Air Force
Why Israel Wants the F-22 Raptor (And Why It Won’t Get It)
Considering Israel’s proximity to hostile neighbors, it is fair to assume the nation has more wants than needs when it comes to arms. From air defense systems and fighter jets...
How the Age of Stealth Killed the B-1 Lancer Bomber
In the next few years, the U.S. Air Force will say goodbye to the B-1 Lancer. The venerable bomber, known affectionately as the “Bone,” will be phased out, alongside the B-2 Spirit,...
The F-111 Aardvark: This Resilient Plane is Properly Named
While most American military aircraft are given names that connote athleticism, virility, hostility, or prowess (i.e., Lighting, Raptor, Poseidon, Thunderchief, Mustang, Apache, Talon, and Sabre), others are simply given the...
Ukraine Wants to Rush F-16 Training, But the Hurdles Are Real
Ukraine is set to receive as many as ninety American-made F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole combat aircraft—while around two dozen of the fighters are now in service. Yet, even as more aircraft could arrive...
The A-10 Warthog is the Greatest Plane Ever
Close Air Support (CAS) is a seriously underrated task that the United States military has a very finite number of systems capable of performing. Warplanes like the A-10 Warthog and the A-29 Tuscano are about...
2024 Marked the Beginning of the End for the A-10 Thunderbolt II
The United States Air Force saw thirty-nine—or nearly 20 percent—of its fleet of 218 Cold War-era Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support (CAS) attack aircraft retired in 2024. In fact, these birds...
Israel Obliterated Iran’s Air Defenses with the F-35I Adir
In the wake of the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Israeli government initiated a series of strikes upon its enemies to both seek justice for the terrorist attacks...
Polish F-35s Arrive at Ebbing Air National Guard Base
Christmas came early for the Polish Air Force, as its first two Lockheed Martin F-35A “Husarz” fighters arrived at Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Arkansas, on Monday. The pair...
The Wild Story of America’s YA-7F Strikefighter
As the United States Air Force and Navy struggle to justify the exorbitant cost of their sixth-generation warplane programs to an understandably skeptical Congress, it’s important to remember that time the military tried to...
F-15E Strike Eagles Arrived Home With New Nose Art
Stories of warfighters coming home with a bit of ink on their skin are as old as time, but our friend David Cenciotti of The Aviationist recently shared the news that it...
It’s Not “Top Gun,” But “Iron Eagle” Gets the Job Done
Top Gun was one of the 1980s most transcendent films. A staple of popular culture, Top Gun launched Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer into international stardom, boosted Navy recruitment numbers, and added several...