On November 26, 1941, a Japanese attack fleet of six aircraft carriers, two battleships, and hundreds of aircraft departed from Japan. They planned a surprise attack on the US Pacific fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. But why did they want to attack in the first place, and why did a miscalculation lead to their […] More
Each time the United Kingdom’s Bomber Command was given challenging missions, the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber was always their go-to plane. Equipped with four Rolls-Royce engines with an impressive top speed of 187 miles per hour, it has an excellent lifting capacity and an unobstructed bomb bay. Its standard load of up to 18,000 pounds […] More
You might find yourself asking, where were the German carriers in World War II? Did Hitler have any? Well kind of. Germany built an aircraft carrier during WWII and had three more planned. It was one of the biggest ships built during the war, but it was never deployed. Here’s the story behind the Graf […] More
Unlike the Americans who basically designed the A-10 aircraft around a big gun, their Soviet counterparts were actually doing the opposite. What they did is that they already took an existing fighter aircraft, and created an enormously powerful gun for it. Flying Balcony When compared to the MiG-23, the MiG 27’s design was slightly simplified […] More
On January 16, 1991, after months of training in a mission they were not fully informed about, the United States Air Force’s 596th Bomb Squadron’s mysterious mission suddenly become a reality. Because of Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait, over 57 airmen hopped aboard seven B-52 Stratofortresses carrying a highly secretive new American weapon, and do the […] More
The year was 1944. During a high-risk bombing mission against the Imperial Japanese forces, an American plane takes a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire. Incredibly, this one plane, this one mission, and this one round from a Japanese gun would play a key role in shaping the fate of the Western world for the next […] More
When you think about WWII planes, you think of the Mustangs, Lightnings, and Spitfires. However, one aircraft seems to have evaded everyone’s radar – the P-80 Shooting Star. Lockheed’s creation enabled the US to have its own jet fighter by the 1940s. Here are 5 facts about the lesser-known Shooting Star of WWII: The first […] More
Over 376 B-17 Flying Fortresses were tasked to pierce the industrial heart of Germany and take down the Luftwaffe’s manufacturing capabilities. Squadrons of P-47 Thunderbolts were asked to escort the bombers, but German Messerschmitt Bf 109s swarmed them. By then, the Thunderbolts have also reached their fuel limit, and they were forced to abandon the […] More
In service since 1976, the Warthogs have a stellar career that spans up to 50 years. Thanks to its long line of upgrades, it’s not retiring anytime soon. Lethal in an Ever-Evolving Battlefield To remain lethal, the A-10 was upgraded to the brute metal-raining attack aircraft of the 2000s that shouldn’t be messed with. It […] More
The F-35B is arguably one of the most advanced planes ever made. It’s considered a jack of all trades, a stealth fighter plane that combined and improved the capabilities of the F-16, AV-8B Harrier, and the B-2. Advanced Sensors and Computer Systems The plane is fitted with advanced sensors and computer systems, sharing information instantly […] More
Have you ever wondered why an F-4 Phantom is somehow faster than the F-35? Fighter jets haven’t gotten faster in the past 50 years, and here’s why. When Intuition Meets Reality The Vietnam War went on for twenty years. During the conflict, both the US Air Force and Navy used various models of the F-4 […] More
Featuring a potent 75 mm M4 tank gun, high quality machine guns, rockets, and a 3,000-pound bomb load capacity, the B-25 Model G is definitely a powerful gunship to be reckoned with. Dawn of Bombers In the dawn of bombers, the US Air Corps had the B-25G Mitchell Gunship. It was built to sink Japanese […] More
