HEADLINE NEWS - Boeing gears up for F-15EX, KC-46 Pegasus moves forward, Russia gets active in the Arctic and first Block III Super Hornet
NEWS - Our new integrated news and analysis section includes the first seriesproduction Saab Gripen E, USAF E-4B replacement plans, plus the latest unit and deployment news, and the most recent Military Losses
THE OPS DESK - Scott Wolff's column discusses the merits of a new training system that blends virtual and live domains
BOEING READY TO PROGRESS WITH F-15EX - With a stalled Fiscal Year 2020 defense budget, Boeing is pressing ahead with the F-l 5EX project for the US Air Force
READY ROOM - Combat Aircraft's new regular column, looking at the stories behind the US Navy and Marine Corps headlines, by Rick Burgess
RAPTOR: 15 YEARS ON THE FRONT LINE - PART ONE - At a time when the US Air Force wants to accelerate fighter aircraft development under a 'Digital Century Series', Jamie Hunter looks back at how the first combat-coded F-22 Raptor was delivered in May 2005 and how, some 15 years on, the USAF is working to ensure the fighter remains relevant
STILL GOING STRONG-PART ONE - In the first of a two-part feature, Bob Archer and Tom Kaminski look at the service record of the US Air Force C-l 35 family as it marks 64 years of service
WAR GAMES IN THE NEGEV - Giovanni Colla reports from Ovda air base in Israel's Negev Desert, which hosted Exercise 'Blue Flag'in November.The maneuvers attracted five nations and some 70 aircraft, including F-35s for the first time
FIGHTING WITH THE'SAINTS' - VFC-l 3 'Fighting Saints'flies the F-5 Tiger II in the adversary role at NAS Fallon, Nevada. Jamie Hunter and Richard Collens meet the squadron's highly experienced personnel who provide an agile and scalable service in support of TOPGUN and visiting fleet aircrews
GLORY DAYS: 'GOLDEN JAGUARS' OVER PANAMA - Joe Copal man looks back at the role of the OA-37 Dragonfly in Operation'Just Cause'in 1989, when a small, specialist squadron was thrust into a major campaign
BIG SHOT: 'VIPER' FLARE - Combat Aircraft's new feature showcasing military aviation's best images each month in this issue it's an F-16AM of the 148th Fighter Squadron'Kickin' Ass'
FRANCE'S MARITIME REVOLUTION - As the Aeronautique Navale marks the centenary of Flottilie 11F, it is striding ahead with the latest standard of Dassault Rafale the F3-R variant, as Frederic Lert explains, with photographs by Anthony Pecchi
RUSSIAN TRAINING WOES - Alexander Mladenov explains how Russia's military flight training system is currently running at surge capacity while suffering from the shortage of aircraft to cope with the sharply increased demand for new pilots
FAREWELL TO THE RECCE 'RHINOS' - The Japan Air Self-Defense Force held a public farewell event for the F-4 Phantom II in late 2019 and Rich Cooper was there as it marked the final chapter for its legendary reconnaissance 'Rhinos'
JOINT STARS DRAWS BACK FROM COMBAT OPS - Jamie Hunter looks at why the US Air Force has withdrawn its E-8s from combat operations despite a lack of clarity on what will replace their capability
MALAYSIAN GUARDIANS - The Malacca Strait is the world's busiest shipping lane — linking sea trade from the East and West. Guarding this vital region, theTentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM, Royal Malaysian Air Force) plays a vital role, as Chen Chuanren explains
CUTTING EDGE - David Axe's column looking at the latest technological developments in military aerospace
FLASHBACK - Combat Aircraft's trip down memory lane — this month it's a YF-117A Nighthawk

ON THE COVER - An immaculate gloss black F-5N of VFC-13 'Fighting Saints' - one of the squadrons that plays TOPGUN's bad guys.