The United States Air Force is fighting insurgencies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria—but in recent years, the Air Force has had to contend with two uprisings much closer to home in Washington, DC. One was the storm of criticism it received over the controversial and expensive F-35 Lightning stealth fighter—but the trillion-dollar project falls…

The Apache helicopter doesn’t just look mean, it really is badass – which is why we’re happy it belongs to us and not the enemy. The Apache helicopters have been provoking fear into our enemy’s eyes since the onset of their use in 1989 in Operation Desert Storm. Their air maneuverability, deadly assault weapons, and high-tech equipment make…

The Spitfire was exactly the right airplane at the right time for a Britain at war. But if not for one man, it might never have been built. The silver aircraft, displaying the familiar lines of history’s most legendary fighter, banked to land at the British colony of Singapore on New Year’s Day 1951. Switching off its…

The F-14 Tomcat: What You Didn’t Know About The Original Top Gun Fighter Top Gun: Maverick has finally hit theaters, and it is safe to say that the film is making waves. Reviews for the sequel to the 1980s classic are looking very good right now, as Tom Cruise reprises his role as Maverick. It…

The F-4 Phantom was neither pretty nor elegant. But it did its job when so many other aircraft in history couldn’t. Flying Brick. Lead Sled. Rhino. Double Ugly. If nicknames are destiny, then the F-4 Phantom II fighter was cursed at birth. Even its official name was ironic. “Phantom” evokes an image of stealth and subtlety,…

It was one of the most ambitious aircraft design projects in history, so what happened to the US plans to master supersonic passenger flight? In November 1962, the British and French governments announced a deal that caused great distress in the boardrooms of American planemakers. The two countries announced plans to jointly build a new…

Introduction to the Eurocopter Tiger. The Eurocopter Tiger, now known as the Airbus Tiger, is a modern, multi-role attack helicopter developed jointly by France and Germany. It is designed to perform various missions, including armed reconnaissance, anti-tank warfare, close air support, and escort duties. The Tiger is known for its agility, firepower, and advanced avionics,…

At a recent Air and Space Forces Association (AFA) event in Colorado, the U.S. Air Force announced the retirement of 21 jets from its fleet of 281 A-10 Warthogs. Although the full name of the fighter jet is the Fairchild Republic (now Grumman) A-10 Thunderbolt II, it’s widely known by its nickname “Warthog” or sometimes…

Both the YB-35 and the YB-49 used the radical and potentially very efficient flying wing design, in which the tail section and fuselage are eliminated and all payload is carried in a thick wing Conceived by Jack Northrop as a large wing-only, long-range heavy bombers, the Northrop XB-35 and YB-35 were experimental airplanes developed by the Northrop…

Codenamed the “Felon” by NATO, Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter has the potential to be a dangerous adversary in the sky as it combines stealth and speed with advanced weapons and state-of-the-art sensors. Codenamed the “Felon” by NATO, Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter has the potential to be a dangerous adversary in the sky as it combines stealth and…