Fighters

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Before the Ukrainian Air Force received its first batch of F-16 Viper fighters, the U.S. Air Force helped optimize electronic warfare (EW) systems on those jets against Russian threats.

Electronic Warfare Systems On Ukraine’s F-16s Getting Specially Tuned To Russian Threats By USAF

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 26 8:15 PM EDT
KC-46 and F-15E had an incident resulting in the loss of the tanker's boom

Audio Reveals Details Of KC-46 And F-15E Refueling Incident That Broke The Tanker’s Boom Off

By Thomas Newdick
Aug 23 4:14 PM EDT
A Czech company has unveiled an inflatable decoy of the F-16 fighter, notably wearing Ukrainian Air Force markings. The inflatable fighter, from a firm that is already known to be providing Kyiv with decoys of other items of military equipment, appears only a matter of weeks after it was confirmed that the first real F-16s had arrived in Ukraine.

Inflatable Ukrainian F-16 Decoy Emerges At Defense Show

By Thomas Newdick
Aug 22 5:49 PM EDT
A notional light fighter concept has been presented by the U.S. Air Force’s senior uniformed officer, providing a thought-provoking insight on one direction that the service’s future combat fleet could take. The concept emerges as Air Force officials are increasingly questioning the requirements for the crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet being developed as part of its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative.

Air Force Floats Light Stealth Fighter Concept As Its Heavy Fighter Program May Be In Jeopardy

By Thomas Newdick
Aug 20 7:21 PM EDT
An F-16 Fighting Falcon piloted by Lt. Col. Mike May from the 85th Test and Evaluation squadron sits on the ramp at Eglin Air Force Base on October 2, 2019 with a JASSM-ER. The 85th TES released the extended range missile as part of an operational test sortie.

JASSM Stealth Cruise Missiles Now On The Table For Ukraine: Report

By Thomas Newdick
Aug 15 3:32 PM EDT
The Ukrainian Air Force has released a video offering the best look to date of one of the country's MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters employing French-made AASM-250 Hammer precision-guided bombs.

Best Look Yet At Ukrainian MiG-29 Releasing Hammer Rocket-Assisted Bombs

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 14 8:34 PM EDT
Air National Guard F-16 Viper fighters pretending to be enemy cruise missiles together with tiny JSX-2 microjets mimicking cruise missiles and drones replicated complex threat scenarios during a recent large-scale exercise.

F-16s Team With JSX-2 Microjets To Replicate Complex Cruise Missile And Drone Attacks

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 14 2:45 PM EDT
F-15IA sale approved by state department.

Israel Officially Cleared To Buy 50 New F-15IAs, Upgrade 25 F-15Is

By Tyler Rogoway
Aug 13 5:34 PM EDT
US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets brandishing full loads of nine air-to-air missiles have touched down at a base in Jordan ahead of expected Iranian attacks against Israel.

F/A-18E Super Hornets Fully Loaded With Air-To-Air Missiles Arrive In Jordan

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 8 9:39 PM EDT
Ukraine's F-16s arrived with self protection pods

F-16s Delivered To Ukraine With Advanced Countermeasure Pods For Self-Protection

By Tyler Rogoway
Aug 8 6:57 PM EDT
A new picture of a French-supplied AASM-250 Hammer rocket-assisted precision-guided bomb under the wing of a Ukrainian MiG-29 Fulcrum shows the use of a pylon with interesting features.

Ukrainian MiG-29’s Special Pylon For Hammer Rocket-Boosted Bombs Emerges

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 8 1:35 PM EDT
Photos have emerged showing the extent of the destruction at Morozovsk Air Base, in Russia’s Rostov region, after it was struck by Ukrainian forces at the weekend.

Aftermath Of Ukrainian Attack On Russian Su-34 Fullback Base Emerges (Updated)

By Thomas Newdick
Aug 6 1:24 PM EDT
The U.S. Navy supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln is heading toward the Middle East with an air wing that includes EA-18G Growlers equipped with new AN/ALQ-249(V)1 Next Generation Jammer-Mid Band (NGJ-MB) electronic warfare pods.

EA-18G Growlers With New Jamming Pods Onboard Carrier Heading To Middle East

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 5 10:06 PM EDT
A remarkable video has emerged, taken by a Russian fighter pilot after ejecting from his Flanker series jet, during the conflict in Ukraine. The footage joins a growing collection of air combat incidents captured on camera, by pilots on both sides involved in the war. Although it’s unclear exactly when or where the incident took place, it’s another reminder of the high-intensity air campaign being fought in and around Ukraine and the frequent life-or-death situations that the pilots involved face on a daily basis.

Russian Pilot Films His Flanker Falling Away After Ejecting During Combat Mission

By Thomas Newdick
Aug 5 1:33 PM EDT
F-16s for Ukraine arrive with weapons

F-16 Officially In Ukrainian Service, Self Protection Pods Included

By Tyler Rogoway
Aug 4 3:48 PM EDT
More NATO members are now 'read into' top-secret Special Access Programs (SAP) related to the Joint Strike Fighter as part of a broader push to improve information sharing and interoperability.

More Top Secret F-35 Stealth Fighter Data Given To NATO Members

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 2 1:28 PM EDT
Ukraine F-16s

F-16s Arrive In Ukraine: Report

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 31 10:12 PM EDT
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has shed some more light on the status of the new sixth-generation stealth combat jet under development as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. “We’re taking a pause,” Kendall said this morning, before reiterating that while fighter at the heart of the wider NGAD initiative will have a human pilot to start with, an optionally crewed version might be developed too.

Air Force Secretary “Absolutely Confident” 6th Gen Crewed Fighter Will Move Forward (Updated)

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 30 5:42 PM EDT
Ukrainians F-16s will immediately be able to get more out of stocks Western munitions that have already been deliverd, as well as other benefits.

F-16s Will Let Ukraine Get More Out Of Western Munitions: USAF’s Top Officer In Europe

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 30 2:44 PM EDT
Three German Eurofighter EF2000s have completed a record-breaking endurance flight for the multirole fighter. Remaining in the air for a total of 10 hours 31 minutes, the trio of combat aircraft flew from Japan to Hawaii today, supported by aerial refueling tankers that included KC-135 Stratotankers operated by private aerospace firm Metrea, a contractor-owned and operated aerial refueling business that recently acquired of 14 KC-135s from the French Air and Space Force.

German Eurofighters Make Record-Breaking Flight With Help From Private Aerial Refueling Company

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 27 1:34 PM EDT
A new picture offering the best look to date at a Ukrainian MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter armed with GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs has disclosed the use of a special pylon with a mysterious feature in front.

First Look At Mystery Weapon Pylon Ukrainian MiG-29s Use To Carry Small Diameter Bombs

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 26 7:08 PM EDT
Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new version of its Sniper targeting pod with added networking capabilities primarily designed to enable new connectivity between fourth-generation fighters and stealthy F-35s, but which also offers the ability to create localized 'kill webs' with various assets in the air and on the ground.

Networked Sniper Pod Will Let 4th-Generation Fighters Create ‘Kill Webs’ With F-35s

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway
Jul 26 3:05 PM EDT
Greece has made good on its promise to buy F-35 stealth fighters, confirming today that it will buy an initial batch of 20 of the aircraft at a cost of around $3.5 billion. The decision is an important step in the modernization of the Hellenic Air Force, which has recently inducted other new combat aircraft types, while plans to retire older jets have also been unveiled. The move also has a particular resonance in terms of Greece’s tense relations with regional rival Turkey, which was booted out of the F-35 program, after buying Russian-made S-400 air defense systems.

Greece Buying F-35s Widens Qualitative Gap With Turkey

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 25 8:24 PM EDT
F-15EX and J16, both two seaters, but one uses the second crewman in a different capacity than the traditional weapon system officer role.

USAF Should Look At China’s Future Multi-Crew Fighter Model For F-15EX

By Major Joshua “Soup” Campbell
Jul 25 11:24 AM EDT
The United Kingdom is advancing the build of a new fighter demonstrator as part of its Tempest next-generation air combat program. The demonstrator, so far only known as the Flying Technology Demonstrator, is planned to fly within the next three years and its progress in an important boost for the Tempest stealth fighter — and wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS) — program, the future of which has recently begun to be questioned in some quarters.

Tempest Stealth Fighter Flying Demonstrator Takes Shape

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 24 2:09 PM EDT
The ballooning cost of the US Air Force's Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program is one of the drivers behind uncertainly over the future of its sixth-generation combat jet effort, which could evolve into a fully uncrewed platform.

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Uncertainty Tied To Sentinel ICBM Woes

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 23 8:32 PM EDT
General Atomics has told TWZ that it’s looking at adapting its ship-based Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear, EMALS and AAG, respectively, for use from land bases. While the company first developed EMALS and AAG for the U.S. Navy’s Ford class aircraft carriers, the growing interest in expeditionary campaigns ashore is driving new thinking about how to operate aircraft without access to large traditional runways.

Ford Class Carrier’s EMALS Catapults, AAG Arrester Gear Eyed For Land Bases

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 23 4:24 PM EDT
A look at an AIM-174 air-launched version of the SM-6 missile with previously unseen markings under the wing of a Super Hornet aboard the USS Carl Vinson has emerged.

AIM-174 Missile Seen On Super Hornet About To Launch From A Carrier For First Time

By Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick
Jul 23 12:13 PM EDT
The latest concept configuration for the tri-national next-generation Tempest fighter has been unveiled, with the latest design apparently being tailored for long-range performance combined with a significant payload capacity. The appearance of the new full-scale model comes amid growing questions about the future of the program, with the U.K. government poised to launch a major defense spending review.

Latest Tempest Fighter Concept Prioritizes Range, Payload

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 22 6:54 PM EDT
Yemen Port Strike by Israeli Air Force

Details Of Israel’s Long-Range Strike That Decimated Yemeni Port Emerge

By Tyler Rogoway
Jul 21 4:17 PM EDT
An active expendable decoy, or AED capability has been tested and integrated on U.S. F-35 stealth fighters, resulting in a decision to field this operationally. The move apparently involves the British-made Leonardo BriteCloud, a small active-radar decoy that we have discussed at length in the past and which promises to enhance the F-35’s ability to defeat various types of air defense system threats.

F-35s Set To Get Missile-Luring Expendable Active Decoys

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 18 3:40 PM EDT
119 F-16C Fighting Falcon 330MP AF Greece Kleine Brogel 2007

Greek F-16C/Ds Lined Up For Ukraine: Report

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 17 7:34 PM EDT
240416-N-HE057-1516 RED SEA (April 16, 2024) An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to the "Fighting Swordsmen" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, participates in an airborne change of command ceremony above the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Red Sea, April 16. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

F/A-18F Super Hornet Pilot Is First U.S. Female Aviator To Shoot Down An Enemy Aerial Threat

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 17 2:31 PM EDT
The definitive audit of all the weapons dropped by Doug Masters in his F-16 in Iron Eagle.

Iron Eagle: The Definitive Audit Of How Many Weapons Doug Masters Launched From His F-16

By Tyler Rogoway
Jul 17 1:43 PM EDT
New questions have emerged about the future of the F/A-XX Next Generation Fighter program, the budget for which a draft Senate defense bill would slash.

Navy’s F/A-XX Next Generation Fighter Program Would Be Gutted Under Senate Defense Bill

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 16 6:12 PM EDT
Italy has announced plans to equip the F-35B stealth fighters operated by its naval air arm with the Kongsberg Joint Strike Missile (JSM), among other weapons. Details of the armament for the Italian Navy’s short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35Bs comes as the aircraft take part for the first time in the large-scale Pitch Black drills in Australia, aboard the aircraft carrier Cavour.

Italy’s Carrier-Capable F-35B Stealth Fighters To Get New Advanced Weapons

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 16 3:23 PM EDT
An EA-18G Growler scored the types first ever air-to-air kill during a recently concluded deployment.

EA-18G Growler Scored Its First Air-To-Air Kill

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 16 12:07 PM EDT
Russia has, for the first time, published footage showing what it says is the carriage and launch of the guided, glide version of its huge FAB-3000 aerial bomb — a weapon that weighs over 6,600 pounds in its basic version. The weapon is among the more recently announced additions to the family of UMPK munitions, which add a pop-out wing kit and a guidance package to a range of existing freefall weapons, as you can read more about here.

Russia’s Giant 6,000lb Glide Bomb Seen Launched From Su-34 For First Time

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 15 1:46 PM EDT
F-35 deliveries will resume with a limited TR-3 software load.

F-35 Deliveries Finally Cleared To Resume, New Jets Will Be Limited To Training

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 12 3:24 PM EDT
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter appears to have encountered some kind of problem at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan, forcing an emergency egress by the pilot.

F-35B Pilot Seen Leaping From Jet In Japan

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 12 1:26 PM EDT
There is no official replacement for the F-22 Raptor, says the head of Air Combat Command. That could be another blow to the withering Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.

Air Force Now Says It Has No Official F-22 Raptor Replacement

By Howard Altman
Jul 10 5:59 PM EDT
The transfer of F-16s from Denmark and The Netherlands to Ukraine is now underway, U.S., Danish and Dutch officials say.

Transfer Of F-16s To Ukraine Is Now Underway

By Howard Altman
Jul 10 1:08 PM EDT
The Pentagon has made a new announcement about the first forward-deployments of Air Force F-35As and F-15EXs to Japan, as well as changes to the Marine Corps' F-35B force in that country.

USAF F-35As To Be Based In Japan Replacing Wild Weasel F-16s

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 3 7:21 PM EDT
The air-launched version of the hugely versatile SM-6 missile, also known as the RIM-174, has appeared on U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters at the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world’s largest international maritime exercise. We now also know the missiles are designated AIM-74B, indicating an air-to-air missile, although, as we have discussed in the past, the weapon also has the potential to strike high-priority ground targets, such as air defense sites, and warships, acting as a quasi-ballistic missile.

AIM-174 Super Hornet-Launched Variant Of SM-6 Missile Breaks Cover In Hawaii (Updated)

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway
Jul 3 3:00 PM EDT
The US Air Force is taking a second look at the crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet it is developing under the Next Generation Air Dominance initiative to see where costs could be cut, even at the cost of losing certain capabilities.

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter’s Future Increasingly Uncertain

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 1 8:48 PM EDT
Billionaire Jared Isaacman Is going to fly a Tornado F2A.

Tornado F2 Set To Become Most Advanced Flying Fighter In A Private Individual’s Hands

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 1 7:21 PM EDT
Anduril and General Atomics have shared new details about progress and challenges, including on production and autonomy issues, as part of the Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.

Construction Of First Collaborative Combat Aircraft Drone Has Begun At General Atomics

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 1 5:09 PM EDT
A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle from Royal Air Force Lakenheath's 494th Fighter Squadron returns to formation after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Fairchild Air Force Base's 92nd Aerial Refueling Squadron, over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 2, 2024. The U.S. Air Force is globally postured to protect and defend freedom of coalition allies and regional partners within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to maintain peace and stability across the region.

Flying The F-15E Strike Eagle In Air-To-Air Combat, From Dogfighting To Drone Hunting

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 1 1:19 PM EDT
A video has emerged showing a Ukrainian MiG-29 toss-bombing a munition, a critical tactic that helps limit the exposure of the launching platform to enemy defenses.

Watch A Ukrainian MiG-29 Toss A Bomb Across The Front Lines

By Joseph Trevithick
Jun 27 9:30 PM EDT
A USAF F-15EX Eagle II armed with 12 AIM-120 AMRAAMs.

F-15EX Testers Are Now Preparing The Eagle II For Rapidly Adapting To New Missions

By Jamie Hunter
Jun 25 2:43 PM EDT
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter has begun wearing some decidedly non-standard markings, very likely the most flamboyant we’ve seen on the Joint Strike Fighter so far. The upper fuselage and top surfaces of the wing the F-35B in question, operated by Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, “Bats,” is emblazoned with a stylized motif showing the night-flying mammal, and has recently been captured by photographers at its base, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture.

F-35B Dons Huge Bat Insignia On Its Back

By Thomas Newdick
Jun 20 2:33 PM EDT
A new report from the Government Accountability Office raises questions and concerns about the Air Force's push to retire 32 Block 20 F-22 Raptors.

Ditching Older F-22s Risks Creating Capability Gaps, New Costs

By Joseph Trevithick
Jun 18 9:04 PM EDT
F-15EX has been put through its paces by testers in Eglin AFB to prepare it for service.

How USAF Testers Are Working To Field The F-15EX Fast

By Jamie Hunter
Jun 18 5:41 PM EDT
Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornets will be used to launch prototypes of the US Air Force's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile.

Australian F/A-18F Super Hornets To Test Launch U.S. Air Force’s Hypersonic Cruise Missiles

By Joseph Trevithick
Jun 18 2:25 PM EDT
These before and after satellite images from Planet labs shows that Russian Su-34 Fullbacks may have been damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukraine Strikes Blow To Russian Su-34 Fullback Base

By Howard Altman
Jun 14 2:47 PM EDT
F-15EX arrives at the 142nd Wing in Portland.

Inside The First F-15EX Wing Commander’s Plans To Speed The Newest Eagle Into Service

By Tyler Rogoway
Jun 14 1:06 PM EDT
A USAF F-15EX takes off carrying 12 AIM-120 AMRAAMs.

What It’s Like To Fly The F-15EX According To A Boeing Test Pilot

By Jamie Hunter
Jun 11 4:01 PM EDT
Ukraine’s battle-worn fleet of Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack aircraft has run out of unguided munitions, a reflection of the huge number of sorties and prolific range of targets these jets are being tasked against. Meanwhile, the aircraft are now relying on Western-provided precision-guided weapons, a reflection of the demands of the war that are driving innovation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is among the revelations from a senior Ukrainian Air Force official, interviewed recently, which provide some fascinating insights into the air war with Russia.

Ukrainian Su-25 Frogfoots Now Using French Hammer Guided Bombs After Exhausting Rocket Stocks

By Thomas Newdick
Jun 10 3:47 PM EDT
SU-57 satellite photo attack imagery

Su-57 Felon Targeted In Ukraine Strike Seen In New Higher-Resolution Satellite Images

By Howard Altman
Jun 10 2:39 PM EDT
Both Ukrainian and Russian sources say an Su-57 Felon new-generation fighter was struck for the first time.

Su-57 Felon Struck Deep Inside Russia, Ukraine’s Spy Agency Claims (Updated)

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway
Jun 9 3:50 PM EDT
South Korea, one of only four nations that still operated the classic F-4 Phantom, formally retired the Cold War-era fighter today. The decommissioning ceremony saw the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) provide an “honorable discharge” for its last Phantoms, which had helped defend the nation for 55 years. The event also saw the air force looking to the future, with involvement from the F-4’s successors, including the F-35A stealth fighter. Ultimately, the Phantom will also be superseded by the locally developed KF-21.

F-4 Phantom Vanishes Into Retirement After 55 Years Of South Korean Service

By Thomas Newdick
Jun 7 1:15 PM EDT
France has formally announced plans to transfer Mirage 2000-5 fighters to Ukraine and to try pilots to fly them.

Mirage 2000 Fighters To Be Sent To Ukraine From France

By Joseph Trevithick
Jun 6 6:16 PM EDT
A USN EA-18G took out an Mi-24 with an AARGM.

EA-18G Growler Killed A Houthi Mi-24 Hind With An AGM-88E Anti-Radiation Missile

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway
Jun 6 3:53 PM EDT
The Oregon Air National Guard has received its first F-15EX Eagle II fighter, marking the first delivery of one of these jets to an operational unit.

The F-15EX Eagle II Has Arrived In Portland

By Joseph Trevithick
Jun 6 12:48 PM EDT

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