The Kommuna is a submarine salvage ship and the oldest active-duty naval vessel in the world. Conception Kommuna was the first Russian double-haul vessel that was conceived early in the 20th century. The ship was based on the innovative German SMS Vulcan. The ship could carry 10 spare torpedoes, 50 tons of fuel, and housed […] More
Huge Losses At the start of the Vietnam War, the US Air Force and Navy suffered losses to Soviet aircraft and missiles over North Vietnam. By 1968, about 22% of American planes were lost to MiGs alone. Their losses could be partially attributed to the pilots’ lack of training in air-to-air combat, with just ten […] More
The USS Franklin aka the Big Ben, is an Essex-class aircraft carrier that served for the United States Navy during World War II. Here’s what you need to know about the aircraft carrier that got too close to Japan: The USS Franklin The USS Franklin is the 5th of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers. When fully […] More
The last Brooklyn-class ship to be built was the US was USS Helena. Here are a few facts about the US ship that Japan wished it destroyed sooner: Before the War The ship was commissioned on December 14, 1939, and despite having seven predecessors, the USS Helena and her sister ship, St. Louis, underwent several upgrades […] More
The Northrop Tacit Blue was a technology demonstrator aircraft that delivered important stealth and reconnaissance-minded data between 1982-1985. However, only one model was developed, along with an incomplete aircraft on reserve. Here are the five interesting facts about the most unstable aircraft ever flown: 1. It was a top-secret program Although it had a limited […] More
Long-range heavy bombers such as the B-52 C were used by US Air Force for classified projects during the Cold War. It was used to carry a one-of-a-kind payload known as the Flashback Test Vehicle. The US had secretly developed its most ambitious project yet, a 100-megaton bomb that uses this unique device as means […] More
The Junkers G.38 is a massive German four-engine transport aircraft. Two were constructed in pre-World War II Germany and flew as commercial transport within Europe in the years that lead up to WWII. But what set it apart, was how it was built. It was a mega bomber with windows on its wings. Here are […] More
The Avro 549 Aldershot was Avro’s first post-war military aircraft and was developed as a long-range, single-engine heavy bomber. ‘ Design The Aldershot was powered by a single 650 horsepower Rolls-Royce Condor 3. It was also notably the first aircraft that features a metal fuselage structure. The rear was clad in doped fabric, meanwhile, the […] More
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is the only production-built US Air Force warplane designed primarily for close air support. It has excellent maneuverability for high accuracy, along with a slow top speed of 420 miles per hour. Here are some facts about the only plane the US Air Force has never been able to […] More
The USS Tang was a Balao-class diesel-electric submarine with a crew of up to 10 officers and 80 enlisted men. It was one of the largest submarine classes within the US Navy. Here are five facts About the most successful WWII submarine: 1. It had a promising career On the Tang’s first-ever war patrol in […] More
On The Radar America knew about the Mitsubishi A6M Zero in the summer of 1940 after they easily picked off outdated Chinese biplanes. Flying Tigers’ leader, Claire Lee Chennault, warned the West about the fighter yet they paid little to no attention. After all, the West was confident that Japan’s technology was highly inferior. First […] More
In 1930, the US Army and Navy looked for an engine that could meet or exceed a benchmark of 1hp per cubic inch. Back then, only racing engines could achieve this benchmark, but these four engines tried their best to achieve that goal: Chrysler XI-2220 Chrysler was adamant that their inverted V-type 16-cylinder engine would […] More
