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Air (Page 4)

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The primary mission of the MQ-1 Predator is interdiction and conducting armed reconnaissance against critical, perishable targets. When the MQ-1 is not actively pursuing its primary mission, it provides reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of the Joint Forces commander.
Q-1

Is The U.S. Flying MQ-1 Predator Drones Again?

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 1, 2026

Standoff Jamming (SOJ) platforms are high-value assets that suppress adversary air defence radars, disrupt command and control cycles, and interfere with communications by conducting deception and noise jamming from long ranges without entering hostile airspace. By doing so, they create corridors through which friendly air forces can penetrate enemy airspace. The effective employment of these platforms has become an undeniable reality of modern warfare, acting as a force multiplier and generating powerful asymmetric effects.
Turkish Air Force

Turkey’s Secretive Electronic Warfare Jet Appears In New Imagery

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jun 1, 2026

Boeing is now conducting test flights of its MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone out over the Pacific from the U.S. Navy's base in Point Mugu, California.
MQ-28

MQ-28 Ghost Bat Now Flying Over The Pacific From U.S. Navy Base

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 28, 2026

A recent video out of Russia once again highlights the drastic efforts being taken to provide Moscow with additional air defense coverage against the threat of long-range Ukrainian drones. While we have seen examples of the Pantsir short-range air defense system installed on buildings in Moscow before now, the footage shows the counter-drone-optimized SMD-E variant being lifted on top of a skyscraper by helicopter.
Russian Air Force

New Counter-Drone Optimized Pantsir Air Defense System Being Deployed Atop Skyscrapers In Moscow

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 28, 2026

The use of high-altitude balloons is becoming ever-more routine for U.S. Army units in the Pacific.

Army Wants More Sensor-Laden Surveillance Balloons Over The Pacific

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 28, 2026

It will take years to replace several advanced weapons systems used in the Iran war, according to a new report.
U.S. Air Force

Severity Of America’s Depleted Advanced Weapons Stockpiles Detailed In New Report

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 28, 2026

A timeline has been provided a timeline for the arrival of Saab Gripen fighters in Ukraine, with the first jets to be delivered early next year. Significantly, as well as getting another modern Western combat jet, Ukraine expects to receive highly capable Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced.
Gripen

Ukrainian Gripen Fighters To Arrive In 2027, Long-Range Meteor Missiles Claimed To Be Included

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 28, 2026

Concept artwork of the NGF future fighter. Dassault Aviation
Fighters

Airbus Looks To Sweden’s Saab As Europe’s Sixth-Gen Fighter Plans Unravel

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 27, 2026

Navy Super Hornet adversary F/A-18E
F/A-18E/F

F/A-18 Super Hornets Eyed To Replace Navy’s Remaining F-5 Adversaries

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 27, 2026

Israeli troops are turning to fishing nets for protection against Hezbollah FPV drones.
Unmanned

Israeli Troops Turn To Fishing Nets For Protection Against Hezbollah FPV Drones

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 27, 2026

The cost to connect each of the U.S. military's Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) one-way attack drones to SpaceX's Starshield communications network is approximately $25,000 a month, according to a new report.
Airborne Communications

Cost To Link LUCAS Kamikaze Drones To Starlink Highlights Pentagon’s Ever-Growing Dependence On SpaceX

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on May 27, 2026

Another battle-damaged KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jet arrived at RAF Mildenhall.
KC-135

Another Battle Damaged KC-135 Tanker Seen Passing Through RAF Mildenhall

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 26, 2026

Less than a year after we got our first proper look at China’s wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft, dubbed the ‘Bohai Sea Monster,’ the aircraft has appeared again, with evidence that it has a combat role, likely including launching weapons. We can also confirm that, contrary to some earlier assessments, the craft is powered by four turboprop engines, rather than turbofans. The possibility of propeller engines is something that we had raised in previous coverage.
Air

China’s “Bohai Sea Monster” Reappears With Apparent Weapons Hardpoints

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 25, 2026

The U.S. Air Force plans to send a new version of the glider-like Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) drone with a turbocharged engine to the Middle East for an operational evaluation.
U.S. Air Force

USAF’s New Turbocharged ULTRA Surveillance Drones Are Heading To The Middle East

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 25, 2026

On the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the de Havilland Canada Chipmunk basic trainer, an aircraft that generations of British military pilots learned to fly, it’s worth recalling perhaps the most unusual episodes of its career. Between 1956 and 1989, a handful of these propeller-driven trainers kept watch on Warsaw Pact forces in the divided and heavily fortified city of Berlin — a front line of the Cold War.
Royal Air Force

The Tiny Chipmunk Trainer Was The Cold War’s Most Unlikely Spyplane

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 24, 2026

The U.S. military has finally released video footage said to show an Air National Guard F-16 shooting down an unidentified object over Lake Huron back in 2023.
F-16

We Finally See The Mysterious Object Shot Down By F-16s Over Lake Huron

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 22, 2026

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft approaches an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft for aerial refueling in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026.
A-10

A-10 Warthog’s New Aerial Refueling Probe Is Now Operational In The Middle East

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 22, 2026

Two MH-47G Chinook helicopters assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), refuel mid-air during Arctic Edge 24 over the Arctic Ocean, Mar. 9, 2024. During AE24, more than 400 joint and allied Special Operators trained in extreme cold conditions to sharpen SOF readiness across unique specialties like long range fires and movements, special reconnaissance, rapid resupply, personnel recovery, and medical care in the austere Arctic environment. AE24 is a NORAD and U.S. Northern Command-led homeland defense exercise demonstrating the U.S. military’s capabilities in extreme cold weather, joint force readiness, and U.S. military commitment to mutual strategic security interests in the Arctic region.
MH-47

Night Stalker MH-47 Chinooks May Get Aerial Refueling Tanker Role

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 21, 2026

Shield AI, the defense-tech company building state-of-the-art autonomy software and aircraft, today announced that the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW R&E) has selected Shield AI to integrate its Hivemind autonomy software onto the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), a new class of low-cost, one-way attack drones often referred to as kamikaze drones designed to operate in large numbers.
Air

U.S. Military’s Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drone Clone Is Getting Hivemind Swarming Capability

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on May 21, 2026

Plans for a new tranche of upgrades for U.S. Army special operations MH-60M Black Hawk helicopters are heavily tied to continued progress, or lack thereof, on an improved engine.
160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

New Engines Key To Night Stalker MH-60M Black Hawk Upgrade Plans

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 21, 2026

An Eurofighter (back) and a Taurus are seen during the Defence Summit 2026 at Airbus Defence and Space GmbH in Manching, Bavaria, southern Germany, on May 20, 2026.
Typhoon

Germany Unveils Latest Tranche 4 Eurofighter

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 20, 2026

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is in the early stages of the search for a replacement for the C-146 Wolfhound cargo plane.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)

Hunt For C-146 Wolfhound Special Ops Transport Plane Replacement Underway

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 20, 2026

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is moving to demonstrate a new, fully integrated extended-range strike capability for the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship.
AC-130

AC-130J Gunship With Mini Cruise Missiles Paired With AESA Radar To Undergo Tests

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 19, 2026

Su57 two seat model seen in first official images during its first flight.
Su-57

Russia’s New Two-Seat Su-57 Felon Takes Its First Flight

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 19, 2026

DZYNE Technologies has shared new details about its recently unveiled lower-cost Blitz drone and the accompanying containerized BlitzBox launch system.
Unmanned

BlitzBox Packs 100 Weaponized Drones Into An Unassuming Container

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on May 19, 2026

B-1B weapons
B-1

B-1B’s Future Armament According To Its Test Pilot

By Tyler Rogoway, Jamie Hunter

Posted on May 19, 2026

An OA-1K Skyraider II comes in for a landing on a dirt path July 10 on the Eglin Air Force Base, Florida range. The new Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft continues developmental testing with the 96th Test Wing and the U.S. Special Operations Command at Eglin.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)

Plan To Test OA-1K Skyraider II’s Rapid Deployability Outlined By Air Force Special Ops Command

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 19, 2026

Imagery has emerged that appears to show a previously unknown two-seat version of the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon, Russia’s latest frontline fighter. Provided the available photo is legitimate, and there is nothing obvious to suggest otherwise, at this point, Russia would join China as the only other nation actively developing a two-seat fifth-generation fighter. While the exact role of China’s two-seat J-20 version remains the subject of debate, it is noteworthy that Russia’s use of dual-seat tactical jets is well-established, and that Sukhoi had previously drafted a two-seat Felon specifically for an Indian requirement.
Su-57

Two-Seat Variant Of Russia’s Su-57 Felon Fighter Materializes

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 18, 2026

Ukraine's new glide bomb is entering service.
Su-24

Ukraine’s Homegrown Glide Bomb Breaks Cover

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 18, 2026

Growler Demo Team
EA-18G

Navy EA-18G Growlers Collide At Idaho Air Show (Updated)

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 18, 2026

Engine mechanics from the 149th Maintenance Squadron, Texas Air National Guard perform an engine change on an F-16 Fighting Falcon during Salitre 2014, Oct. 13, at Cerro Moreno Air Force Base, near Antofagasta, Chile. Salitre is a Chilean-led exercise where the U.S., Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, focus on increasing interoperability between allied nations.
A-4

Argentina Retires Its A-4 Fightinghawks

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 15, 2026

The first picture of the U.S. military's new AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) has emerged.
F/A-18E/F

Secretive AIM-260 Air-To-Air Missile Finally Breaks Cover

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 15, 2026

Inside Ukraine's Shahed interceptor program.
Unmanned

Inside Ukraine’s Interceptor Drone Innovations Swatting Down Thousands Of Russian Shaheds

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 15, 2026

Israel has signed a contract with Cyclone, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems, to develop and integrate an extended-range capability for the F-35 “Adir” fighter aircraft.
F-35A

Israel’s F-35s Are Getting External Fuel Tanks

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 14, 2026

An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft piloted by Airmen from the 556 Test and Evaluation Squadron flies over the Nevada Test and Training Range and performs live-fire exercises with Air-to-Ground Missile-114 Hellfire missiles and Guided Bomb Unit-12 Paveway IIs, Aug. 30, 2023. The 556 TES performs all software and physical testing to improve the combat capabilities of the MQ-9 Reaper.
Q-9

MQ-9 Reaper Replacement Requirements Stress A Drone Cheap Enough To Risk Losing

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on May 13, 2026

Facing with a growing threat from Hezbollah, the IDF is building its own drone factory.
Unmanned

Israel Building Factory To Pump Out Its Own FPV Drones

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 13, 2026

The Pentagon says it is working to amend its proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget to request new funding for the E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft.
E-3

Pentagon’s Mindset On E-7 Radar Aircraft It Tried To Axe Has Completely Changed: Hegseth

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 12, 2026

Gdynia, Poland 28th, July 2014 Scenes at the 43rd Polish Naval Air Base airport in Gdynia - Babie Doly. The Naval Aviation Brigade has been established in 1994 and it is the only naval aviation tactical unit in The Polish Military. The objective of Naval Aviation Brigade is to conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search-and-rescue (SAR), reconnaissance, ecological and transport operations. The Navy aircraft and helicopters are stationed and operations from three airfields located in Gdynia Babie Doly, Siemirowice and Darlowo. PZL M28B Bryza aircraft sits at the airbase.
Polish Air Force

Drone-Hunting M28 Skytruck In The Works For Poland

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 12, 2026

The ARRW program has not only reemerged from purgatory, with missiles being ordered for operational use, but a new variant is on the horizon.
ARRW

New Version Of Bomber-Launched ARRW Hypersonic Missile Is A Ship Killer

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 12, 2026

A Pilatus PC-12 from the 318th Special Operations Squadron practices touch-and-go maneuvers at Truth or Consequences, N.M., January 24, 2019. The 318th Squadron primarily flies with the U-28A aircraft, however they use the PC-12 as a practice aircraft. (U.S. photo by Airman 1st Class Vernon R. Walter III)
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)

U.S. Air Force Special Operations Aircraft Accused Of Austrian Airspace Incursion

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 12, 2026

The MQ-9 Reaper has become the latest platform to test-fire the laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rocket. The trials, conducted with the U.S. Air Force, involved the MQ-9 employing the APKWS in its original air-to-ground capacity, as well as against aerial targets.
Q-9

MQ-9 Reaper Fires Laser-Guided Rockets In Tests

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on May 11, 2026

The U.S. Air Force says it does not expect the last of its huge C-5M Galaxy cargo planes to be replaced by a Next-Generation Airlift (NGAL) platform until Fiscal Year 2050.
C-5

C-5 Galaxies Now Slated To Keep Flying Until 2050 As Readiness Plummets To 37 Percent

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 11, 2026

DARPA is exploring capabilities to support a largely self-sustaining "autonomous constellation" of containerized systems designed to launch and recover networked swarms consisting of as many as 500 drones at once.
Unmanned

Drone Swarms Packed Into Unassuming Containers Sought By DARPA

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 9, 2026

The Air Force is now looking to conduct a formal review of its requirements to see whether the development of a successor to the B-52 might be warranted, and potentially sooner rather than later.
B-52

USAF Is Going To Explore What Will Finally Replace The B-52

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 7, 2026

An F-14D Tomcat pulls up after performing a fly-by past the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) as the ship operates in the Atlantic Ocean on June 19, 2006.
F-14

My God… The F-14 Tomcat May Actually Fly Again Over The United States (Updated)

By Thomas Newdick, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 7, 2026

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, specially painted to mark 40 years since Operation Eldorado Canyon, the raid on Libya, has taken to the air.
F-15

Camouflaged F-15E Painted To Mark F-111’s Libya Raid Blasts Through Mach Loop On First Flight

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 7, 2026

U.S. Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet blasted an Iranian ship running the blockade.(
F/A-18E/F

F/A-18 Super Hornet Blasts Blockade-Running Iranian Ship’s Rudder With 20mm Cannon (Updated)

By Howard Altman

Updated on May 6, 2026

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer performs a functional check flight in a stripped, bare-metal configuration over Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Feb. 26, 2026. The aircraft was undergoing depot maintenance after being removed from long-term storage and is part of an effort to return the bomber to service.
B-1

B-1B “Apocalypse II” Out Of The Boneyard And Back In Service

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 6, 2026

Northrop Grumman's experimental XRQ-73 Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) hybrid-electric drone has now taken to the skies.
U.S. Air Force

DARPA’s XRQ-73 Hybrid-Electric Flying Wing Drone Has Flown

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 6, 2026

The compact version of the AIM-9X is being developed with a focus on increased magazine depth when carried internally by "advanced aircraft," while also offering improved range and performance.
U.S. Air Force

Smaller AIM-9X Sidewinder For Stealthy Weapons Bays Is In Development

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 5, 2026

Among the latest products from Turkey’s prolific defense industry is a missile apparently directly inspired by the secretive AGM-114R9X variant of the widely used Hellfire, the effects of which TWZ was the first to identify back in 2017. Named Neşter, Turkish for scalpel, the new missile features the same kind of pop-out, sword-like blades as used on the AGM-119R9X, a weapon popularly dubbed “Flying Ginsu” or “Ninja” due to its unusual capabilities.
AGM-114 Hellfire

Turkey Developing Its Own Bladed ‘Ginsu’ Precision Guided Munition

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 5, 2026

Iranian small boats sunk by apache.
AH-64

U.S. AH-64 Apache, MH-60 Seahawk Helicopters Sink Six Iranian Boats (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Updated on May 4, 2026

Israel’s first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker — now given the Hebrew name Gideon, after a biblical judge and military leader — has completed its first flight in the United States, with delivery expected soon. As we have discussed in the past, new tankers and additional refueling capacity are something the Israeli Air Force increasingly needs.
KC-46

Israel’s First KC-46 Tanker Is Now Flying

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 4, 2026

The U.S. Air Force says the first B-52 to receive new F130 engines is set to be delivered to Boeing's facility in San Antonio, Texas, to begin the modification process later this year.
B-52

First B-52 To Arrive For Re-Engining At Boeing Plant Later This Year (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 4, 2026

As it continues its very high tempo of operations in the Middle East, the Israeli Air Force is set to get two new fighter squadrons, one each of the F-15IA and the stealthy F-35I Adir. While the numbers involved were not stated, the IAF has recently bolstered its fighter inventory in the form of 25-aircraft squadrons. This is almost certain to be the case here, too, which would provide the service with an eventual total of 100 F-35Is and 50 F-15IAs.
F-15

Israel To Buy Extra F-15IA And F-35I Squadrons

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 3, 2026

Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game?
Unmanned

Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game?

By Jamie Hunter

Posted on May 3, 2026

A donated Qatari 747-8i has been modified and flight tested to serve as an Air Force One and will be delivered to the Presidential Airlift Group by this summer, according to the Air Force.
Air Force One

New VC-25B Air Force One “Bridge” Aircraft Now Fully Modified And Flight Tested

By Howard Altman

Updated on May 1, 2026

Two Massive Chinese Stealth Flying Wings Spotted Again at Secretive Drone Base
People's Liberation Army Air Force (China)

China’s Massive Stealth Flying Wings Spotted Together At Secretive Test Base

By Tyler Rogoway, Ian Ellis-Jones

Updated on May 1, 2026

The Department of Energy is seeking millions of dollars for work in part on a new bunker-busting nuclear weapon called the Nuclear Deterrent System-Air-delivered (NDS-A) in its latest budget request.
U.S. Air Force

New Nuclear Bunker Buster Bomb Plans Revealed (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 1, 2026

A U.S. Air Force E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node aircraft assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron sits parked after participating in an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) integration exercise at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, March 24, 2021. Globally integrated ISR capabilities ensure U.S. and partner forces carry out mission requirements with great situational awareness of the battlespace.
E-11

Air Force Wants To Axe Its E-11A BACN Communications Jets

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 30, 2026

For the first time, as far as we know, the U.S. Air Force has publicly released imagery showing a B-1B Lancer bomber carrying an AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon hypersonic missile, or ARRW.
B-1

B-1B Seen Carrying ARRW Hypersonic Missile For The First Time

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 30, 2026

The IDF is now using netting on vehicles to protect against Hezbollah FPV drones.
Unmanned

Israel Now Using Netting To Protect Combat Vehicles Against Scourge Of Hezbollah Drones

By Howard Altman

Posted on Apr 30, 2026

U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 461, Marine Aircraft Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and U.S. Navy Sailors prepare to land a CH-53K King Stallion helicopter during UNITAS 2025, aboard the San Antonio class amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24), off the coast of North Carolina, Sept. 25, 2025. UNITAS, which is Latin for “unity,” was conceived in 1959 and has taken place annually since first conducted in 1960. This year marks the 66th iteration of the world’s longest running annual multinational maritime exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Orlanys Diaz Figueroa)
CH-53K

Confidence In CH-53K King Stallion Grows Ahead Of First Operational Deployment

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 29, 2026

China is America's military equal now and in any future fight, warns a top Marine general.
People's Liberation Army Air Force (China)

China is America’s Military Equal Now And In Any Future Fight, Marine General Warns

By Howard Altman

Posted on Apr 29, 2026