Fighters

Latest in Fighters

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, refuels a U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft during exercise RAMSTEIN FLAG 2024 while flying over the coast of Greece, Oct. 4, 2024. RAFL24 demonstrates NATO unity and strength, as Allies across the Euro-Atlantic area train side by side in defensive and offensive air operations scenarios in support of the enduring commitment to shared values and ability to adapt to the emerging environment.
Air

U.S. Air Force Fighters Deploy To Reinforce Middle East

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 17, 2025

Israel strikes Iranian F-14 tomcat.
Air

Iranian F-14 ‘Persian Tomcats’ Obliterated In Israeli Airstrike

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jun 16, 2025

A Dassaullt Rafale fighter and two Dassault Falcon business jets are on display 21 June 2001 at the 44th Paris-Le Bourget Air show, billed as the biggest ever event of its kind, bringing together 1800 exhibitors from the aviation industry from 43 countries.
Air

Rafale Reemerges With Conformal Fuel Tanks

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 12, 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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

APKWS rockets were kept from Ukraine to be used to defend US in the Middle East.
News & Features

Counter-Drone Weapons Diverted From Ukraine To Middle East Amid Rising Tensions, Hegseth Confirms

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

AI JAS-36 gripen tests for long-range air-to-air combat are underway.
Air

Saab’s Gripen Tests AI In Long-Range Air-To-Air Engagements

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jun 11, 2025

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has released photos showing two of its aircraft carriers operating simultaneously for the first time beyond the so-called First Island Chain in the western Pacific.
Sea

Two Chinese Aircraft Carriers Are Operating Beyond The First Island Chain For The First Time

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 10, 2025

Newly released footage records the unique formation flight over Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Air Base last November, which brought together U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and Soviet-era MiG-21 and MiG-29 jets. The four-ship took to the skies to mark the passing of Col. Gail Peck (ret.), the former commander of the legendary 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron “Red Eagles” that conducted highly classified missions using Soviet combat jets in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Air

F-22s Fly Alongside MiGs To Commemorate Founder Of America’s Secret Soviet Fighter Squadron

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 9, 2025

Su-35 shot down in ukraine
Air

Claims Swirl Around Russian Su-35S Flanker Shootdown

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 9, 2025

A new image appearing to show China’s ‘J-36’ 6th generation tactical jet parked on the ground has emerged online. If legitimate, this would be the best front view of the aircraft to date, notably providing clear proof of the canopy design and further confirmation of a side-by-side seating arrangement.
Air

This Could Be Our Best View Yet Of China’s J-36 Very Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet

By Joseph Trevithick, By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jun 6, 2025

Germany plans to buy Joint Strike Missile (JSM) cruise missiles from Norway, to arm its forthcoming fleet of F-35A stealth fighters. While these jets were primarily chosen as launch platforms for U.S.-owned nuclear gravity bombs, under a long-standing NATO agreement, Germany is increasingly viewing the F-35A as part of an expanding conventional long-range strike arsenal.
Air

German F-35s Will Be Armed With Stealthy Joint Strike Missiles

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 5, 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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 5, 2025

The U.S. Air Force says it has tested a modified 500-pound-class GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, optimized for use as an anti-ship munition as part of its Quicksink program.
Air

Smaller Version Of Quicksink Ship-Killing Smart Bomb Tested By USAF

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 4, 2025

Royal Navy wants to arm carriers with drones and long-range missiles
Sea

Royal Navy To Arm Its Carriers With Long-Range Missiles

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 3, 2025

J-36 head-on image.
Air

China’s J-36 Very Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet Photographed Head-On For First Time

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on May 31, 2025

We now have a picture showing a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle down-range in the Middle East with an air-to-air loadout that includes six seven-shot 70mm rocket pods, as well as four AIM-9X and four AIM-120 missiles.
Air

F-15E Armed With Drone Killing Laser-Guided Rockets Appears In Middle East

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 30, 2025