air-to-air

American  

[air-too-air, -tuh-] / ˈɛər tuˈɛər, -tə- /

adjective

1. operating between airborne objects, especially aircraft.

   air-to-air missiles; air-to-air communication.

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adverb

1. from one aircraft, missile, or the like, to another while in flight.

   They refueled air-to-air.

air-to-air British  

adjective

1. operating between aircraft in flight

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Etymology

Origin of air-to-air

First recorded in 1940–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

air-to-air

"We are also extending the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants for air-to-air heat pumps, which can cool as well as heat homes, so these low-cost options are more accessible."

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

But they have also relied on more expensive and harder-to-produce air-to-air missiles, such as the AIM-120, that cost $1 million each, according to a report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

Its arsenal features Soviet surface-to-air missile defense systems, an unknown number of air-to-air missiles, and a small fleet of aircraft.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

Castro, the brother of longtime leader Fidel Castro, was defense minister when the two Cessnas belonging to a Cuban-American exile group were shot down by air-to-air missiles in international airspace.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

British planes will provide "defensive" air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets, he told reporters as he travelled to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

From Barron's

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