Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat against other aircraft, as opposed to bombers and attack aircraft, whose main mission is to attack ground targets. The hallmarks of a fighter are its speed, maneuverability, and small size relative to other combat aircraft.

Many fighters have secondary ground-attack capabilities, and some are designed as dual-purpose fighter-bombers; often aircraft that do not fulfill the standard definition are called fighters. This may be for political or national security reasons, for advertising purposes, or other reasons.

A fighter's main purpose is to establish air superiority over a battlefield. Since World War I, achieving and maintaining air superiority has been considered essential for victory in conventional warfare. The success or failure of a belligerent's efforts to gain air supremacy hinges on several factors including the skill of its pilots, the tactical soundness of its doctrine for deploying its fighters, and the numbers and performance of those fighters. Because of the importance of air superiority, since the dawn of aerial combat armed forces have constantly competed to develop technologically superior fighters and to deploy these fighters in greater numbers, and fielding a viable fighter fleet consumes a substantial proportion of the defense budgets of modern armed forces.

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Latest News for: fighter (aircraft)

Myanmar military bombs rebels even as nation struggles with earthquake aftermath

The Times of India 31 Mar 2025
Five military aircraft bombed their base in Naungcho township, killing seven fighters, including five female soldiers. A DPLA officer said their soldiers tried to reach bunkers when they heard the aircraft, but a direct bomb hit killed those inside.

UK will buy US fighter jets despite Europe’s fears about Trump

The Times/The Sunday Times 30 Mar 2025
Britain will push ahead with a multi-billion pound deal to buy US fighter jets in defiance of European warnings that President Trump could disable the aircraft ... the fifth-generation fighters on a whim.

Myanmar junta accused of air strike even after quake

Raw Story 30 Mar 2025
Five military aircraft attacked their base in Naungcho township, killing seven fighters, one of their officers told AFP. "Our soldiers tried to get into bunkers when they heard the sound of aircraft," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

HAL to hand over first LCA Mk-1A to IAF in first quarter of FY26

Business Line 30 Mar 2025
The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will start delivering Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A fighter jets to the Indian Air Force from the first ...

IAF participating in multi-nation wargame in Greece

The Times of India 30 Mar 2025
... deploying Su-30 MKI fighters and support aircraft.

Remains of soldier shot down over Germany during WWII to be interred this week

Stars and Stripes 30 Mar 2025
He was killed in action April 8, 1944, at age 27, when the B-24H “Liberator” he was co-piloting was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission ...

Pentagon chief Hegseth says 'warrior' Japan indispensable to deter China

Asahi News 30 Mar 2025
TOKYO--U.S ... Japan hosts around 50,000 U.S. military personnel, squadrons of fighter squadrons and Washington's only forward deployed aircraft carrier strike group along a 3,000-km (1,900-mile) archipelago that helps hem in Chinese military power ... .

IAF to participate in Multi-national air exercise INIOCHOS-25 in Greece

Beijing News 30 Mar 2025
New Delhi [India], March 30(ANI) ... The IAF contingent will include Su-30 MKI fighters along with combat enabler IL-78 & C-17 aircraft, according to the Defence Ministry. INIOCHOS is a biennial multinational air exercise hosted by the Hellenic Air Force.

Richard D. Fisher, Jr. On Taiwan: Trump’s military opportunities for Taiwan

Taipei Times 30 Mar 2025
... AIM-9X anti-aircraft missile — and new unmanned fighter jets, long-range/long endurance UAVs to better assist missile targeting, and larger unmanned surface combat ships to break PLA naval blockades.

How to beat the Trump Slump: As tariff fears crash markets, shares guru JOANNE HART ...

This is Money 30 Mar 2025
London-based Zinc Media has been commissioned by Disney to produce a six-part series on TOPGUN, with exclusive access to naval bases, fighter jets and aircraft carriers at sea.

Hegseth vows deterrence across Strait

Taipei Times 30 Mar 2025
ALLIANCE ... AFP, TOKYO ... Japan hosts about 50,000 US military personnel, squadrons of fighter squadrons and Washington’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier strike group along a 3,000km archipelago that helps hem in Chinese military power ... .

The Flying Flapjack: The real flying saucer

New Atlas 29 Mar 2025
The XF5U was a fighter prototypeUS Navy. The goal was to create a new fighter aircraft with exceptional low-speed handling and high-speed potential that would be suitable for carrier-based operations.

From F-35s to F-47s, Trump's making turbulence for Lockheed

Business Insider 29 Mar 2025
When he announced that Boeing Co., a longtime leader in stealth aircraft production, will build the sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, fighter, Trump said that allies could ...

US hands over first long-awaited F-16

Taipei Times 29 Mar 2025
The F-16C/D Block 70 is expected to be the final model of Lockheed Martin F-16s, as the US Air Force and US allies replace their legacy aircraft with F-35 stealth fighters ... The fighters are capable of ...
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