Air Forces (Page 4)

Updated on Jun 18, 2025

U.S. Air Force Fighters Deploy To Reinforce Middle East

Posted on Jun 17, 2025

28 tankers were sent out over the Atlantic heading east tonight.

Armada Of USAF Tankers Just Deployed East Over Atlantic Spurring Speculation (Updated)

Updated on Jun 16, 2025

Iranian Air Force

Iranian F-14 ‘Persian Tomcats’ Obliterated In Israeli Airstrike

Posted on Jun 16, 2025

The Israeli military claims it has destroyed one third of Iran’s long-range surface-to-surface missile launchers since the start of the conflict. For now, however, Iran is still launching missile strikes against Israel, with overnight attacks having killed at least eight people, according to Israeli sources.

One Third Of Iran’s Long-Range Missile Launchers Destroyed, Israel Claims (Updated)

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 16, 2025

Israel is now attacking Iranian energy facilities after warning it would if Iran didn't stop hitting Israeli urban areas.

Israel Escalates To Attacking Iranian Energy Targets After Ballistic Missiles Hit Tel Aviv (Updated)

Updated on Jun 15, 2025

Mysterious chinese flying wing aircraft that could be the H-20 bomber appears in satellite image.

Massive Stealth Flying Wing Emerges At Secretive Chinese Base

Updated on Jun 14, 2025

Israeli officials are warning that the strikes that began to be launched against Iran overnight are just the start phase of a wider operation.

Israel’s Operation To Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program Enters New Phase (Updated)

Updated on Jun 13, 2025

Israel Launches Operation Rising Lion To Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program (Updated)

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jun 13, 2025

A Dassaullt Rafale fighter and two Dassault Falcon business jets are on display 21 June 2001 at the 44th Paris-Le Bourget Air show, billed as the biggest ever event of its kind, bringing together 1800 exhibitors from the aviation industry from 43 countries.

French Air Force

Rafale Reemerges With Conformal Fuel Tanks

Posted on Jun 12, 2025

APKWS rockets were kept from Ukraine to be used to defend US in the Middle East.

Counter-Drone Weapons Diverted From Ukraine To Middle East Amid Rising Tensions, Hegseth Confirms

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

The proven and in-production E-7 Wedgetail, based on the Boeing 737 and serving with multiple allies, was supposed to bridge the gap between the E-3's retirement and pushing the mission to space-based distributed satellite constellations. Now, if the administration gets its wish, that won't happen. The E-7 will be cancelled and the Navy's E-2D Hawkeye will step in to fill the gap.

E-2 Hawkeye Replaces USAF E-3 Sentry, E-7 Cancelled In New Budget

By Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

Newly emerged video footage purportedly shows the destruction of a Ukrainian drilling rig in the Black Sea by a supersonic cruise missile launched by a Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bomber.

Russian Cruise Missile Strikes Ukrainian-Controlled Black Sea Drilling Platform

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Updated on Jun 10, 2025

Newly released footage records the unique formation flight over Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Air Base last November, which brought together U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and Soviet-era MiG-21 and MiG-29 jets. The four-ship took to the skies to mark the passing of Col. Gail Peck (ret.), the former commander of the legendary 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron “Red Eagles” that conducted highly classified missions using Soviet combat jets in the late 1970s and 1980s.

F-22s Fly Alongside MiGs To Commemorate Founder Of America’s Secret Soviet Fighter Squadron

Posted on Jun 9, 2025

Claims Swirl Around Russian Su-35S Flanker Shootdown

Posted on Jun 9, 2025

Germany plans to buy Joint Strike Missile (JSM) cruise missiles from Norway, to arm its forthcoming fleet of F-35A stealth fighters. While these jets were primarily chosen as launch platforms for U.S.-owned nuclear gravity bombs, under a long-standing NATO agreement, Germany is increasingly viewing the F-35A as part of an expanding conventional long-range strike arsenal.

Luftwaffe

German F-35s Will Be Armed With Stealthy Joint Strike Missiles

Posted on Jun 5, 2025

New satellite imagery and an official video has revealed more about the scale of destruction and damage inflicted on Russian airfields in Ukraine’s unprecedented covert drone attacks last weekend. Today, the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, which carried out the drone attacks, published previously unreleased drone footage showing the attacks underway.

Confirmed Losses Of Russian Aircraft Mount After Ukrainian Drone Assault

Updated on Jun 4, 2025

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery that TWZ has exclusively obtained from ICEYE points to multiple Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers having been damaged or destroyed at Belaya Air Base.

Latest On Russian Aircraft Loss Assessments From Ukrainian Drone Strikes

Posted on Jun 3, 2025

The future of Russia's bomber fleet after Ukraine's mass drone attack.

What Ukraine’s Unprecedented Drone Attack Means For Russia’s Bomber Force

Updated on Jun 2, 2025

China’s J-36 Very Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet Photographed Head-On For First Time

Posted on May 31, 2025

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) claims it show down a Russian jet target drone converted to be a weapon.

Weaponized Russian Jet-Powered Target Drone Shot Down Over Black Sea: Ukraine

Posted on May 30, 2025

Boeing’s F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter has been pitched to Japan by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to reports. The idea of an export-configured F-47 was brought up by Trump when he announced Boeing’s win in the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned combat jet initiative. Meanwhile, Japan is apparently also looking at increasing its buy of F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters, prompted by concerns over the timeline for the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a sixth-generation combat jet being pursued jointly by Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Japan Air Self Defense Force

Trump Offers F-47 Sixth-Gen Fighter To Japan: Reports

Posted on May 30, 2025

Pilot-optional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters could be coming in the future as Lockheed Martin looks for ways to ensure the jets remain relevant for decades to come.

What We Just Learned A More Advanced “Ferrari” F-35 Could Include

By Thomas Newdick, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 30, 2025

Israel has used a new air defense laser to shoot down Hezbollah drones in the current conflict in the Middle East, it has been confirmed. What is described as an adapted version of the Iron Beam system made its combat debut last October and the definitive version should be fielded by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later this year, joining an already formidable, layered air defense network.

Israel’s Iron Beam Laser Air Defense System Has Downed Enemy Drones

Posted on May 29, 2025

Saab of Sweden is pitching its GlobalEye multi-sensor surveillance plane to Canada, which is searching for a new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) capability. While the GlobalEye will face stiff competition from the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, which had been selected by the U.S. Air Force and NATO, among others, the Swedish solution will be combined with a Canadian-made Bombardier Global 6000/6500 airframe.

Royal Canadian Air Force

Saab GlobalEye Set To Challenge Boeing E-7 As Canada’s New Radar Plane

Posted on May 28, 2025

Hybrid-Electric GHOST Strike-Recon Drone In The Works For USAF

Posted on May 28, 2025

Announced today, the Quarterhorse Mk 1 first took to the air last week at Edwards Air Force Base, California, when it “achieved stable flight and landed smoothly,” according to the company. “Mk 1's flight validated our rapid, iterative approach to airplane development and advanced our mission to radically accelerate aviation,” Hermeus added.

Air Forces

First Flight For Quarterhorse Prototype That Aims To Lead To A Reusable Hypersonic Jet

Posted on May 28, 2025

Aircraft like the KJ-3000 help Chinese forces extend and support anti-access and area denial bubbles, including around the mainland, Taiwan, and the hotly contested South China Sea, as well as project power further afield.

China’s New KJ-3000 Airborne Early Warning Radar Jet Seen In Detail In New Image

Posted on May 27, 2025

Adding APKWS II to the F-15E's arsenal is an unsurprising development that would turn the Strike Eagle into a counter-drone and counter-cruise missile arsenal ship.

F-15E Spotted Packing Big Laser-Guided Rocket Arsenal Ideal For Drone Hunting

Posted on May 23, 2025

Russia is introducing new nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles as part of an overall expansion of its nuclear forces, according to an assessment from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA. While nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles were part of the Soviet Union’s armory during the Cold War, their current status within the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), is little-known, which makes the disclosure from this U.S. intelligence agency all the more intriguing.

Russia Fielding New Nuclear-Armed Air-To-Air Missiles: U.S. Intel

Posted on May 21, 2025

F-15E Strike Eagles To Leave England For Good

Posted on May 21, 2025

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin today discussed the potential of a new version of the prolific F-16, a so-called Block 80, as a way of increasing the combat mass of the service in the future. While the Air Force doesn’t at this point have a plan to start buying Vipers again, it’s certainly interesting that the topic is up for discussion, especially with the service looking hard at how it will balance its next-generation fighter requirements, while introducing the F-47 crewed stealth fighter and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones.

Air Force Chief Responds To Possibility Of Buying New ‘Block 80’ F-16s

Posted on May 20, 2025

Additional F-15E Strike Eagles Arrive In Diego Garcia

Updated on May 19, 2025

We now have our first look at an actual prototype of General Atomics' YFQ-42A 'fighter drone.'

Our First Look At The YFQ-42 ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Updated on May 19, 2025

Russia has followed Ukraine’s lead in adapting the propeller-driven Yak-52 primary training aircraft as an ad-hoc drone-killer. The Yak-52B2 includes a sensor turret to help detect long-range one-way attack drones and has a shotgun mounted under the wing for shooting them down. While it appears that Ukrainian Yak-52s have had some success in the counter-drone role, the appearance of the Yak-52B2 provides more evidence of the pressure that Ukrainian drone strikes are placing on Russia’s traditional air defenses.

Russia Testing Shotgun-Armed Yak-52 Trainer Aircraft To Down Ukrainian Drones

Posted on May 19, 2025

The first production example of the new B61-13 nuclear bomb has been completed roughly a year ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Far More Powerful B61-13 Guided Nuclear Bomb Variant Joins U.S. Stockpile

Posted on May 19, 2025

As the dust settles, for now, on the latest clashes between India and Pakistan, it’s clear that the nations’ respective air forces played a very active role in the fighting. At this stage, details of what happened are still extremely hard to come by, with seemingly endless claims and counterclaims, especially around possible shootdowns, and very little in the way of verifiable facts about how the air-to-air engagements played out. However, many observers are already pointing to the potentially significant impact of the Pakistan Air Force’s Chinese-made Chengdu J-10C multirole fighters, as well as their vaunted PL-15 air-to-air missiles.

China’s J-10C Fighter: Separating Myth From Reality

Posted on May 15, 2025

Trump Wants A Twin-Engine “F-55” Version Of The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Posted on May 15, 2025

Air-Launched ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft Being Eyed By Air Force

Updated on May 13, 2025

Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt General Rajiv Ghai with Air Marshal AK Bharti, Vice Admiral AN Pramod during a press conference on 'Operation Sindoor' at National Media Centre, on May 12, 2025 in New Delhi, India. Senior officers from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force addressed the nation, revealing details of Operation Sindoor, a coordinated military strike carried out on May 7 targeting terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province. Officers confirmed that over 100 terrorists were killed during the operation. The strikes were launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.

Claims Swirl As India And Pakistan Assess Results Of Latest Conflict

Updated on May 13, 2025

Ukraine’s military intelligence service has released details of a new Russian cruise missile, the S8000 Banderol, which it claims makes extensive use of components sourced from foreign manufacturers, including in the United States. Unusually, the missile was apparently developed for launch from drones and has reportedly already been used in combat in the war in Ukraine.

New Small Russian Cruise Missile Captured By Ukrainian Intelligence

Updated on May 12, 2025

USAF Wants Collaborative Aircraft Fleet To Stress Parts Commonality For Forward Operations

Posted on May 9, 2025

Satellite imagery indicates that there are now 10 U.S. heavy bombers – six stealthy B-2s and four B-52s – on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

B-52s Join B-2s On Diego Garcia,10 Bombers Now At Indian Ocean Island

Updated on May 8, 2025

Reports of the air war that’s been taking place between India and Pakistan in recent days suggest what may well be the most intense series of aerial engagements for decades. While it’s still very hard to obtain confirmed details of this combat, which some sources state has involved more than a hundred fighters simultaneously, we do, at least, know what kinds of air-to-air missiles (AAMs) are available to the Indian and Pakistan Air Forces.

The Air-To-Air Missiles That Equip India And Pakistan’s Fighters

Posted on May 8, 2025

The air war currently unfolding between India and Pakistan is exceedingly murky, but one aspect that seems almost certain is the use of the Chinese-made PL-15 active-radar-guided air-to-air missile (AAM) by Pakistan. So far, Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian aircraft and at least one Indian official has reportedly confirmed the crash of three aircraft but cautioned that the reasons were not clear. Unverified imagery suggests that one of the Indian Air Force’s prized Rafale multirole fighters may have been shot down. Regardless, the fighting between the two nuclear-armed states is the most intense for decades, now with the growing risk of the situation spiraling further out of control.

China’s PL-15 Air-To-Air Missile Appears To Have Been Used In Combat For The First Time

Updated on May 7, 2025

Can The OA-1K Skyraider II Actually Be Useful In A Pacific Fight?

Posted on May 6, 2025

A CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron approaches the air-refueling receptacle of an MC-130 Commando II during a night flight at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, Sept. 12, 2024. The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that combines a helicopter's vertical takeoff, hover, and vertical landing qualities with the long-range, fuel efficiency, and speed characteristics of a turboprop aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gracelyn Hess)

Electronic Warfare Lessons From Ukraine Informing Air Force Special Operations Future

Updated on May 5, 2025

Small missile for CCA and fighter aircraft sought by USAF.

Air Force Looking For Cheap Air-To-Air Missile Half The Size Of AMRAAM

Posted on May 5, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a model of Air Force One on the table, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Is An ‘Interim’ Air Force One Replacement Even Feasible?

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on May 2, 2025

Our First Look At The YFQ-44A ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Updated on May 1, 2025

F-16 Fighting Falcons sit in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. on Jul. 30, 2010. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group is converting F-16s into usable manned or drone targets allowing Air Force to train and test new weapons platforms in the process. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios)

Ukrainian Air Force

F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Posted on May 1, 2025

Tactical airpower, and specifically the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II, are big beneficiaries of recently proposed legislation put forward by the Republican leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

F-15 Eagles Win Big In Supersized Defense Spending Bill

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 28, 2025

Royal Air Force

Tempest Future Fighter Aims For “Really Extreme Range,” Twice F-35 Payload

Posted on Apr 28, 2025

Air Force’s Next Batch Of Collaborative Combat Drones Could Be Less ‘Exquisite,’ Cheaper

Posted on Apr 24, 2025

India and Pakistan are inching toward a conflict in the wake of a deadly terror attack in Kashmir.

India-Pakistan Tensions On Verge Of Erupting After Deadly Terror Attack

Posted on Apr 24, 2025

F-47 6th Generation Fighter Future Force Size Questions Emerge

Posted on Apr 24, 2025

New Views Of China’s Next Generation Fighters

Posted on Apr 24, 2025

French Air and Space Force Rafale fighters from a nuclear-strike-tasked unit are among the aircraft taking part in a power-projection exercise including operations over Sweden, which joined NATO a little over a year ago. The latest edition of the Pégase (Pegasus) drill comes as European NATO members look at bolstering their nuclear deterrence capabilities independent of the United States, with France very much at the center of these discussions. Notably, the maneuvers are being also accompanied by an exercise in which French military aircraft were rapidly dispersed to alternative airfields, something that would be required in a large-scale conflict with Russia.

French Air Force

French Rafale Fighters Project Power Forward To Sweden

Posted on Apr 23, 2025

Northrop Grumman has blamed higher manufacturing costs for its B-21 Raider stealth bomber for a 49 percent drop in first-quarter profit. This is not the first financial hit for the B-21, with the manufacturer having disclosed a loss of nearly $1.2 billion on the program early last year. The latest news comes as U.S. Air Force officials state a need for 145 of the stealth bombers to cope with increasing threats to U.S. security.

Rising B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Costs Hit Northrop Grumman

Posted on Apr 22, 2025

China Deploys J-10 Fighters To Egypt

Updated on Apr 21, 2025

B-1B Bones Make Unprecedented Bomber Task Force Deployment To Japan

Posted on Apr 17, 2025

B-2s Have Not Dropped Massive Ordnance Penetrators On Yemen During Diego Garcia Missions: Officials

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Updated on Apr 17, 2025

J-50 tailless fighter's canopy seen for first time.

Canopy Seen Clearly On China’s Next Gen Tailless Stealth Fighter For First Time