Fighters (Page 3)

Posted on Jul 23, 2025

F-16

Ukrainian F-16s Get Specialized Vehicles For Operating Constantly On The Move

Posted on Jul 23, 2025

An official familiar with operations confirmed to us that U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered 10 F-35 Joint Strike fighters to head to Puerto Rico to take part in ongoing counter-narcotics opertions(

F-35

Reworked F-35 Pitched As ‘Bridging Fighter’ Ahead Of F-47

Posted on Jul 22, 2025

F-35A

Major Indications Nuclear Bombs Are Back At USAF Air Base In England

Posted on Jul 21, 2025

A new photo suggests that China’s Shenyang J-35, its next-generation carrier-based fighter, has now entered limited series production and is also in service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The photo joins a succession of imagery showing some of China’s latest military aircraft in great detail, including previous views of the same type of jet, although still in prototype form, as you can see in our previous coverage here.

J-31

China’s J-35 Naval Stealth Fighter Looks Set For Service

Posted on Jul 19, 2025

Spanish photographer Javier Alonso de Medina Salguero captured some amazing images of a Eurofighter striking a bird.

Typhoon

Eurofighter Typhoon Canopy-Shattering Bird Strike Captured In Amazing Images

Posted on Jul 18, 2025

A first rendering has been released showing the new fighter demonstrator being built in the United Kingdom as part of the Tempest next-generation air combat program. The crewed flight test vehicle, which is planned to take to the air in 2027, will feed into the design of the Tempest, which is being developed as a stealthy fighter for the U.K.’s Royal Air Force, as well as for Italy and Japan, and is expected to be in service by 2035.

Typhoon

This Is What The UK’s New Stealth Fighter Demonstrator Will Look Like

Posted on Jul 17, 2025

A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II, assigned to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., taxis on the runway after landing to participate in exercise Resolute Force Pacific 2025 at Andersen AFB, Guam, July 11, 2025. REFORPAC is a large-scale contingency response exercise, which prepares service members to maintain readiness and execute missions under stress.

F-15

F-15EX Arrives In Japan For The First Time As Part Of Massive Pacific Exercise

Posted on Jul 15, 2025

An annual U.S. Navy wishlist sent to Congress reportedly includes $1.4 billion that would help keep its dreams of a next-generation carrier-based combat jet alive.

F-47

Navy Puts Gutted F/A-XX Next Generation Fighter Program In Wishlist To Congress: Reports

Posted on Jul 10, 2025

While the J-20S was officially unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow last year, there are rumors that it might be publicly unveiled as an operational PLAAF asset in September of this year, when the PLAAF marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II.

J-20

China’s Two-Seat J-20 Stealth Fighter Poised To Enter Operational Service

Updated on Jul 8, 2025

F-22

Boom On KC-46 Tanker Just Broke Off During F-22 Refueling Mission (Updated)

Updated on Jul 8, 2025

The unique RF-5E Tigergazer reconnaissance aircraft operated by the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) has been stood down from service. The retirement of Taiwan’s RF-5Es comes after the country bid farewell to its F-5E Tiger II fighters at the end of 2023, after almost half a century of operations. With high levels of tension between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, the ROCAF’s future tactical reconnaissance needs will be handled by drones and pod-equipped F-16 fighters.

F-5

Taiwan’s RF-5 Tigergazer Reconnaissance Jets Have Retired

Posted on Jul 7, 2025

F-22

F-22 Raptors Will Be First To Control ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Updated on Jul 3, 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.

F-22

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

Posted on Jul 2, 2025

F-15

A-10 Warthog Already Has The Capability To Use Laser-Guided Rockets To Shoot-Down Drones

Updated on Jul 1, 2025

F-35A

Plans To Finally Give F-35 External Fuel Tanks Emerge In New Air Force Budget (Updated)

Posted on Jun 30, 2025

The Pentagon’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget fully commits to the U.S. Air Force's F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter, while effectively shelving the U.S. Navy's plans for a next-generation carrier-based F/A-XX combat jet.

F-35

Pentagon “All In” On Air Force’s F-47, Puts Navy’s F/A-XX On Ice

Posted on Jun 27, 2025

F-15EX will have 129 aircraft in its fleet under trump.

F-15

F-15EX Planned Fleet Size Grows To 129 Jets

Updated on Jun 26, 2025

F-35A

Royal Air Force Goes Nuclear With F-35A

Posted on Jun 25, 2025

F-35A

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

Posted on Jun 17, 2025

F-14

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

Posted on Jun 16, 2025

Rafale

Rafale Reemerges With Conformal Fuel Tanks

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.

F/A-18E/F

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

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

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

F-15

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

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

Gripen

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

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.

Flankers

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

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.

MiG-29

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

Posted on Jun 9, 2025

F-16

Claims Swirl Around Russian Su-35S Flanker Shootdown

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.

J-36

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

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jun 6, 2025

F-35A

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

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.

F/A-18E/F

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

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.

F-15

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

Posted on Jun 4, 2025

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

F-35B

Royal Navy To Arm Its Carriers With Long-Range Missiles

Posted on Jun 3, 2025

J-36

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

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.

F-15

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

Posted on May 30, 2025

Boeing’s F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter has been pitched to Japan by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to reports. The idea of an export-configured F-47 was brought up by Trump when he announced Boeing’s win in the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned combat jet initiative. Meanwhile, Japan is apparently also looking at increasing its buy of F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters, prompted by concerns over the timeline for the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a sixth-generation combat jet being pursued jointly by Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

F-35

Trump Offers F-47 Sixth-Gen Fighter To Japan: Reports

Posted on May 30, 2025

Pilot-optional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters could be coming in the future as Lockheed Martin looks for ways to ensure the jets remain relevant for decades to come.

F-16

What We Just Learned A More Advanced “Ferrari” F-35 Could Include

By Thomas Newdick, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 30, 2025

Starfighters international are working to secure F-4s from South Korea for space launch duties.

F-4

F-4 Phantoms Sought By Private Space Launch Company Starfighters International

Updated on May 28, 2025

Adding APKWS II to the F-15E's arsenal is an unsurprising development that would turn the Strike Eagle into a counter-drone and counter-cruise missile arsenal ship.

F-15

F-15E Spotted Packing Big Laser-Guided Rocket Arsenal Ideal For Drone Hunting

Posted on May 23, 2025

A front view rendering of PA-Ng, dated 2022.

Rafale

French Navy Offers Sneak Peek Of Its Future Carrier Air Wing

Posted on May 22, 2025

The U.S. Air Force is planning to return its F-15E Strike Eagles from RAF Lakenheath in England and consolidate its fleet stateside. Currently, the F-15Es in the United Kingdom are the only permanently forward-deployed examples of the aircraft, which remain the service’s first choice for a wide variety of critical missions around the globe.

F-15

F-15E Strike Eagles To Leave England For Good

Posted on May 21, 2025

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin today discussed the potential of a new version of the prolific F-16, a so-called Block 80, as a way of increasing the combat mass of the service in the future. While the Air Force doesn’t at this point have a plan to start buying Vipers again, it’s certainly interesting that the topic is up for discussion, especially with the service looking hard at how it will balance its next-generation fighter requirements, while introducing the F-47 crewed stealth fighter and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones.

F-16

Air Force Chief Responds To Possibility Of Buying New ‘Block 80’ F-16s

Posted on May 20, 2025

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jordan Green, 67th Fighter Generation Squadron crew chief, marshals an F-15E Strike Eagle during an elephant walk at Kadena Air Base, Japan, May 6, 2025. Directly after, the 18th Wing generated real-time sorties to strengthen Kadena’s readiness to defend Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Johnson)

F-15

Additional F-15E Strike Eagles Arrive In Diego Garcia

Updated on May 19, 2025

F-15s deploy to Diego Garcia to protect B-52s.

F-15

F-15s Deploy To Protect Diego Garcia

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway, Howard Altman

Updated on May 17, 2025

F-35

Trump Wants A Twin-Engine “F-55” Version Of The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Posted on May 15, 2025

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

F/A-XX

Fate Of Navy’s F/A-XX Future Fighter Is In Limbo (Updated)

Posted on May 14, 2025

F-35 was nearly downed by Houthi air defenses.

F-16

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

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on May 14, 2025

F-47 has a range of 1,000+ nautical miles.

F-47

F-47 Now Has An Officially Stated Combat Radius Of 1,000+ Nautical Miles

Posted on May 14, 2025

A U.S. F-35 stealth fighter had to take evasive action to avoid being hit by a Houthi SAM, a U.S. official told The War Zone.

F-35

F-35 Had To Maneuver To Evade Houthi Surface-To-Air Missile: U.S. Official

Posted on May 14, 2025

The air war currently unfolding between India and Pakistan is exceedingly murky, but one aspect that seems almost certain is the use of the Chinese-made PL-15 active-radar-guided air-to-air missile (AAM) by Pakistan. So far, Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian aircraft and at least one Indian official has reportedly confirmed the crash of three aircraft but cautioned that the reasons were not clear. Unverified imagery suggests that one of the Indian Air Force’s prized Rafale multirole fighters may have been shot down. Regardless, the fighting between the two nuclear-armed states is the most intense for decades, now with the growing risk of the situation spiraling further out of control.

Rafale

China’s PL-15 Air-To-Air Missile Appears To Have Been Used In Combat For The First Time

Updated on May 7, 2025

Hornet crashed aboard the USS Harry S Truman

F/A-18E/F

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

Updated on May 7, 2025

Small missile for CCA and fighter aircraft sought by USAF.

F-35

Air Force Looking For Cheap Air-To-Air Missile Half The Size Of AMRAAM

Posted on May 5, 2025

Su-30

Two Russian Su-30 Flankers Downed By AIM-9s Fired From Drone Boats: Ukrainian Intel Boss

Posted on May 4, 2025

F-16 Fighting Falcons sit in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. on Jul. 30, 2010. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group is converting F-16s into usable manned or drone targets allowing Air Force to train and test new weapons platforms in the process. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios)

F-16

F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Posted on May 1, 2025

An F-15EX Eagle II aircraft assigned to 53rd Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida taxis towards the runway prior to take off at Nellis Air Force, Nevada, Oct. 21, 2021. The aircraft are at Nellis AFB to conduct Integrated Test and Evaluation along with F-15C aircraft from the 123rd Fighter Squadron, Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)

F-15

F-15EX To Replace Michigan Air National Guard A-10s

Posted on Apr 29, 2025

Tactical airpower, and specifically the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II, are big beneficiaries of recently proposed legislation put forward by the Republican leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

F-15

F-15 Eagles Win Big In Supersized Defense Spending Bill

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 28, 2025

F-35C

F-35C Naval Joint Strike Fighters Have Been Shooting Down Houthi Drones

Posted on Apr 25, 2025

We now have more clarity on the U.S. Air Force’s plans for its second tranche of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones, known as Increment 2. This includes the likelihood of a lower-cost CCA Increment 2 as well as the drone’s integration with assets in addition to fighters, including the B-21 stealth bomber and E-7 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.

NGAD

Air Force’s Next Batch Of Collaborative Combat Drones Could Be Less ‘Exquisite,’ Cheaper

Posted on Apr 24, 2025

The U.S. Air Force is firmly of the view that its new F-47 6th generation stealth fighters are key to "how we win" in future fights, according to the service's top general in charge of force structure planning.

F-47

F-47 6th Generation Fighter Future Force Size Questions Emerge

Posted on Apr 24, 2025

J-20

New Views Of China’s Next Generation Fighters

Posted on Apr 24, 2025

Rafale

French Rafale Fighters Project Power Forward To Sweden

Posted on Apr 23, 2025

F-22

Giving F-35 “NASCAR Upgrade” Can Deliver 80% Of F-47 Capabilities At Half Cost: Lockheed

Updated on Apr 22, 2025

MiG-29

China Deploys J-10 Fighters To Egypt