Air Forces

Latest in Air Forces

A-10C Thunderbolt II close-support jets with kill marking were seen at RAF Lakenheath.
U.S. Air Force

A-10 Warthogs Arrive In England Festooned With Nose Art And Mission Markings From Epic Fury

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 13, 2026

Members of Congress are again moving to block the U.S. Air Force from retiring all of its U-2S Dragon Lady spy planes. This time, legislators also want to compel the service to "fully restore" a quartet of the iconic aircraft through depot maintenance.
U.S. Air Force

Four U-2S Spy Planes Would Be Restored In Bill That Would Save The Dragon Lady Fleet

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 12, 2026

Boeing “Encouraged” By C-17 Production Restart Discussions
U.S. Air Force

Boeing “Encouraged” By C-17 Production Restart Discussions

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 11, 2026

There's an unusual twist here with the specific plane that NASA is now eyeing: it currently belongs to the U.S. Air Force and is part of a "classified military program." There is a strong possibility that the aircraft in question is a mysterious 737 that the service acquired in 2020, and that has been the subject of much speculation as to its purpose ever since.
U.S. Air Force

Is This Secretive Air Force 737 About To Become NASA’s Next ‘Vomit Comet’? (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 10, 2026

The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that the so-called VC-25B Bridge aircraft is now wearing its new red, white, and blue livery and undergoing final preparations for its official delivery.
U.S. Air Force

VC-25B Air Force One “Bridge” Aircraft Now Wears Trump’s Preferred Red, White, and Blue Paint Job

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 9, 2026

Germany and France have failed to reconcile competing military requirements, bringing Europe’s flagship fighter jet program to an abrupt end.
French Air Force

Franco-German Future Fighter Effort Collapses Over Irreconcilable Differences

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 8, 2026

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 tanker appeared in the United Kingdom this weekend with a new large antenna on top of the rear of the fuselage.
U.S. Air Force

KC-135 Tanker Spotted With New Satellite Communications Antenna

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 8, 2026

The French Air and Space Force confirmed that its Rafales, currently deployed in neighboring Lithuania, were scrambled in response to the drone incursion. The drone was identified before one of the fighters shot it down over an uninhabited area.
French Air Force

Video Captures Rafale Fighter’s Drone Kill Over Baltic

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 8, 2026

A-10 weapons school pilot gives walk around tour of jet and the cockpit.
U.S. Air Force

A-10 Cockpit And Walk-Around Tour With A Warthog Weapons Instructor

By Jamie Hunter

Posted on Jun 7, 2026

An A-10C Thunderbolt II assigned to the 74th Fighter Squadron flies with its new refueling probe at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, May 19, 2026. The A-10 successfully refueled from an HC-130J Combat King II assigned to the 71st Rescue Squadron, demonstrating the new system’s effectiveness.
U.S. Air Force

Congress Throws A-10 Warthog Another Lifeline

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 5, 2026

Modularity is a key area of interest as the U.S. Air Force formulates its latest set of requirements for a successor to the MQ-9 Reaper, according to Gen. John Lamontagne, the service's Vice Chief of Staff.
U.S. Air Force

USAF Wants “MQ-9 Next” Reaper Replacement To Be Modular, Cheap

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 4, 2026

Newly emerged footage appears to show the French-supplied fighters executing a strike profile associated with Hammer precision-guided bombs.
Ukrainian Air Force

Are Ukrainian Mirage 2000s Now Flying Air-To-Ground Strike Missions?

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 2, 2026

The U.S. Air Force is already moving to lay the groundwork for the fielding of the replacement for its GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bomb.
U.S. Air Force

Next Generation Penetrator Bomb Slated To Replace MOP Has Been Designated GBU-76

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 2, 2026

Standoff Jamming (SOJ) platforms are high-value assets that suppress adversary air defence radars, disrupt command and control cycles, and interfere with communications by conducting deception and noise jamming from long ranges without entering hostile airspace. By doing so, they create corridors through which friendly air forces can penetrate enemy airspace. The effective employment of these platforms has become an undeniable reality of modern warfare, acting as a force multiplier and generating powerful asymmetric effects.
Turkish Air Force

Turkey’s Secretive Electronic Warfare Jet Appears In New Imagery

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jun 1, 2026

A recent video out of Russia once again highlights the drastic efforts being taken to provide Moscow with additional air defense coverage against the threat of long-range Ukrainian drones. While we have seen examples of the Pantsir short-range air defense system installed on buildings in Moscow before now, the footage shows the counter-drone-optimized SMD-E variant being lifted on top of a skyscraper by helicopter.
Russian Air Force

New Counter-Drone Optimized Pantsir Air Defense System Being Deployed Atop Skyscrapers In Moscow

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 28, 2026

It will take years to replace several advanced weapons systems used in the Iran war, according to a new report.
U.S. Air Force

Severity Of America’s Depleted Advanced Weapons Stockpiles Detailed In New Report

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 28, 2026