Named for a nomadic tribe of Native Americans, expert horse riders whose lives revolved around the buffalo, the Boeing AH-64 Apache is the US Army’s premier attack helicopter. Loaded with sophisticated weapons systems, the Apache has proven itself a vital component of the US military’s modern force structure. Meet the AH-64 Apache What makes the Apache revolutionary is not…

The U.S. Army’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was originally a 1980s platform, yet upgrades to the Apache have made it an almost entirely new platform, well suited for a modern threat environment. The U.S. Army’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was originally a 1980s platform, yet upgrades to the Apache have made it an almost entirely new platform well suited…

A former member of the U.S. Air Force explains the ins and outs of France’s powerful Dassault Rafale: a powerful fighter jet that is surely among the best on the planet today: One of the most distinctive modern fighter jets, undoubtedly, is the Dassault Rafale. Featuring delta wings, and close-coupled canards, the Rafale stands apart from the crowd of horizontal elevator-configured…

The age of the battleship is over. And yet, history is filled with countless examples of how they lived, fought, and died. The TBF Avenger has a special place in this history. *** In my recent articles on the U.S. Navy’s legendary Iowa-class battleships, I noted that these ships never did engage in any fights with enemy…

The stealth fighter program is expensive, but there is no doubt it is the most advanced plane ever made. Here’s What You Need to Know: Developing a “one-size-fits-all” aircraft didn’t come cheap. With a total cost as high as $1.508 trillion dollars, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program would be the largest…

They were hot rides—but with significant downsides. The MiG-29 Fulcrum was the first Russian fourth-generation jet fighter, marked by its sleek and deadly appearance in contrast to earlier Soviet fighters. The fast and agile Fulcrum could outturn any NATO fighter, and it was armed with cutting-edge missiles. But, alas, it was held back by its…

F-22 production stopped in 2011. However, a few years later, many prominent voices were calling for a restart of the program – but it never happened.  The problem is simple: not enough F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to go around. And we can’t make anymore. F-22: No More To Be Built… F-22 production stopped in 2011. However, a…

Meet the Dassault Rafale – The “Omin-Role” Fighter – The Dassault Rafale – which means literally “gust of wind” or “burst of fire” in a more military sense – was conceived for use by the French Air Force and Navy as an “omnirole” fighter, meaning that it would replace seven types of combat aircraft then in operation. The aircraft…

Russia could turn its first fifth-generation fighter, the Sukhoi Su-57, into a sixth-generation fighter the former head of the Russian Aerospace Force, chief Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev recently told TASS. “This is actually a splendid plane and it can embrace both fifth-and sixth-generation features. It has huge modernization potential,” Bondarev, now chairman of the Federation Council…

Like the F-35, the latest F-22s have radar (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and data-links (F-22 has LINK 16), radar warning receivers and targeting technologies. Being that the F-22 is regarded as the world’s best air-to-air platform, an ability for an F-35 and F-22 to more quickly exchange sensor information such as targeting data would produce a potential battlefield…