Taking flight in 1958, the F-4 Phantom was an envelope-pusher, setting 16 different performance records, including for speed and altitude. Meet the Timeless F-4 Phantom: One of the most adaptable airframes ever used in the U.S. Armed Forces, undoubtedly, was the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. During a four-decade service run, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and…

The Mikoyan MiG-35 Fulcrum-F is set to enter testing in 2017 with deliveries to the Russian Aerospace Forces starting in 2018. Flight tests for the new advanced Fulcrum derivative—which were originally scheduled for this summer—have been pushed back due to production delays. “Development work under contract with the Ministry of Defense on the MiG-35 is currently ongoing,”…

Since the intervention by the United States and coalition partners began in 2014, the Middle East’s skies have become crowded with the very best in modern air power. The air is full of flashy fourth-generation fighters (like the Air Force’s F-15s and F-16s and the Navy’s F/A-18E/Fs), and newer fifth-generation fighters (like the F-22). But…

Russian Helicopters holding company, part of Rostec State Corporation, has launched the serial production of the upgraded Mil Mi-35P “Phoenix” (NATO reporting name: Hind E) attack helicopter at its Rostvertol plant for its first export order. Designed on a base of the Mi-24 (NATO reporting name: Hind) series helicopter inheriting the advantages of that model,…

As a derivative of the Su-27, the Su-30 has functioned for years as a workhorse fighter jet “bomb truck” which served in combat in Syria in 2015. The Su-30 Is No Joke: The Russian Sukoi Su-35 fighter jet emerged in the mid-1990s and has since expanded into a massive global platform operating with more than 12 countries to…

Here’s What You Need to Remember: While the F-14 was retired from service with the Navy, and supplanted by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Tomcat remains in use with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. Only a handful of the planes, which were purchased by the Imperial Iranian Air Force in the 1970s, remain…

The extent of the upgrades, enhancements, and modifications to the F-16 are extraordinary, as they have introduced new, paradigm-changing performance parameters, weapons capability, electronic warfare (EW), and advanced sensing.  Like the mythological Phoenix rising from its own ashes to once again claim its power and glory in the sky, the Air Force’s 1980s-era F-16 seems…

The Seafire was the naval version of the Spitfire and entered service with the Fleet Air Arm during June 1942, where it would serve as a frontline aircraft until 1951. During the Second World War the type would take part in Operation Torch. The Korean War saw No. 800 Naval Air Squadron use the Supermarine…

In today’s world full of sleek and stealthy fighters and increasingly intelligent drones, the ol’ BUFF may seem like a relic of the past, but this flying dinosaur still has some pretty impressive tricks up its sleeve.  Here’s What You Need to Know: This massive aircraft isn’t relegated to apocalypse duty. In just the past…

Not long after the Wright brothers made their historic flight, ingenious men began using airplanes in a variety of ways that have since become common place in the modern world. As a fast and safe mode of transportation, an efficient way to haul goods to the delivery of healthcare and medicines, the airplane is has proven itself as an…