F/A-18

Latest in F/A-18

Ticonderoga class firing SM-2

How USS Gettysburg Ended Up Shooting Down A Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet

By Howard Altman

Updated 2 Hours Ago

The Navy released findings of investigation into four mishaps aboard the USS Truman supercarrier

F/A-18 Super Hornet Shot Down By Navy Cruiser Investigation Findings Released (Updated)

By Howard Altman

Posted Yesterday

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker offloads fuel to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, assigned to the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 8, 2025. The KC-135 Stratotanker is the backbone of U.S. Air Forces Central's global reach aerial refueling capability and delivers critical support to joint and coalition aircraft in order to guarantee war-winning airpower throughout the CENTCOM AOR.

Super Hornet Seen With Rare SLAM-ER Missile Loadout On Yemen Mission

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 3, 2025

U.S. tactical aircraft flying near Venezuela is part of a pressure campaign aimed at that nation's embattled leader, Nicolas Maduro

RC-135 Accompanied By Fighters Off Venezuela Testing Maduro’s Air Defenses: U.S. Official

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Nov 21, 2025

The Navy's USNS Salvor is on scene to try and find two aircraft that crashed off the USS Nimitz last month.

Navy Salvage Ship Trying To Fish Crashed Super Hornet And Seahawk Out Of South China Sea

By Howard Altman

Posted on Nov 20, 2025

Nimitz hornet and seakhawk crash

“Bad Fuel” May Have Caused Back-To-Back Nimitz Aircraft Crashes: Trump

By Howard Altman

Posted on Oct 27, 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.

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

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Oct 20, 2025

Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs, assigned to the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, fly in formation prior to conducting air-to-air refueling over Utah, July 1, 2025. The F-35A Lightning II is the Air Force’s most advanced multirole fighter, capable of conducting both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

Time Is Running Out For Canada’s Fighter Decision

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Oct 8, 2025

F/A-18 from spain nearly crashed into sea during an air show performance.

Spanish F/A-18 Hornet Seen Nearly Crashing Into Surf During Beach Airshow (Updated)

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jul 28, 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.

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

The U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation combat jet program looks to have hit another setback, with the Pentagon reportedly prioritizing the Air Force’s F-47 stealth fighter, amid concerns about how to run the two efforts simultaneously. Already, the F/A-XX was in limbo, with a U.S. official telling TWZ last month that the future of the program was being reviewed. This came after reports that a contract award for the Navy’s new combat jet could be delayed by as much as three years. Navy officials, meanwhile, continue to stress the importance of the F/A-XX to their future plans.

Pentagon Wants To Shift Funds From Navy F/A-XX To USAF F-47: Report

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 5, 2025

Hornet crashed aboard the USS Harry S Truman

Super Hornet Crashes Landing On USS Truman, Its Second F/A-18 Loss In A Week

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on May 7, 2025

Imagery has emerged of a very rarely seen EA-18G Growler loadout involving four examples of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM), during ongoing operations against Houthi targets in Yemen. While we know very little about Houthi air defenses, and their associated radars and sensors, the imagery underscores the continued threat that these present.

EA-18G Bristles With Rare Four Anti-Radiation Missile Loadout On Yemen Mission

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 21, 2025

The U.S. Navy expects its future F/A-XX sixth-generation stealth fighters to offer just a 25 percent increase in range over the existing tactical combat jets in its carrier air wings.

F/A-XX Will Have Just 25% More Range Than Existing Navy Fighters

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 7, 2025

The future of the Navy NGAD crewed aircraft program remains in limbo.

Navy F/A-XX Stealth Fighter Selection This Week: Report

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Mar 25, 2025

We may have just gotten our first evidence of the GBU-53/B StormBreaker glide bomb, also known as the Small Diameter Bomber II (SDB II), being used in combat. The first operational use of the StormBreaker by the service would be a big deal, with this weapon bringing some significant advances over its predecessor, the GBU-39/B SDB I, especially the ability to hit moving targets.

F/A-18 Super Hornets Now Carrying Stormbreaker Glide Bombs On Combat Missions

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Mar 24, 2025