The F-111 wasn’t like just any other aircraft. It was ordered by Robert McNamara himself to build a plane that could fit roles requested by the Navy and Air Force. Built as a fighter, bomber, and interceptor, the plane pioneered the concept of terrain-following radar, variable-sweep wings, and afterburning turbofan engines that are unique for […] More
Why is the Tupolev Tu-95, NATO reporting name “Bear,” a 1950’s aircraft, still being used up until the present day, and even upgraded to year 2040? In Service for the Last 70 Years The Tu-95 has continued to operate in the Russian Air Force. One of the reasons for this plane’s longevity was its suitability […] More
The P-51 Mustang is one of the best fighters that dominated the skies over Europe in World War II. The only thing that’s more important than this legendary plane is the brave men who flew it. This is a fantastic story of a P-47 and P-51 pilot who flew over 100 missions all over Europe. […] More
Over 1,400 Allied aircraft were sent to battle to take down the Germans at Saint Michael salient. However, the heavy rain made the terrain muddy, and the thick fog had it hard for the Allies to attack the German trenches. In retaliation, the Germans charged back with all their might. While the Germans may not know […] More
Why did the British persist with arming their aircraft with 0.303 machine guns for much of the Second World War? Arguments usually boil out to the following- British officials were incompetent, it was cheaper to use a surplus of World War I ammunition, and the .303 was just the best gun available to the Brits […] More
The Avro Vulcan Bomber is one of the most famous British V bombers, well-known for its distinctive howl, delta wing, and with that its use in the Falklands conflict of 1982. During the war, it went through one of the longest bombing raids of any RAF aircraft flying from Ascension Island. But do you know […] More
The MH-53 Sea Dragon is one of the world’s biggest military helicopters. With a weight of over 40,000 pounds and spanning 100 feet in length, this thing is considered the King of the Sky. Here are the ten facts that you need to know about the Navy’s biggest helicopter: 1. It has two primary missions […] More
During the 1970s, during the Vietnam War, US intelligence picked up an incredibly skillful pilot named Colonel Tomb, one of the best pilots of the Vietnamese Air Force. Some said he was responsible for downing 14 American aircraft and earning him ace status. Stories about this most dangerous pilot America has ever faced spread far […] More
It was December 27, 1992, Lieutenant Colonel Gary North didn’t want the Iraqis to pass the no-fly zone on the Kuwait border. The area was called “The Box, “a restricted area implemented by the UN to protect Iraqi civilians and neighboring Kuwait from the abuses of Saddam Hussein. As North led his squadron, he was […] More
The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne was poised to be the most advanced thing. It was a revolutionary attack helicopter killed by politics. Background The AH-56 Cheyenne was the end result of a long line of development with numerous precursor technologies and prototypes all playing a contributing role to this monumental aircraft. With all the resources Lockheed […] More
The North American X-15 rocket-powered aircraft project was widely known for bridging the gap between human-crewed flight within and beyond the bounds of the Earth. Its most recognizable mission was flight number 90, a test flight done by the Air force and NASA. A Hypersonic Rocket Plane In the 1950’s NASA’s predecessor, the national advisory […] More
In 1967, during one of the tensest periods of the Cold War, a US satellite captured images of a giant object that was approximately 325 feet long. Initially, the US thought it was some kind of rig or platform, but further surveillance shows that it was a Soviet aircraft unlike anything seen in the West. […] More
