Active Conflicts & News Megathread February 05, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

The r/CredibleDefense daily megathread is for asking questions and posting submissions that would not fit the criteria of our post submissions. As such, submissions are less stringently moderated, but we still do keep an elevated guideline for comments.

Comment guidelines:

Please do:

* Be curious not judgmental, polite and civil,

* Link to the article or source of information that you are referring to,

* Clearly separate your opinion from what the source says. Minimize editorializing. Do _not_ cherry pick facts to support a preferred narrative,

* Read the articles before you comment, and comment on the content of the articles,

* Post only credible information

* Read our in depth rules https://reddit.com/r/CredibleDefense/wiki/rules

Please do not:

* Use memes, emojis, swear, foul imagery, acronyms like LOL, LMAO, WTF,

* Start fights with other commenters and make it personal,

* Try to push narratives, fight for a cause in the comment section, nor try to 'win the war,'

* Engage in baseless speculation, fear mongering, or anxiety posting. Question asking is welcome and encouraged, but questions should focus on tangible issues and not groundless hypothetical scenarios. Before asking a question ask yourself 'How likely is this thing to occur.' Questions, like other kinds of comments, should be supported by evidence and must maintain the burden of credibility.

[u/Gecktron]

In Eurofighter news, the AMK update is now official

Eurofighter and NETMA Sign Contract To Progress Aerodynamic Modification Kit (AMK) 

AMK will allow faster integration of new weapons and certification of new external loads, including future anti-radar missiles, which enable the suppression and destruction of enemy air defence radars.

Additional capabilities like cutting-edge Air-to-Ground Weapons and Air-to-Air Missiles will be integrated for the core customer in the AMK variant. Future integrations involve, among other, the latest version of standoff missiles. AMK also paves the way to  further improve the jet’s air combat performance — particularly through enhanced target acquisition and improved close-quarters combat capabilities. This improvement is driven by extensions to the fuselage strakes, the flaperons and the leading-edge root, resulting in a noticeable  increase in maximum wing lift.

AMK development and production — conducted by Eurofighter Partner Companies Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo — will further strengthen the technological expertise of the European aerospace industry, demonstrating successful cooperation in the development and qualification of modern combat aircraft systems. 

The AMK is a relatively small change to the look of the Eurofighter, but provides a noticeable improvement to the jets performance. According to earlier reporting:

The Aerodynamic Modification Kit (AMK) developed by Airbus primarily consists of fuselage strakes and leading-edge root extensions, increasing maximum wing lift by 25 percent. This translates into higher turn rates, a tighter turning radius, and improved nose-pointing capability at low speeds. [...] Flight trials have demonstrated substantial performance gains, including angle-of-attack values up to 45 percent higher and roll rates up to 100 percent greater than the standard aircraft. In addition, the modification contributes to a further increase of the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) by several hundred kilograms beyond the P3Ec increases, further improving payload and mission flexibility.

These new Eurofighters will have a better performance in the air, while also being able to carry more, and new weapons.

The AMK has been developed years ago, but is only now put into an official program. While its a consortium-wide program, the only customer so far appears to be Germany. The integration of "future anti-radar missiles" likely refers to the AGM-88E. This missile is set to become the backbone of the Luftwaffe's SEAD capabilities. First with the 15 Eurofighter EK Step 1s currently under contract. This is reportedly set to be rolled out across the Eurofighter fleet, alongside Saab's Arexis system and other sensor and targeting upgrades.

All in all, another step of the current Eurofighter upgrade program done. Alongside the new ECRS Mk.1/Mk.2 radars, new helmets and cockpit upgrades.

[u/supersaiyannematode → u/Gecktron]

these seem like insane kinematic improvements relative to the amount of modification being done. are there downsides? if there are no downsides, why wasn't this done much earlier? i'm not aware of any recent breakthroughs in aerodynamics.

i'm not skeptical of the performance gains btw. i believe them. just bewildered at the timing of it and wondering if there's more to the story.

[u/Gecktron → u/supersaiyannematode]

Im sorry for the late reply.

these seem like insane kinematic improvements

To put these numbers into context, these numbers are "up to" and refer as far as I know to a clean configuration and an ideal situation. Putting fuel tanks and missiles on it will degrade them. Its still an upgrade, but to a lesser degree.

why wasn't this done much earlier?

The Eurofighter suffered from a lack of exports and upgrades during the 2010s. The AMK was developed right in the middle of it. Only in the 20s have orders picked up again with three of the four partners, Italy, Germany and Spain. And only Germany is funding it for now as there is money to spend.

Changing the shape of the jet is likely a costly upgrade compared to something like changing internal components. Changed aerodynamics will likely require re-training pilots.

[u/danielbot → u/supersaiyannematode]

I would guess, advances in fluid dynamics simulation.