Air (Page 5)

Posted on Sep 4, 2025

MiG-29

Ukraine Now Flying Former Azerbaijani MiG-29 Fulcrum

Posted on Sep 4, 2025

We now have our first look at a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike actually firing air-to-air optimized variants of the laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rocket.

F-15

F-15E Strike Eagle Fires Drone Killing Laser-Guided Rockets In New Images

Posted on Sep 4, 2025

The massive military parade in Beijing yesterday has provided us with a much closer look at some of the country’s new air combat drones, the gradual emergence of which, in the run-up to the event, prompted much discussion. Of these drones, one, in particular stands out, this being a stealthy tailless design that is also notably large, and which is overall indicative of high performance.

UCAVs

China Unveils Large Unmanned Stealth Fighter Design During Military Parade

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Sep 3, 2025

Air

Afghan-Specific Version Of M1117 Armored Car Looks Bound For Second Life In Ukraine

Posted on Sep 2, 2025

U.S. Air Force

Top USAF General In Pacific “Not Deterred” By Drones, Missiles To Be Showcased At Huge Chinese Parade

Posted on Sep 2, 2025

MiG-29

First Look At Ukraine’s New Glide Bomb On A MiG-29

Updated on Sep 2, 2025

Ukrainian Air Force

This Is How Ukrainian Yak-52 Crews Hunt Russian Drones

Posted on Aug 30, 2025

The Pentagon has created a new task force to speed up delivery of counter-small drone systems, but regulatory impediments remain.

New Pentagon Task Force Aims To Accelerate Drone Defense At Home And Abroad

Updated on Aug 29, 2025

Boeing has provided a new rendering for its F/A-XX proposal and it’s remarkably similar to concept artwork that has already been released for its F-47, selected for the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) ‘fighter’ initiative. While it’s important to not read too much into the final appearance of either of those aircraft, based on these concepts, the new rendering does, at least, correspond with Boeing’s previous suggestions that the F/A-XX and F-47 would incorporate some commonality.

F-47

Boeing’s New F/A-XX Next Gen Naval Fighter Concept Looks Familiar

Posted on Aug 29, 2025

Kratos has confirmed it is working together with Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) on a derivative of its jet-powered MQM-178 Firejet target drone called the Chien Feng IV.

Taiwan Teams Up With Kratos On Jet-Powered Kamikaze Drone

Posted on Aug 29, 2025

The U.S. Air Force is hoping to finally kick off flight testing of the new AN/APQ-188 radar for the B-52 shortly.

B-52

B-52 Radar Upgrade Flight Testing Expected To Finally Begin Soon

Posted on Aug 28, 2025

Individuals training to become U.S. Navy tactical jet pilots are no longer required to take off and land from aircraft carriers before being winged as Naval Aviators.

T-45

Carrier Qualifications Axed From Graduation Requirements For New Navy Fighter Pilots (Updated)

Posted on Aug 28, 2025

Footage has emerged taken from the cockpit of a Russian fighter jet, showing a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane fitted with a secretive radar pod during a mission over the Black Sea. The video underscores the growing importance of the P-8 for intelligence gathering in critical theaters such as the Black Sea, where a tense standoff continues between NATO and Russian assets, on the margins of the conflict in Ukraine.

P-8

Navy P-8 Poseidon Carrying Secretive Radar Pod Seen In Russian Fighter’s Intercept Video

Posted on Aug 27, 2025

Loyal Wingman

YFQ-42 ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft Has Flown For The First Time

Posted on Aug 27, 2025

B-21

USAF Hopeful Second B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Will Fly Before Year End

Posted on Aug 27, 2025

A suspected Ukrainian drone explosion in Estonia highlights growing concerns about long-range weapons raising the danger of collateral damage outside the war zone.

Stray Drone Striking Estonia Highlights Dangers Of Rapidly Expanding Long-Range War

Updated on Aug 26, 2025

F-35A

Dramatic F-35 Crash At Alaskan Air Base Caused By Iced-Up Landing Gear

Posted on Aug 26, 2025

Three nozzle binding incidents have cost the Air Force nearly $27 million.

KC-46

KC-46’s Refueling Boom “Nozzle Binding” Issues Are Costing The USAF Tens Of Millions In Damage

Posted on Aug 25, 2025

Washington has approved the transfer of thousands of Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) to Ukraine, which will provide the country with a powerful new and relatively low-cost standoff strike capability, it has been reported. However, it’s unclear whether Kyiv will be able to use the new air-launched weapon to strike targets deep within Russia, with unnamed U.S. officials telling the Wall Street Journal that these are off-limits, at least for the U.S.-donated Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

Ukrainian Air Force

Ukraine Will Receive First Of Thousands Of New U.S. Made Standoff Missiles In The Coming Weeks

Posted on Aug 25, 2025

F/A-XX

F/A-XX Next Generation Naval Fighter Selection Could Still Happen

Posted on Aug 25, 2025

KC-46

Israel Wants More KC-46 Pegasus Tankers To Boost Overworked Aerial Refueling Fleet

Posted on Aug 24, 2025

Naval aviators need to be able to trust any future drone wingmen as much as their human counterparts, a U.S. Navy strike fighter tactics instructor has told TWZ.

Loyal Wingman

Navy Fighter Pilots Need To Gain Trust In Pilotless Wingmen By Actually Flying With Them

Posted on Aug 22, 2025

UH-60

Colombian Black Hawk Downed By Drone Is A Glimpse Of What’s To Come (Updated)

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Aug 22, 2025

The Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has shared new insights with TWZ into its proposal to replace the U.S. Navy’s T-45 Goshawk jet trainers.

T-45

Everything We Just Learned About SNC’s Freedom Jet Trainer Aiming To Replace Navy T-45s

Posted on Aug 22, 2025

Su-27

Ukraine Shows Off ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoy On Su-27

Updated on Aug 22, 2025

The Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has rolled out a new pitch for a successor to the Navy's T-45 Goshawk jet trainers.

T-45

SNC’s Freedom Jet Enters Race To Replace Navy’s T-45 Goshawk Trainer

Posted on Aug 21, 2025

A former high-ranking FAA and White House official offers his take on the Jersey Drone scare.

Air

What Were The New Jersey Drones? Former High-Ranking FAA Official Gives His Take

Updated on Aug 21, 2025

Helicopters

China Has Cloned Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider High-Speed Helicopter

Updated on Aug 21, 2025

An MH-53K does a test lift on a HU-25 Guardian slated to be delivered to nearby Tillamook Air Museum.P

CH-53K

CH-53K’s Delivery Of HU-25 Coast Guard Jet Called Off After Damage During Test Flight

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Aug 20, 2025

The Pentagon has created a new task force to deal with the threat from small drones.

Fiber Optic FPV Drones Featured In Navy Electronic Warfare Exercise

People's Liberation Army Air Force (China)

Posted on Aug 20, 2025

A recently emerged image shows a very large, low-observable, flying-wing aircraft flying in China. While the identity of the aircraft cannot be definitively established, it matches, in many respects, the appearance of the huge drone that TWZ was first to identify in satellite imagery dating from earlier this summer, and which you can read more about here.

Large Stealth Flying Wing Aircraft Photographed Over China

Posted on Aug 20, 2025

U.S. Air Force

No U.S. Peacekeeping Forces On The Ground In Ukraine, Air Support Possible: Trump

Posted on Aug 19, 2025

The U.S. Army has opened the door to potentially acquiring new types of 70mm rockets that are similar, but different from the Hydra-70 family it employs today.

Laser Guided Rockets

Army Open To 70mm Rocket Alternatives To Shore-Up Stockpile

Posted on Aug 19, 2025

Pickle Fork-Like Stealthy Drone With Buddy Refueling Capability Being Developed By Kratos (Updated)

Updated on Aug 19, 2025

An apparently previously unknown tiltrotor aircraft has appeared in China and is already undergoing flight testing. While the program remains mysterious, it’s further evidence of growing Chinese interest in this class of aircraft. Although previous such Chinese projects have typically been pitched for civilian missions, tiltrotors have clear military applications as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to expand its reach across the Indo-Pacific region.

V-22

China’s First Crewed Tiltrotor Aircraft Is Flying

Posted on Aug 18, 2025

New views of Chinese ‘loyal wingman’ type drones, or at least mockups thereof, that are set to make their debut at a major upcoming military parade have emerged.

Glimpses Of China’s New Air Combat Drones Emerge Ahead Of Massive Military Parade

Posted on Aug 17, 2025

A former top government insider opens up about the role of foreign adversaries in U.S. base drone incursions.

FAA Insider Opens Up About Drone Incursions Over Military Bases

Updated on Aug 15, 2025

A pair of B-2 bombers touched down at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska yesterday, and more may now be headed in the same direction.

B-2

B-2 Bombers Arrive At Alaskan Airbase Putin Will Land At (Updated)

Updated on Aug 15, 2025

Ukraine has carried out an audacious drone strike on the Caspian Sea port of Olya, in Russia’s Astrakhan region, hitting one cargo vessel that Kyiv says was being used to transport arms from Iran. U.K.-based maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed to TWZ that this is the first time that a direct attack of this kind had been made on Olya and that it had resulted in one ship sunk. It also appears to be the first time that Ukraine has successfully targeted any kind of vessel in the Caspian Sea area.

Air

Ukraine Sinks Russian Cargo Ship In Caspian Sea

Posted on Aug 15, 2025

F-35B

UK F-35B Still Stranded In Japan Is Awaiting Spare Parts

Updated on Aug 14, 2025

AGM-114 Hellfire

Hellfire Missile Launcher Disguised As Civilian Truck Breaks Cover In Taiwan

Posted on Aug 14, 2025

Taiwan is testing a new external electronic countermeasures pod, reportedly due to be integrated on its F-CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF). The multirole combat aircraft has undergone a comprehensive upgrade in recent years, but until now has not had anything approaching a comprehensive electronic warfare self-protection capability. This requirement is now even more urgent, as the threat from the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to grow.

C-130

Electronic Warfare Pod For Taiwan’s F-CK-1 Fighter Is In Testing

Updated on Aug 14, 2025

A backseat passenger on an Air National Guard F-15 accidentally ejected while on the ground.

F-15

F-15 Ride-Along Passenger Accidentally Ejects While On The Ground (Updated)

By Tyler Rogoway, Howard Altman

Updated on Aug 14, 2025

A Customs and Border Protection MQ-9 flew deep into Mexico today.

U.S. MQ-9 Drone Just Flew A Mission Deep Into Mexico

Posted on Aug 13, 2025

The Polish Ministry of Defense has signed a $3.8 billion contract to upgrade the country's 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ Viper fighters to the F-16V configuration.

F-16

Poland’s F-16s Are About To Become Much More Potent

Updated on Aug 13, 2025

South Korea is looking to develop a new air-launched ballistic missile, joining a group of nations that are looking to introduce this capability, or which already have systems of this kind in operational service. If successful, the program would likely see the weapon fielded on South Korea’s locally developed KF-21 fighter jet, which you can read more about here.

Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles

South Korea Has An Air-Launched Ballistic Missile Program

Posted on Aug 13, 2025

A small U.S. Army quadcopter carrying a Claymore mine recently knocked down another small uncrewed aerial system in a test.

Claymore Mine-Armed Drone Tested by U.S. Army

Updated on Aug 13, 2025

XQ-58

More MQ-58 Variants In The Works After Marines Move To Make Valkyrie A Full Program Of Record

Posted on Aug 12, 2025

Russia is now using Shahed drones to drop mines.

Russia’s Shahed-136 Drones Are Laying Anti-Tank Mines

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Aug 11, 2025

Bizarre footage has emerged from Russia, showing what’s claimed to be part of an experiment to integrate a counter-uncrewed aerial system (CUAS) interceptor drone on a MiG-29 Fulcrum jet fighter. On closer inspection, the quadcopter drone is lashed to the fighter using zip ties and, even if that weren’t the case, the overall practicality of the solution is extremely questionable — to say the least.

MiG-29

Russian MiG-29 Fitted With An “Interceptor Drone” Is A Laughable Mess

Posted on Aug 11, 2025

A B-2 bomber left a smiley face made out of bomb craters on the 'runway' of a mock airfield during a test some two decades ago.

B-2

B-2 Bombed A Smiley Face Of Craters Into The Ground Because It Ran Out Of Targets

Updated on Aug 8, 2025

The turboprop-powered Zlin Z-137 Agro Turbo is seen swooping low over a Ukrainian cornfield, very much its traditional operating environment. In this case, however, it sports a single R-73 air-to-air missile under each wing. The agricultural plane also appears to have received a military-style dull gray overall paint scheme, with white identification stripes on the rear fuselage to reduce the risk of ‘friendly fire.’ Details of the date and location of the video are not immediately available.

Ukrainian Air Force

Crop Duster Armed With Air-To-Air Missiles Appears In Ukraine

Posted on Aug 8, 2025

For all the new capabilities the B-21 Raider will bring as an individual aircraft, the U.S. Air Force's top bomber officer says he is most excited about the sheer numbers of those aircraft that are set to enter service in the coming years.

B-2

For B-21, Quantity Is Its Most Critical Quality Top Bomber Officer Says

Posted on Aug 7, 2025

Uncrewed Boats Launch FPV Drone Strike On Key Russian Radars Located On Crimea’s Southern Tip

Posted on Aug 7, 2025

F/A-XX

F/A-XX Next Generation Naval Fighter Concept Art Emerges From Northrop Grumman

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Aug 7, 2025

U.S. Air Force

Cybertrucks Wanted By Air Force As Missile Targets

Updated on Aug 7, 2025

AGM-114 Hellfire

AGM-114 Hellfire Missile Getting Articulated Warhead Capable Of Blasting In Different Directions

Posted on Aug 6, 2025

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has provided us with a look at the future, stealthier version of its KF-21 fighter, which is now known as the KF-21EX. Concept artwork of the refined version of the jet has been released, with internal weapons carriage being its distinguishing feature. This is part of an effort to make the KF-21 more survivable in the face of ever more capable air defense systems, although the resulting aircraft will not offer the same level of low observability as the F-35, which is also operated by South Korea.

Republic of Korea Air Force

South Korea’s KF-21 Fighter To Get Stealthier With Internal Weapons Bays

Posted on Aug 6, 2025

A 9th Reconnaissance Wing TU-2S Dragon Lady piloted by Cory “ULTRALORD” Bartholomew, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron (RS) assigned flight safety officer and U-2 instructor pilot, and Lt. Col. “JETHRO”, 1st RS instructor pilot and U-2 chief pilot, lands at Beale Air Force Base (AFB), California, Aug. 1st, 2025. “ULTRALORD” and “JETHRO”’s flight took place on the 70th anniversary of the U-2’s first flight and broke the endurance records for the U-2, flying longer than 14 hours and traveled over 6,000 nautical miles. This flight tested the capabilities of the U-2 and its pilots to its limit and showcased Beale AFB’s capacity as a power projection platform to rapidly respond to adversary actions anywhere in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Frederick A. Brown)

U-2

U-2 Pilot On What It Took To Make Record-Setting 14-Hour Flight A Reality

Updated on Aug 6, 2025

A fuel venting issue has emerged in some of the U.S. Air Force's new F-15EX Eagle II fighters, which has reportedly left them sidelined.

F-15

F-15EX Fuel Venting Troubles Emerge, Boeing Testing Fixes

Posted on Aug 5, 2025

The latest addition to China’s growing family of Shenyang J-15 carrier-based fighter series, the J-15DT electronic warfare version, appears to have entered operational service. Crucially, this electronic attack Flanker is equipped for operations aboard catapult-equipped aircraft carriers like the Fujian, which recently began to host fixed-wing aircraft trials. Progress with the J-15DT points not only to China’s the scope of carrier aviation ambitions, but the growing focus on catapult assisted takeoff but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) operations, which offer many advantages.

Flankers

Our Best Look At China’s New J-15DT Carrier-Based Electronic Warfare Jet