The U-2 The U-2 is still considered today to be one of the most technologically advanced aircraft ever built. Since its primary role was strategic reconnaissance, its development in 1954…
The RIO or Radar Intercept Officer Any fighter aircraft’s normal mission is to intercept an airborne target. Finding a target on the radar is the first step in intercepting it.…
The Red Tails are the third ANG unit slated to transition to the F-35A Lightning II On December 5, 2023, three F-35A Lightning II fighter jets were delivered to the…
The Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor One of history’s major turning points was the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In a single, well-thought-out…
The SR-71 Blackbird The most sophisticated spy plane in the Blackbird family, the SR-71, which also included the A-12 and YF-12, was created by a group of Lockheed personnel under…
Exercise: Red Flag In order to lessen pilots’ susceptibility and high loss rate in their first five combat missions, the US Air Force planned to offer realistic operational training within…
The KC-135Q It’s impossible to overemphasize the essential role played by the KC-135Q tanker crews, without whom successful prosecution of the SR-71 Blackbird mission would have been impossible. As told…
James Stockdale James Bond Stockdale, US Naval Academy Class of ’47, is the embodiment of leadership and inspiration, as well as the perfect naval aviator. Admiral Stockdale is one of…
The F-14 Tomcat When it came to Cold War fighter jets, the US Navy’s Grumman F-14 Tomcat was unmatched overall. Six long-range AIM-54A Phoenix missiles could be guided by the…
The UH-1 Huey The UH-1 “Iroquois” helicopter, also known as the “Huey” for the phonetic sound of its original designation, HU-1, served as the Army’s workhorse during the Vietnam War.…