“Nothing is more powerful than a young boy’s wish except an Apache helicopter. An Apache helicopter has machine guns and missiles. It is an unbelievably impressive complement of weaponry, an absolute death machine.” Here’s What You Need to Remember: The CEO of the popular veterans clothing company Nine Line Apparel and the founder of the non-profit…

data-background-color=”dark–“> F-22 Raptor vs. the Mythical YF-23: Why the F-23 Never Happened Anthony Jarvis Senior Contributor News Ultimately, the Air Force selected Lockheed’s YF-22 design, which was also an exceptional aircraft, for its ATF requirement. The YF-22 would eventually evolve into today’s F-22A Raptor, which became operational in late 2005 and remains the single best…

The Phantom was a capable aircraft, setting several speed records soon after it first flew in 1958. Here’s What You Need to Remember: Of all mankind’s works of destruction, jet fighters tend to be the most aesthetically elegant, whether the compact grace of an F-16 or the slender symmetry of a French Mirage 5. The Phantom…

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter—which is built in three versions—recently completed its developmental test phase and is operational with the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy will soon join the ranks of JSF operators with the F-35C carrier variant, which is scheduled to become operational later this year or early…

Diving from 10,000 feet, Marine Corps Capt. Eric Albright’s AV-8B Harrier II rocketed toward the Afghan countryside below. It was the middle of the night, and everything beyond the jet’s glass canopy was pitch black. Albright knew somewhere in the green world of his night vision the ground was screaming toward him at 620 miles…

The F-14 saw much more combat than usually thought: indeed, much more than the other ‘teen fighters’ – including F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 – combined. Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat: something like that type’s 50th birthday. The F-14 was always highly controversial: partially developed for a task…

Is the successful French fighter better than the American most versatile jet? Dassault Rafale is one of the most popular and advanced military fighters in the world. The aircraft is one of the best choices for nations’ Air Forces as it’s produced by France. But except for being built in the European Union, the Rafale is also…

Concorde’s time in the skies may have been fleeting, but it remains an icon of aviation. In tribute to the supersonic plane, here are 40 fascinating facts about Concorde. 1. Concorde’s first successfully completed supersonic flight took place on October 1, 1969. But it wasn’t until January 21, 1976, that the first commercial flights took place.…

But what made the F-111 great? Did the United States truly lose any capability by retiring it? Here’s What You Need to Remember: The F-111 first was tested in combat in Vietnam during 1968, but issues with the design delayed its full fielding until Operation Linebacker. It would go on to become one of the most survivable…

The fighting falcon can still fight, but for how long? The F-16 fighter was originally conceived as a lightweight fighter for the United States and her NATO allies. In the U.S. Air Force, the “Fighting Falcon” would comprise the low end of a “high-low” mix of super-capable F-15s and cheaper, less capable F-16s. Among NATO…