air-to-air

American

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

adjective

operating between airborne objects, especially aircraft.

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

adverb

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

They refueled air-to-air.

air-to-air British

adjective

operating between aircraft in flight

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of air-to-air

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Originally designed for air dominance, the “E” designation refers to a “dual-role” fighter, a jet that can handle air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

From Barron's

Those fighters targeted Iranian drones when Tehran attacked Israel in April 2024 in what the Air Force called the “largest air-to-air enemy engagement in over 50 years.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Since then, the U.S. has equipped F-15Es, which aren’t stealthy, with air-to-air rockets that are specially designed to knock out drones.

From The Wall Street Journal

One week earlier, the State Department approved a separate sale of nearly $1 billion in air-to-air missiles to Denmark.

From Barron's

Europe looks to Washington for intelligence, command and control capabilities, for air force capabilities - such as air-to-air refuelling - and much more.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023