Operation Revival was a US air transport operation to bring back US and British POWs from war. But to complete the mission, hundreds of B-17s needed to be stripped down to become lighter, thus fitting in more people. Free But Stranded Former POWs from the Stalag Luft I were technically free men when the Germans […] More
The B-2 Spirit Bomber made its first flight in 1989 and, since then, played a key role in the war efforts of the US. It also had undergone major upgrades over the years. Furthermore, the B-2 featured observable stealth technology tailored to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. 1. Due to the aircraft’s size and regular maintenance […] More
The future of aviation and war, in general, will increasingly rely on unmanned vehicles. This reduces casualties, increases precision, and longer mission times. 1. The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator was one of the first successfully remotely piloted reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft in the world Previously, reconnaissance attack and defense required one or more pilots to […] More
The first military submarines weren’t introduced until WWII. Since then, the need for submarines has increasingly grown, especially with the dawn of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The US has been recently developing the Colombia Class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) to eventually replace its predecessor, the Ohio-class submarines. Find out why the US is switching to this […] More
Jacklyn “Jack” Lucas was the youngest American to receive the Medal of Honor in WWII at age 17. Throughout his life, he seemingly defied all odds. Here are the five interesting facts about this indestructible marine: 1. At 14 years old, he forged his mother’s signature to join the Marines Fortunately, Lucas looked older than […] More
When Lt. Viktor Belenko’s plane failed to return, the Soviet Air Defense Forces chiefs thought his plane had crashed. Little did they know that his plane, the MiG-25, one of the most feared planes in the West, appeared near the city of Hakodate, and landed on a Japanese runway. Pilot Belenko On September 1976, Belenko […] More
Clarence Leonard “Kelly” Johnson was perhaps the man who changed the world of aviation forever. He was notably known for his significant contributions to numerous aircraft designs that made aviation history again and again. Here are ten interesting facts about him: 1. He was nicknamed “Kelly” by his classmates This was because of his quick […] More
Robert Klingman was in his fighter plane, 35,000 feet above the ocean, chasing down an enemy aircraft. Finally, after an hour and a half of chase, he pulled up behind the Japanese Ki-45 only to find out that he had no weapon. Read on to know how this amazing Corsair pilot would find a way […] More
On August 24, 1944, Lt. John M. Carothers of the 503rd fighter squadron was in this P-51 Mustang. He was part of the formation returning home after a bombing run over Berlin. But then, six Focke-Wulf Fw 190s appeared in the skies and started pursuing them. At that time, Lt. Carothers was the last P-51 […] More
Earlier this year, the US decided to replace its Boeing E-3 Sentry fleet. While several options were considered, it was the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail that stood out, and the aircraft that’s currently in service in Australia and the UK. Not only that it’s lighter and better equipped than its predecessor, but it also had a […] More
The P-38 Lightning is one of the fastest fighters in WWII. Despite its significant contribution to the war in Europe and the Pacific, it only showed up in a handful of movies. Here are the movies that paid tribute to this legendary aircraft: 1. The movie Isoroku (2011) features a Japanese perspective on the Battles […] More
Despite Lockheed’s and the US Air Force’s announcement about a scaled demonstrator of the Son of Blackbird in 2013, both have remained silent. Thus, little is known about the progress of the SR-72, and it could be anywhere in the development process. Nevertheless, so much secrecy around the project might suggest a black budget is […] More
