Super Bowl 2026 Flyover: Inside the Spectacular Military Aircraft Show

The roar that opens Super Bowl LX won’t come from the stands alone. At approximately 3:15 p.m. PT on February 8, an eight-ship formation of U.S. military jets will streak over Levi’s Stadium just seconds after the national anthem, marking the first joint Air Force-Navy flyover in the game’s history. What’s in the lineup? • Two B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. • Two F-15C Eagle air-superiority fighters out of Fresno Air National Guard Base, Calif. • Two F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighters from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif. • Two F-35C Lightning II fifth-generation stealth fighters based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif. The mixed formation salutes the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday while showcasing three generations of American airpower. Pilots will rehearse the 400-knot, 1,000-foot-altitude pass twice during the week, coordinating precisely with anthem timing; they must appear on live TV within a one-second window, then clear Santa Clara airspace in under a minute. For Bay Area residents, the best ground-level vantage points will be east of the stadium along the Guadalupe River Trail and rooftop decks in downtown San José. Aviation spotters can expect to hear the bombers first—a low rumble betraying the swing-wing B-1Bs—followed by the higher-pitched roar of the fighters. Why does the military devote resources to a football game? Officials say the event counts as readiness training: crews practice navigation, formation discipline, and rapid airspace deconfliction under intense public scrutiny. The exposure also supports recruiting; last year’s Super Bowl broadcast drew 115 million viewers, and the Pentagon notes spikes in website traffic whenever iconic jets appear on screen. If you’re streaming the game, keep your volume up. Viewers describe the flyover as a “second national anthem”—a visceral, 80-decibel reminder of the forces that protect the nation’s pastime.