Read our 1945 ultra-detailed four-part dissection of Japan's "workhorse fighter", the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, with detail that would put some homebuilt-airplane plans to shame.

With four bidders in the running, the U.S. Air Force is confident the competition will drive cost down to an affordable level, despite high design expectations.

The L1 controller is designed to automatically intervene in the case of control problems.

As the U.S. takes sharper aim at the Asia-Pacific, China has American military vulnerabilities more squarely in its sights, according to regional geopolitical and military experts. And China’s growing strength should give U.S. commanders pause, they say.

Cut unwisely now and pay dearly later is the message from U.S. Defense Department science and technology leaders, who fear spending caps threaten development of advanced capabilities that will be needed in future decades.

The digital economy is seeping into every corner of the aerospace and defense industry, and it is just the beginning.

While KAI is confirmed as preferred bidder for KF-X development, the role of Lockheed Martin looks unclear. Airbus may yet be asked to join the program to protect it from a U.S. export veto.

Two German teams are working on a military-funded program that could lead to a world first: an operational air-defense laser.