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, […]

Watch: F-35 seems to stop in mid-air as pilot puts it into a flat spin

Back in December, the U.S. Air Force announced plans to form a new F-35A demonstration team, and soon footage of the team practice made its way onto the internet. If anyone was wondering what this new demonstration team would bring to the table, it seems clear now — with some acrobatic stunts the public has […]

What exactly is the F-35 ‘Beast Mode’ we keep hearing about?

The phrase “beast mode” wasn’t coined for the sake of the F-35. In fact, more often than not, you’ll find those two words adorning tweets about professional football players breaking tackles or in the caption under videos of street fights… so how did the the phrase manage to find its way into so many headlines […]

What exactly is the F-35 ‘Beast Mode’ we keep hearing about?

The phrase “beast mode” wasn’t coined for the sake of the F-35. In fact, more often than not, you’ll find those two words adorning tweets about professional football players breaking tackles or in the caption under videos of street fights. So how did the phrase manage to find its way into so many headlines pertaining […]

Russia’s stealth fighter is basically dead in the water

When Russia first set to work on what would become the Sukhoi Su-57 (internally the T-50 at the time), it had a singular aim: utilizing 21st century stealth characteristics to produce a fighter capable of standing toe to toe with the best the United States had to offer, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-22 […]

Pentagon paints a grim picture of the F-35 despite them entering combat operations

The latest Pentagon assessment of the F-35 program has reached the media, and with the long-delayed fighter finally entering combat operations with the Marine Corps late last year, one would think the report would offer some good news for the most advanced fighter on the planet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. In fact, those first F-35s to […]

Pentagon paints a grim picture of the F-35 despite them entering combat operations

The latest Pentagon assessment of the F-35 program has reached the media, and with the long-delayed fighter finally entering combat operations with the Marine Corps late last year, one would think the report would offer some good news for the most advanced fighter on the planet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. In fact, those first F-35s to […]

China says a new paint job just turned its J-16 into a ‘near-stealth’ fighter

Radar-absorbent coating is an important element of any stealth aircraft’s ability to avoid detection. Air platforms that were purpose-built with stealth in mind already offer a limited radar return, thanks to meticulously-developed designs and production practices that allow for extremely tight tolerances, ensuring the aircraft has few hard angles prone to producing a radar return. […]