Joseph Trevithick
May 13 5:55 PM EDT
A B-2 Spirit taxis at Whiteman Air Force Base

Damaged B-2 Won’t Be Repaired, Fleet To Shrink To 19 Jets (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick
May 10 6:36 PM EDT
After an extraordinary career spanning more than 80 years of service, and plenty of wartime missions, the South African Air Force (SAAF) is preparing to retire its last C-47 Dakotas. The decision is yet to be formally announced by the SAAF but looks set to confirm the fate of the service’s Dakotas, which have now been grounded for around two years.

South Africa’s C-47 Dakotas Set For Retirement After 80 Years Of Service

By Thomas Newdick
May 10 4:54 PM EDT
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which won the contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s highly specialized Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft last month, has acquired five Boeing 747-8s from Korean Air. The likelihood is that these will be converted as the successors to the Air Force’s aging 747-200-based E-4B Nightwatch ‘doomsday planes,’ although at this stage we still don’t know how many of the new SAOC aircraft will be fielded.

Former Korean Air 747s Slated To Become USAF Doomsday Planes (Updated)

By Thomas Newdick
May 9 2:21 PM EDT
STRAIT OF SAN JUAN DE FUCA, Wash. (May 6, 2024) The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) transits the Strait of San Juan de Fuca escorted by U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and U.S. Coast Guard screening escort vessels. Joint operations, such as this one which involved the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy, ensure the U.S. military is ready to meet its security commitments at home and abroad including commitments to our allies and partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gwendelyn Ohrazda/Released)

A-10 Warthogs Escorting A Ballistic Missile Submarine Is Certainly Different

By Oliver Parken
May 8 8:28 PM EDT
KH-101s are now being fired at Ukraine with two warheads onboard.

Russia Now Firing Kh-101 Cruise Missiles Modified With Two Warheads At Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick
May 8 7:23 PM EDT
Unmanned Long-Endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft crew chiefs, assigned within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, prep an ULTRA aircraft for taxi across the flightline before an early morning takeoff at an undisclosed location, May 7, 2024. ULTRA is an unmanned aerial system capable of flight times up to 80 hours, providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to combatant commanders, with a smaller operational footprint than other UAS in its class.

Air Force’s ULTRA Long-Endurance Glider-Like Drone Is Now Operating In The Middle East

By Joseph Trevithick, Thomas Newdick
May 8 4:57 PM EDT
The Air Force new 5,000-pound-class GBU-72/B bunker buster bomb could be a future addition to the B-2 bomber's arsenal.

B-2 Spirits Could Get New 5,000-Pound Bunker Busters

By Joseph Trevithick
May 7 12:42 PM EDT
A US Air Force F-22 stealth fighter has suffered a mishap at an airport in Georgia today, May 6, 2024.

F-22 Raptor Ends Up On Its Side During Air Guard Exercise (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick
May 6 5:31 PM EDT
JDAM-ER Winged Bombs With Seekers That Home In On GPS Jammers Headed To Ukraine

JDAM-ER Winged Bombs With Seekers That Home In On GPS Jammers Headed To Ukraine

By Joseph Trevithick
May 3 8:02 PM EDT
Boeing Pitches F-15EX For Saudi Arabian Fighter Competition

Boeing Pitches F-15EX For Saudi Arabian Fighter Competition

By Thomas Newdick
May 3 5:51 PM EDT
Footage has been published, apparently for the first time, showing a Chinese H-6 bomber dropping one of the shadowy air-launched ballistic missiles known by the designation 2PZD-21. The missile is part of a growing armory of Chinese aero-ballistic missiles and is widely understood to be a ‘carrier-killer’ weapon designed to be used as part of the country’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy. However, many questions remain about the role of the weapon and its capabilities.

China’s H-6K Bomber Seen Firing Air-Launched Ballistic Missile For First Time

By Thomas Newdick
May 1 1:38 PM EDT
A 49th Wing F-16 Viper takes off Jan. 19, 2022, at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Holloman is the Air Force’s premiere training base for F-16 Viper and MQ-9 Reaper aircrew. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Adrian Salazar)

F-16 Crashes Near Holloman Air Force Base In New Mexico (Updated)

By Oliver Parken
Apr 30 4:47 PM EDT
F-35 has gotten its name from Poland.

Poland’s Future F-35s Have Been Officially Named “Husarz”

By Oliver Parken
Apr 29 10:40 PM EDT
Yak52 engages orlan drone

Ukraine May Now Be Using WWI-Style Air Combat Tactics Against Drones

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman
Apr 29 6:10 PM EDT
SAOC will replace the E-4B, now we have a better idea of what it will look like.

E-4B Doomsday Plane Replacement Concept Art Has Some Interesting Features

By Tyler Rogoway
Apr 29 4:20 PM EDT
SNC has won the competition to deliver new Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) 'doomsday planes' to succeed the Air Force's E-4B Nightwatch jets.

Job Of Building The Air Force’s Next Doomsday Planes Falls To Sierra Nevada Corp. (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick
Apr 27 9:30 PM EDT
General Atomics has now confirmed that its Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone design for the US Air Force is based on its XQ-67A.

XQ-67 Confirmed To Be A Prototype For General Atomics’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft Design

By Joseph Trevithick
Apr 26 6:17 PM EDT
The Ukrainian Air Force is using iPads, or similar tablets in the cockpits of its Soviet-era jets to enable rapid integration of modern Western air-to-ground weapons — something that TWZ predicted back in 2022. This has been confirmed by Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William LaPlante. While many questions remain about the tablet and how it works, there’s now more footage showing it fitted in cockpits.

Ukrainian Fighter Jets “Using iPads” To Control Western Weapons

By Thomas Newdick
Apr 25 7:18 PM EDT
Eglin UFO Case

Eglin AFB Pilot Likely Saw A Lighting Balloon, Not A UFO Pentagon Concludes

By Howard Altman
Apr 24 10:18 PM EDT
The US Air Force has chosen Anduril and General Atomics to move ahead in Increment 1 of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone program.

General Atomics, Anduril Move Ahead In Collaborative Combat Aircraft Drone Program (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick
Apr 24 7:31 PM EDT
Additional details about a breakthrough autonomous dogfight in September 2023 underscore significant challenges still to be addressed.

Next Big Challenge For AI Dogfighting Is Keeping Track Of Enemies Up Close

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway
Apr 24 2:59 PM EDT
South Korean F-4E launches an AGM-142 'Pop-eye' missile

F-4 Phantoms Conduct Final Popeye Missile Firing Before South Korea Bids Them Farewell

By Oliver Parken
Apr 23 6:10 PM EDT
H-20_CONCEPT_ART_PLAAF

China’s H-20 Stealth Bomber “Not Really” A Concern: U.S. Official

By Thomas Newdick
Apr 23 2:34 PM EDT
A picture has emerged purportedly showing a Chinese H-6 bomber carrying a large mystery payload underneath its fuselage.

Black Mystery Craft Spotted Slung Under Chinese H-6 Bomber

By Joseph Trevithick
Apr 22 8:39 PM EDT
Mystery missile in Iraq.

Mystery Weapon Appears In Iraqi Field After Israeli Strike (Updated)

By Tyler Rogoway
Apr 20 4:12 PM EDT
Major Damage At Russian Airbase In Crimea After Ukrainian Attack

Major Damage At Russian Airbase In Crimea After Ukrainian Attack

By Thomas Newdick
Apr 19 6:14 PM EDT
Ukraine has claimed that it shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bomber that crashed today in the Stavropol region in southern Russia. If that’s the case, it would be an unprecedented event, with Ukraine never having previously destroyed a Tu-22M3 — or any other Russian long-range bomber — in the air.

Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire Shot Down With S-200 Missile: Ukraine’s Spy Chief

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman
Apr 19 11:31 AM EDT
B-2 Spirit stealth bombers assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing taxi on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, April 15, 2024. Team Whiteman executed a mass fly-off of 12 B-2s to cap off the annual Spirit Vigilance exercise. Routine training ensures that Airmen are always ready to execute global strike operations… anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hailey Farrell)

Majority Of The B-2 Spirit Fleet Took To The Skies In A Mass Launch

By Oliver Parken
Apr 18 7:20 PM EDT
B-21 raider production still capped at 100 units as USAF looks at what could come next.

Air Force Looking At Options Beyond The B-21 Raider Is Absolutely Necessary

By Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick
Apr 18 2:18 PM EDT
F-15EX

F-15E Strike Eagle’s Defense Of Israel Bolsters The Case For F-15EX

By Tyler Rogoway
Apr 17 5:49 PM EDT
The US Air Force's unique X-62A test jet participating in a breakthrough dogfight last year while a fully autonomous mode against a crewed F-16.

AI Is Now Dogfighting With Fighter Pilots In The Air

By Joseph Trevithick
Apr 17 1:31 PM EDT
Newly-painted Kazakhstan Air Force A400M pre-delivery

Paint Job On Kazakhstan’s New A400M Looks Like A ‘Soviet’ Plane In A Bond Film

By Oliver Parken
Apr 15 7:00 PM EDT
Recently released pictures of a Bahraini Block 70 F-16D Viper undergoing testing in the United States show what one of these jets might look like one an actual combat mission.

Our First Look At An Armed-Up Block 70 F-16 Viper

By Joseph Trevithick
Apr 12 12:17 PM EDT
Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new hypersonic missile, the Mako, which it is pitching to the U.S. Navy and Air Force and which it says will potentially also be able to arm submarines and surface warships. The weapon, which was originally developed for the Air Force’s Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) program reflects growing interest in more affordable hypersonic strike weapons, smaller than cruise missiles but offering standoff range and very rapid response.

The Lowdown On Lockheed’s Newly Revealed Mako Hypersonic Missile

By Thomas Newdick
Apr 11 1:19 PM EDT
B-1B Lancer aircraft nicknamed “Lancelot,” touches down at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Feb. 8, 2024. “Lancelot” is being regenerated to the active bomber fleet after previously being retired to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Photo was redacted for security purposes.

B-1B ‘Lancelot’ Is Being Resurrected For Active Service

By Thomas Newdick
Apr 8 6:37 PM EDT
No Major Damage Seen At Russian Air Base After Drone Attack

No Major Damage Seen At Russian Air Base After Drone Attack

By Tyler Rogoway
Apr 6 4:06 PM EDT
Naha Air Base temporarily moves its F-15s in light of a tsunami warning

Japan’s Tsunami-Fleeing F-15s Took To The Road

By Oliver Parken
Apr 5 7:13 PM EDT
F-16s from Eielson AFB now 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.

F-16 Aggressor Squadron In Alaska Becomes Unique Air Defense Unit

By Tyler Rogoway
Apr 3 8:52 PM EDT
The long-running question of whether Israel will finally buy a new batch of F-15 Eagle multirole fighters looks like it might be answered sooner rather than later. The latest reports out of Washington indicate that the Biden administration is now considering whether or not to move ahead with a deal, which would likely involve as many as 50 examples of the F-15IA — an Israel-specific variant of the F-15EX.

F-15 Sale To Israel Reportedly Ready To Close, Will Gaza Change That?

By Thomas Newdick
Apr 3 7:18 PM EDT
A US-made F-16 fighter lands on the run way at the eastern Hualien air force base on January 23, 2013. The Taiwan air force demonstrated their combat skills at the Hualien air base during an annual training before the coming lunar new year.

Multiple Taiwanese F-16s Damaged In Powerful Earthquake

By Thomas Newdick
Apr 3 5:21 PM EDT
The USAF wants $1.5B in spare parts it doesn't have in its budget.

Hundreds Of Air Force Aircraft Risk Grounding Without Extra $1.5B Spare Parts Infusion

By Joseph Trevithick
Mar 28 5:36 PM EDT
India’s homegrown Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has had a tortuous development path, but investment in the program is starting to show dividends, with the first flight of the Tejas Mk 1A, a much-improved version of the jet. The Tejas Mk 1A is set to be built in considerably greater numbers than the initial Mk 1 version and, more importantly, brings a host of advanced new features.

Much Is Riding On India’s Upgraded Tejas Light Fighter After Its First Flight

By Thomas Newdick
Mar 28 2:54 PM EDT