Taliban attack on Camp Bastion In response to the 9/11 attacks by Al Qaida, US and British forces invaded Afghanistan in late 2001, supported by air power. Ten years later,…
The F4F Wildcat When the US Navy and US Marine Corps (USMC) went to war in December 1941, their primary carrier fighter was the tubby Wildcat, the first of Grumman’s…
After WWII B-29 saw military service again in Korea between 1950 and 1953, battling new adversaries: the Soviet-built MiG-15 jet fighters When the huge VB-13 TARZON was first designed in…
The SBD rear gunners fired as Saburo Sakai and his wingman closed the range. It was the high-scoring ace’s most harrowing and memorable combat of the war The US Navy…
‘The F-14s dropped while the F/A-18s lased. We egressed the target area having achieved absolutely superb results from direct hits, and there were impressive secondary explosions,’ Bob Brauer, F-14A Tomcat…
After six years of development, the F-22 Raptor made its first flight on September 7, 1997, in Marietta, Georgia After six years of development, the F-22 Raptor made its first…
‘Everything about the A-12 Oxcart program was dark alley, cloak, and dagger. Even the way they financed the operation was highly unconventional,’ Ben Rich, second Director of Lockheed’s Skunk Works…
‘Because of the cannons, the Ju 87’s maneuverability is disadvantageously reduced, and its landing speed is increased considerably. But now armament potency is a prime consideration over flying performance,’ Hans-Ulrich…
In a sense, Little Boy and Fat Man—as well as other bombs of the same kind—had parachutes. Not a textile one, but a California Parachute is the name given to…
Between the P-51B/C ”Razorback” or the long-ranged P-51D, the P-51B Razorback was faster and flew straighter/smoother with the smooth-back fuselage and still got 1,350 miles of range In 1940, the…