Manned ISR

Latest in Manned ISR

A Ukrainian attack on the aircraft manufacturer Beriev’s facility in Taganrog in southwestern Russia overnight appears to have struck a unique laser testbed, the A-60.
A-50/A-100

Unique Russian A-60 Laser Testbed Jet Destroyed In Ukrainian Attack

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 25, 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

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 Dutch Ministry of Defense has announced that NATO nations have dropped their plan to buy Boeing E-7A Wedgetail as its next airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform. The decision comes after South Korea rejected the E-7 for its own AEW&C program and would appear to open the door to Saab’s rival GlobalEye, which France has already said it intends to buy.
E-3

E-7 Wedgetail Radar Jet Procurement Plans Axed By NATO

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 13, 2025

The last MC-12W Liberty turboprop surveillance aircraft under U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command's (AFSOC) umbrella have been retired.
Manned ISR

Last Special Operations MC-12W Surveillance Planes Retired

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Sep 15, 2025

A 9th Reconnaissance Wing TU-2S Dragon Lady piloted by Cory “ULTRALORD” Bartholomew, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron (RS) assigned flight safety officer and U-2 instructor pilot, and Lt. Col. “JETHRO”, 1st RS instructor pilot and U-2 chief pilot, lands at Beale Air Force Base (AFB), California, Aug. 1st, 2025. “ULTRALORD” and “JETHRO”’s flight took place on the 70th anniversary of the U-2’s first flight and broke the endurance records for the U-2, flying longer than 14 hours and traveled over 6,000 nautical miles. This flight tested the capabilities of the U-2 and its pilots to its limit and showcased Beale AFB’s capacity as a power projection platform to rapidly respond to adversary actions anywhere in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Frederick A. Brown)
U-2

U-2 Pilot On What It Took To Make Record-Setting 14-Hour Flight A Reality

By Howard Altman

Updated on Aug 6, 2025

Tracking Moving Aircraft Via Radar Satellites Instead Of Surveillance Jets Still Far From Reality
E-3

Tracking Moving Aircraft Via Radar Satellites Instead Of Surveillance Jets Still Far From Reality

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Aug 4, 2025

U-2 dragon lady's 70th anniversary record setting.
U-2

U-2 Just Set New Records On The 70th Anniversary Of Its First Flight (Updated)

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Aug 2, 2025

The Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced a draft defense spending bill that would reverse the Pentagon's plan to freeze the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX next-generation carrier-based combat jet program.
E-7

Congress Moves To Save Gutted F/A-XX 6th Generation Naval Fighter Program

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 31, 2025

Step Toward Blocking E-7 Wedgetail Radar Jet Program Cancellation Taken By Congress
E-2

Step Toward Blocking E-7 Wedgetail Radar Jet Program Cancellation Taken By Congress

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 11, 2025

The proven and in-production E-7 Wedgetail, based on the Boeing 737 and serving with multiple allies, was supposed to bridge the gap between the E-3's retirement and pushing the mission to space-based distributed satellite constellations. Now, if the administration gets its wish, that won't happen. The E-7 will be cancelled and the Navy's E-2D Hawkeye will step in to fill the gap.
E-2

E-2 Hawkeye Replaces USAF E-3 Sentry, E-7 Cancelled In New Budget

By Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 11, 2025

The U.S. Navy has quietly awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to strip useful parts from an ex-Royal Air Force (RAF) E-3D Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft before disposing of it.
E-3

Plan To Turn Ex-RAF E-3 AWACS Into E-6B ‘Doomsday’ Jet Trainer Abandoned By Navy

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 5, 2025

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery that TWZ has exclusively obtained from ICEYE points to multiple Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers having been damaged or destroyed at Belaya Air Base.
A-50/A-100

Latest On Russian Aircraft Loss Assessments From Ukrainian Drone Strikes

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 3, 2025

Bear bomber struck by Ukrainian drone.
A-50/A-100

Russian Strategic Bombers Destroyed In Unprecedented Wide-Scale Drone Attack (Updated)

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jun 1, 2025

The U.S. Army says it is on schedule to retire the last of its turboprop-powered intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft by the end of this year.
Manned ISR

Army To Retire All Of Its Turboprop Surveillance Planes By The End Of The Year

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 29, 2025

Saab of Sweden is pitching its GlobalEye multi-sensor surveillance plane to Canada, which is searching for a new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) capability. While the GlobalEye will face stiff competition from the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, which had been selected by the U.S. Air Force and NATO, among others, the Swedish solution will be combined with a Canadian-made Bombardier Global 6000/6500 airframe.
E-7

Saab GlobalEye Set To Challenge Boeing E-7 As Canada’s New Radar Plane

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 28, 2025

The U.S. Army has formally given the designation ME-11B to its forthcoming High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) intelligence-gathering aircraft.
E-11

ME-11B Official Designation Of Army’s New Intelligence Gathering Business Jets

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Mar 27, 2025