Fighters

Latest in Fighters

U.S. Marine Corps legacy F/A-18C/D Hornets are in line to add air-to-air optimized versions of the 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rocket to their arsenal.

USMC’s Old F/A-18 Hornets To Get Drone Swatting Laser Guided Rockets

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated 14 Hours Ago

The U.S. Air Force has now denied taking delivery of any F-35A Joint Strike Fighters from the latest Lot 17 production batch without radars installed.

Air Force Now Denies Receiving F-35s Without Radars

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated Yesterday

The F-35 Joint Program Office has declined to confirm or deny a report that Joint Strike Fighters are being delivered to the U.S. military without radars due to chronic issues with a key upgrade program.

Are F-35s Being Delivered To The USAF Without Radars? (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Feb 11, 2026

F-35A stealth fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard are moving cl;oser to the Middle East amid an ongoing U.S. military buildup there.

F-35A Stealth Fighters Moving Closer To Middle East As U.S. Military Buildup Continues

By Howard Altman

Posted on Feb 10, 2026

Drone-killing F-15E Strike Eagles made a cameo appearance during the Super Bowl

Laser-Guided Rocket-Armed F-15E Strike Eagles Make Super Bowl Cameo Appearance

By Howard Altman

Posted on Feb 9, 2026

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Meteor was one of the weapons under discussion for the next Swedish security aid package for Ukraine. Also on the agenda were the Gripen E and undisclosed air defense systems, Saab radars, electronic warfare systems, and drones, including long-range one-way attack drones. The announcement came after talks between the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov and his Swedish counterpart, Paul Jonsson.

Meteor Long-Range Air-To-Air Missile In The Works For Ukraine, But There’s A Catch

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Feb 4, 2026

F-16s arrive in Mogadishu.

Turkish F-16 Vipers Seen Operating Out Of Mogadishu’s International Airport

By Howard Altman

Posted on Feb 4, 2026

A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II flies over the Gulf of America, September 16, 2025. The F-15EX, from the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is one of the first F-15EXs in the Air Force, and is going through developmental and operational test series at Eglin to prepare the platform to be delivered to the warfighter.

F-15EX Buy Dropped By Indonesia

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Feb 3, 2026

A U.S. Navy F-35C Joint Strike Fighter flying from the supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln has shot down an Iranian drone said to have “aggressively approached” the ship.

F-35 From USS Abraham Lincoln Shoots Down Iranian Drone (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Updated on Feb 3, 2026

F/A-XX is critical as the Navy's "ability to fly with impunity" using non-stealthy types like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, even against smaller nation-state adversaries like Iran and non-state actors, is now "fleeting."

F/A-XX Naval Fighter Needed For Adversaries Like Iran, Not Just China and Russia: Navy Boss

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jan 28, 2026

Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet production line is one major step closer to shuttering with the completion of the last batch of fuselage sections and vertical tails for those jets by Northrop Grumman.

Last New F/A-18 Aft Fuselages Built As Super Hornet Production End Approaches

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jan 28, 2026

One of the most enigmatic weapons in the arsenal of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), the PL-17 very long-range air-to-air missile, appears to have been shown for the first time at close quarters.

China’s Massive PL-17 Air-To-Air Missile Seen Up Close

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 28, 2026

RF-4C Phantom reconnaissance aircraft from the 152nd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Reno, Nev., prepare for a mission during Operation Desert Shield.

Flying F-4 Reconnaissance Phantoms Unarmed And Unafraid In Desert Storm

By James Deboer

Updated on Jan 27, 2026

The Navy is now flying F-35As for test and evaluation purposes.

Navy Is Flying Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighters

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jan 27, 2026

NASA’s newest F-15Ds arrived at the Armstrong Flight Research Center late last month.

Legacy F-15 Eagles Boost NASA Test Fleet

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 24, 2026

President Donald Trump has brought up the possibility of changing the designation of the U.S. Air Force's F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter if the program gets to a point where "I don't like it."

Possible Change To F-47 6th Generation Fighter’s Designation Raised By Trump

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jan 21, 2026