Airborne Sensors

Latest in Airborne Sensors

The best images we’ve seen so far of the German Luftwaffe’s PEGASUS signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft reveal key details of the airframe adaptations made to the Bombardier Global 6000 bizjet platform it’s based on. The photos were shared with TWZ by @CorreaPhtgphy, who captured them earlier this year at Abilene, Texas.

Airborne Sensors

Our Best Look At Germany’s New PEGASUS Surveillance Jet

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 7, 2025

Lockheed Martin has received a new full-rate production contract, valued at $233 million, for Block II IRST21 infrared search and track sensors to go into pods for U.S. Navy and U.S. Air National Guard fighters.

Infrared Search And Track

Troubled Infrared Pod For Navy Super Hornets Gets New Vote Of Confidence

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Oct 20, 2025

South Korea has selected an L3Harris Global 6500 bizjet-based solution for its new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. As we discussed at the time, Seoul launched its search for a new plane back in 2020, to bolster its current fleet of four Boeing E-737s, South Korean versions of the E-7 Wedgetail that has been selected by the U.S. Air Force and NATO, among other customers. Reports from earlier this year suggested that Boeing had already been eliminated or dropped out of the new South Korean competition, something that the company appeared to deny.

South Korea Has Chosen Its Next Airborne Early Warning Radar Jet

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Sep 30, 2025

NATO is testing an airship to see if it can provide maritime domain awareness.

Airborne Sensors

Bus-Sized Uncrewed Airship Being Tested By NATO As Maritime Surveillance Platform

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Sep 18, 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 Radar Upgrade Flight Testing Expected To Finally Begin Soon

By Joseph Trevithick

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.

Airborne Sensors

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Aug 27, 2025

Tracking Moving Aircraft Via Radar Satellites Instead Of Surveillance Jets Still Far From Reality

Airborne Sensors

Tracking Moving Aircraft Via Radar Satellites Instead Of Surveillance Jets Still Far From Reality

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Aug 4, 2025

The U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor stealth fighters are set to get an array of new "viability" upgrades to help protect them from emerging threats and otherwise ensure their continued relevance in future conflicts.

Infrared Search And Track

New F-22 Upgrade Package To Keep The Jets Viable Laid Out

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 2, 2025

The U.S. Air Force has developed a means to launch small drones from its KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, and is now looking at adding that capability to the fleet.

Airborne Sensors

KC-135 Tankers Set To Get Drone Launchers

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 2, 2025

The latest addition to General Atomics' MQ-9B medium-altitude long-endurance drone family is set to be an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) configured version.

MQ-9B Airborne Early Warning Variant Could Fill Major Aerial Surveillance Gaps

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jun 17, 2025

More details have emerged about the problems the U.S. Navy is facing with its ill-starred podded Infrared Search And Track System, or IRST, an important capability planned for its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters. The latest issues to be highlighted come after TWZ previously reported on delays caused by production quality issues with the system and a Pentagon assessment of “significant reliability problems during operational testing,” which emerged earlier this year.

Infrared Search And Track

New Details On F/A-18 Super Hornet’s Troubled IRST Pod

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

The U.S. Army says it is on schedule to retire the last of its turboprop-powered intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft by the end of this year.

Army To Retire All Of Its Turboprop Surveillance Planes By The End Of The Year

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 29, 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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 27, 2025

F-35 was nearly downed by Houthi air defenses.

Infrared Search And Track

How The Houthis’ Rickety Air Defenses Threaten Even The F-35

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on May 14, 2025

Raytheon has begun test flights of its compact PhantomStrike radar, which features an active electronically scanned array (AESA) and gallium nitride (GaN) technology. Most significantly, the manufacturer claims that PhantomStrike — which has already been ordered by Poland — brings all the benefits of an AESA antenna at a much lower price point than other radars in its class.

PhantomStrike Low-Cost Lightweight AESA Radar Flies For First Time

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 6, 2025

We have gotten our best look so far at China’s enigmatic KJ-700 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft in service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). This latest addition to China’s rapidly proliferating family of AEW&C platforms remains somewhat mysterious, although multiple accounts suggest that it’s something of a unique ‘dual-mode’ aircraft, combining both airborne radar as well as an array of electro-optical and infrared sensors, likely intended to track stealthy and low-radar-signature targets.

China’s New KJ-700 Multi-Intelligence Radar Plane’s Interesting Features

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 14, 2025