A U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday, threatening to ramp up tensions as the Trump administration warns of possible military action to get Iran to the negotiating table.

Dozens of fighter jets were canceled, buried, or destroyed not because they failed, but because they were too advanced, too expensive, or too disruptive. This deep dive explores over 60 discontinued fighters and reveals how their technologies quietly became the foundation of modern air combat.

In military aviation, raw speed is no longer a benchmark for domination over the

The F-4 Phantom II came with flaws, but its flexibility meant it became the muscle of US air power and helped pave the way for later 4th-gen fighters.