No verified evidence supports a literal "kill switch" that would let the United States remotely disable allied F-35s. Experts say the real dependency is on US-supplied Mission Data Files, software updates, spare parts, and logistics systems, without which the jet's effectiveness gradually degrades.

Mission Data Files (MDFs) are the threat-library data the F-35 uses to identify and counter enemy radars and systems, compiled and regularly updated by the United States. Industry expert Bill Sweetman has argued this update dependency, not a mythical kill switch, is the genuine concern for foreign operators.

ALIS, the Autonomic Logistics Information System, and its cloud-based successor ODIN manage the F-35's maintenance, supply chain, and data flow. They do not fly the aircraft, but restricting access or withholding spare parts could create serious logistical problems for allied operators.

Because the F-35 is the backbone of many NATO air forces, partners worry that dependence on US software, data, and spare parts could give Washington leverage over their operations. The concern feeds wider debates about European defence autonomy, including Europe's own next-generation fighter plans.

The F-35 is operated or on order across many NATO and allied nations, where it serves as the core of future air power. Switzerland, for instance, is among newer buyers, though its order has been revised downward even as assembly began.

There is no credible evidence the US can flip a switch to ground an allied F-35 mid-flight. The more realistic lever is control over Mission Data File updates, software, and the spare-parts pipeline, which would slowly reduce a jet's combat capability rather than disable it instantly.

The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle holds an exceptional kill-to-loss ratio of 102 to 0. However, pilot skill and training heavily influence such records, so kill ratio alone is a limited measure of which fighter is truly best. The F-15 is famous enough to have landed safely on one wing.

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was the world’s first and, as of 2016, only operational fifth-generation fighter. It is a stealth air-superiority aircraft nearly invisible to radar, and was also the most advanced and most expensive production fighter built to that point. Fifth-generation design marked a major leap over earlier jets.

Fifth-generation fighters combine stealth (low radar observability), advanced sensors and avionics, and integrated electronic systems for air superiority. The F-22 Raptor set the benchmark, with later or planned entrants including the F-35 Lightning II, Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA), and China’s Shenyang J-31. The trajectory continues toward sixth-generation designs, traced in military aviation history from the Zeppelin to the sixth generation.

Because best depends on the metric. Kill ratio favours the F-15, but it is shaped by pilot training as much as the aircraft. Stealth and avionics favour the F-22, yet its real-world edge is debated. New types keep arriving, so whatever is best today is soon challenged — making the answer a moving target rather than a fixed winner.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is frequently cited as the most expensive military program ever, while the F-22 Raptor was the most expensive production fighter of its time. High cost is a recurring theme in modern fighter development — and sometimes fatal to it, as when a major European next-generation fighter program collapsed.

Flying a fighter jet is expensive but possible for civilians. A MiG-29 supersonic experience flight starts at around EUR 13,500 for 45 minutes, or EUR 11,500 for a 25-minute non-supersonic flight. Military operating costs are far higher — Austria calculated roughly EUR 70,000 per flight hour for its Eurofighters. You can even fly a fighter jet yourself through experience providers.

Air Force One, the Boeing VC-25A (a modified 747-200), costs about USD 206,337 per flight hour according to figures released under the US Freedom of Information Act. That makes presidential travel extremely expensive — one 2013 overseas trip reportedly cost taxpayers nearly USD 8 million.

Fighter jets are costly to operate because they burn huge amounts of fuel and require intensive, specialised maintenance. Supersonic jets consume far more fuel than subsonic trainers, which is why trainer flights are significantly cheaper. Crews, spare parts, and runway operations all add to the high hourly cost.

The Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is widely regarded as the most expensive aircraft ever built, and it is correspondingly costly to operate. Other expensive aircraft to run include Air Force One and the E-4 "Nightwatch" airborne command post.

The E-4 "Nightwatch" is a militarised Boeing 747 that serves as a US airborne command-and-control centre, designed to keep national leadership operational during a crisis. It is among the most expensive aircraft to operate and has been seen flying to events such as the Davos World Economic Forum.

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), lead ship of the US Navy's newest carrier class, cost more than USD 13 billion, making it the most expensive warship ever built. That is far more than even the world's priciest superyachts.

EMALS, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, is a catapult that uses electromagnetic energy instead of steam to launch aircraft from carriers. Introduced on the Ford-class, it is estimated to increase daily aircraft launch capacity by around 25% compared with the steam catapults used on Nimitz-class carriers.

The Ford-class generates about three times the electrical power of the older Nimitz-class. That extra power enables the electromagnetic EMALS catapults, advanced systems, and potential future weapons such as railguns, while boosting the ship's daily aircraft launch rate by roughly 25%.

A railgun is an electrically powered weapon that uses electromagnetic force to fire projectiles at extremely high speed, without gunpowder. The Ford-class carrier's greatly increased electrical capacity could in principle support such weapons, which the US Navy has tested in sea-trial programmes.

US Navy supercarriers operate fixed-wing jets launched by catapult, including fighters like the F/A-18 Super Hornet and, historically, the F-14 Tomcat. These carrier-based aircraft are launched with catapults and recovered using arrestor wires across the flight deck.

The USS Gerald R. Ford was built as CVN-78 and began sea operations in the mid-2010s. It introduced major new technologies, including electromagnetic EMALS catapults and roughly tripled electrical generation compared with earlier Nimitz-class carriers.

MiGFlug's favourite fighter-jet films are Les Chevaliers du Ciel, Top Gun, the documentary Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag, and Iron Eagle. Each is praised for its dogfights and flying footage, with the top picks using real aircraft rather than computer graphics.

Top Gun centres on the F-14 Tomcat, the US Navy's swing-wing carrier fighter. The film made the Tomcat a pop-culture icon, and many fans still ask whether you can fly an F-14 Tomcat today.

The French film Les Chevaliers du Ciel features the Dassault Mirage 2000. Its aerial sequences were shot entirely with real aircraft and no CGI, using a specially built camera carried in a fuel pod on a chase Mirage 2000 fast enough to keep pace with the "star" jets.

Iron Eagle features the F-16 Fighting Falcon as its hero jet, though many flight scenes used remote-controlled scale models. The "enemy" fighters in the film are not MiGs at all but Israel Aircraft Industries F-21 Kfirs, which are modified French Mirage 5s.

Yes. The original Top Gun is famous for sending interest in naval aviation soaring, as detailed in our look at how Top Gun doubled Navy recruitment overnight. Few films have had such a direct effect on a military service.

Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag is praised as highly accurate technically. It follows the US Air Force's Red Flag exercise, features the F-15 as its main aircraft, and includes striking footage inside an AWACS, making it a favourite among aviation enthusiasts.

Yes. The US Air Force trains F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs in mixed formations to improve integration between its two stealth fighters. Flying together, they pair the F-22's air-superiority strengths with the F-35's sensor fusion, as seen when Raptors trained alongside allied F-35s.

The F-22 Raptor is the US Air Force's premier air-superiority stealth fighter, and the only fighter able to conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground missions simultaneously with very high survivability. It emerged from the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) programme as a fifth-generation benchmark.

The contract for Engineering and Manufacturing Development of the F-22 was awarded to a Boeing and Lockheed Martin team in August 1991, with later changes raising the total value to around $11 billion. The programme built and tested flightworthy and ground-test aircraft before production.

The F-22 uses the AN/APG-77 radar, a low-observable, active electronically-scanned array designed for air superiority and strike. It works as part of integrated avionics that fuse the radar, electronic warfare, and weapons-management systems to give the pilot exceptional situational awareness.

Fifth-generation capability made its combat debut with the F-22 Raptor in the air-to-ground role during the early stages of Operation Inherent Resolve, striking ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. The mission validated the value of stealth and sensor fusion in real operations.

Sensor fusion combines data from a fighter's radar, electronic warfare suite, and other sensors into a single, clear picture for the pilot. It is a defining feature of fifth-generation jets like the F-22 and the F-35, reducing pilot workload and improving situational awareness.

Flying mixed F-22 and F-35 formations lets each jet cover the other's strengths — the F-22 for air dominance, the F-35 for networked sensing and strike — preparing aircrews to face advanced air forces such as China or Russia in a future conflict.