Report: The F-22 Raptor’s most lethal opponent is Air Force mismanagement

America’s first fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, is widely considered to be the best air superiority fighter on the planet. The combination of its low observability and high performance makes it America’s heavyweight contender in the battle for air supremacy, even in the era of the data-fusing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. While the […]

Conflict between India and Pakistan shows the dogfighting era is far from over

With the exception of one engagement over Syria in 2017, the United States has not found any of its fighters in a good old-fashioned “dogfight” since the early 1990s. Throughout much of the world, the same can be said for most other national militaries. As a result (and bolstered by new fighter technologies), there’s a […]

Conflict between India and Pakistan shows the dogfighting era is far from over

With the exception of one engagement over Syria in 2017, the United States has not found any of its fighters in a good old-fashioned “dogfight” since the early 1990s. Throughout much of the world, the same can be said for most other national militaries. As a result (and bolstered by new fighter technologies), there’s a […]

How to improve the relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the US defense industry

During the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) 2019, which was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UAE government spent close to $5.4 billion on weapons and military hardware contracts. According to reports from the UAE government, the deals that were signed involved firms from across to globe, including Chinese, Russian, French, […]

Lockheed Martin pitches a new fighter to India: What exactly is the F-21?

India recently announced that they’re on the market for 110 new fighter jets, and they’re willing to fork over more than $15 billion to get them. Naturally this has prompted a great deal of interest from aircraft manufacturers throughout the world. One such manufacturer, America’s Lockheed Martin, has approached the table with a “brand new” […]

Hypersonic missiles may be why the Air Force wants 80 new F-15X fighters

Reports of the Pentagon’s pressure on the Air Force to procure new F-15 airframes for the first time in 18 years immediately sparked a backlash among Lockheed Martin’s fan base. They contend diverting funding away from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to purchase an older design doesn’t make any real strategic sense. Now, as more […]

China claims they’re able to track America’s F-22 Raptor on radar: Could it be true?

According to reports on Chinese state-owned media, a group of intercept fighters were scrambled from China’s East China Sea fleet to patrol a portion of China’s Air Defense Identification Zone that was apparently the site of unidentified aircraft reported by radar on February 10. Other fighters were equipped with missiles while China’s carrier-based helicopter brigade […]

China boasts plan to field ‘6th-generation’ fighter jet by 2035 despite not really having a 5th-generation fighter

The Chinese aerospace firm responsible for China’s premier fifth-generation platform, the Chengdu J-20, has announced plans to field a new “sixth-generation” fighter by 2035. This announcement comes on the heels of a joint French and German endeavor to field a “next-generation” fighter that was announced last week, as well as the U.K.’s announcement last summer […]

Why the F-15X could be the F-35’s best friend in a near-peer air war

Ever since word first broke last summer that the U.S. Air Force was considering (at the Pentagon’s direction) the idea of adding a dozen or so new F-15s to their stable as part of their 2020 budget proposal, outlets have been clamoring to find ways to pit the new F-15X against America’s premier stealth fighter, […]