McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II - Mach 2.2

The Fastest Warplanes in Service Today

Mach 2 (twice the local speed of sound) is incredibly fast, and few modern aircraft fly much faster. Operating at higher speeds is rare in real-world warfare and entails huge compromises. Despite this, some astonishingly fast planes flying today comfortably exceed Mach 2. A handful of designs prove that extreme speed still matters, surviving decades…

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Beijing ‘absolutely does not accept’ Japanese leader’s seeming Taiwan climbdown

    China reveals radio communication heard before mid-air stand-off with Japanese fighter jets

    China on Tuesday released more details about Saturday’s mid-air stand-off between Chinese and Japanese fighter jets, as the two sides traded barbs over the radar lock-on incident amid rising tensions. The Japanese Defence Ministry claimed the Chinese ship-based J-15 fighters from aircraft carrier Liaoning had locked fire-control radars on Japan’s F-15 jets in the international…

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