An action-packed aerial combat anime I recently heard about. Sadly not cute, but very Star-Fox or Ace-Combat-esque in many ways.
It's called
Yukikaze.
Yukikaze takes place in a not-so-distant future, where a portal across space opens up in Antartica, allowing an alien race called the JAM to come through. However, the Military responds to this immediately using advanced fighter jets, and faces against this threat before they can get overwhelming.
The main character is Lt. Rei Fukai of the Boomerang Squadron. He pilots an advanced Fighter Jet called the Yukikaze.
Shortly after the first attack, they manage to send the JAM packing back through the portal, and the Army is quick to follow them through. They establish a firebase on Planet Fairy to keep the offensive. However, the JAM respond by developing human clones that they use to spy on them.
It's certainly extra action-packed, but less higher stakes than most series like this. I mean here the good guys already have the upper hand and now they're just beating them in harder, not like the bad guys already have seized control mostly and mankind is trying to take it back now.