Aircraft

News, explainers, and analysis about military aircraft.

Latest in Aircraft

A patch celebrating the legacy of the A-10 mission is worn by a newly appointed dedicated crew chief during the final A-10 dedicated crew chief ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Oct. 31, 2025. The 357th Fighter Generation Squadron owns the remaining A-10Cs utilized by the Air Force, and will see their final divestment in late 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ericha Parish)

Air Force A-10 patch marks an ‘end of an errrrra’

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 15, 2025

Air National Guard airmen from the 119th Maintenance Squadron prepares an MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for flight during the Northern Strike 2025 exercise at the Alpena, Mich. Combat Regional Training Center, August 2-16, 2025. Northern Strike is one of the Department of Defense’s largest reserve component readiness exercises, is taking place now across Michigan. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Sr. Master Sgt. Michael Knodle)

Congress wants to screen drone operators for PTSD, depression

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 14, 2025

241231-N-TN409-1156 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Dec. 31, 2024) Two U.S. Navy pilots in an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, prepare for launch from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

Fighter Aircraft

Navy cruiser mistook fighter jets for incoming missiles during chaotic night

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Dec 4, 2025

Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs, assigned to the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, fly in formation prior to conducting air-to-air refueling over Utah, July 1, 2025.

Why are so many US military aircraft painted grey?

Posted on Nov 25, 2025

A Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 (Reinforced) on the flight deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sean, Sept. 7, 2025.

Marine Harriers are in the Caribbean just ahead of retirement

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Nov 21, 2025

SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND, Alaska (Sept. 11, 2022) A West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare operator conducts security utilizing a SHIELD AI Nova I drone during Operation Noble Defender. Sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning software capabilities coupled with the development of layered denial, and defeat mechanisms capable of addressing current and emerging threats are fundamental to national defense. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Alex Smedegard)

Navy SEALs want to start a 10-day school to learn drone warfare

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 17, 2025

Staff Sgt. Kristopher Garbea, with the unmanned aerial system Platoon, 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, prepares a reconnaissance drone for flight during Saber Junction 25 (SJ25) at the Joint Multinational Readiness Training Center at Hohenfels, Germany Sept. 9, 2025. Soldiers within the unit developed Purpose Built Attritable System drones to use against simulated enemy forces at SJ25. This exercise ensures that the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and allied forces are prepared to act decisively in response to emerging threats, crises, or opportunities. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Shenicquia Fulton)

The Army is going to buy a million drones

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 7, 2025

No clear winner emerged from teams of Marines, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs and Air Force airmen competed in a "Drone Crucible" in September.

No clear winner in military’s first ‘drone crucible’

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Oct 29, 2025

250730-N-IP140-1119 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (July 30, 2025) An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during flight operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

Fighter Aircraft

Two USS Nimitz aircraft crash within an hour in separate mishaps

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 26, 2025

A turboprop plane rests in a field after crashing, two power poles askew in the front.

The Air Force’s special operations crop duster crashed in a field in Oklahoma

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Oct 25, 2025

Marine Maj. Tyler R. Braconi was identified as the pilot killed in the crash of a AH-1Z attack helicopter Oct. 16.

Marine pilot killed in California helicopter crash ‘was one of the greats,’ squadron says

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 21, 2025

A S-70UAS U-Hawk, a modified uncrewed Black Hawk helicopter.

This wild new Black Hawk prototype is part drone, part Transformer

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Oct 13, 2025

Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) 1st Class Anthony Huffman, from Forest Grove, Oregon, conducts maintenance on aircraft in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the Pacific Ocean, July 27, 2024. Nimitz is underway conducting routine operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony Lagunes)

Fighter Aircraft

Navy maintenance crews are stripping their own jets and submarines for spare parts

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 6, 2025

An MQ-9 Reaper taxis on the runway after landing in support of Freedom Flag 24-1 at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Oct. 23, 2024. Freedom Flag 24-1 is an advanced, large-scale tactical exercise between the U.S. and allied partners dedicated to the protection of regional peace and stability through the adaptation of novel and collaborative training methods, ensuring readiness against a wide range of threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Maria Umanzor Guzman)

Air Force revives WWII-era squadron in South Korea as modern drone force

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 29, 2025

Workers at Allen Control Systems accidentally ordered parts for a Bullfrog weapon system in rose gold rather than black. The company says the military services can order it in this color if they so please.

Someone accidentally ordered this drone-killing robot in rose gold

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 23, 2025

F-35 drug missions

Fighter Aircraft

Why does the US have F-35s flying anti-cartel missions in the Caribbean?

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Sep 19, 2025