The SR-71 Blackbird The US Air Force (USAF) created the SR-71 Blackbird in the 1960s; it was a plane that could fly at a speed greater than three times the…
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk 2,960 A-4 Skyhawk aircraft were produced by Douglas between 1954 and 1979. Known by their endearing nickname, “Heinemann’s Hot Rod” (after Douglas designer Ed Heinemann), the…
The EF-111A Raven In the 1980s and 1990s, EF-111A Ravens, often referred to as “Fat Tails” and “Spark Varks” (the F-111 is also called the Aardvark), were used as tactical…
The AIM-54 Phoenix The AWG-9 weapons control system and P&W TF30 engines were used by the F-14A Tomcat, which was built in 1968 to replace the controversial F-111B, which was…
The MiG-25 Foxbat The USSR revealed the existence of the MiG-25 (NATO reporting name “Foxbat”), which looked to be the most lethal fighter aircraft in the world in the late…
The F-102 Delta Dagger The F-102 Delta Dagger was designed primarily to intercept and kill hostile aircraft. It was the first operational delta-wing aircraft in the USAF’s history as well…
The KC-135 Stratotanker The KC-135 Stratotanker was the first offspring of the Dash 80. It was the only tanker employed by the Strategic Air Command for fifteen years, and it…
The A-12 Oxcart at Area 51 Area 51, a top-secret military installation hidden in the desert northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been the testing ground for the United States’…
The Barricade landing Navy carrier operations are a furious ballet that flogs the senses, even in the calmest circumstances. This is taken a step further when the choice is made…
The P-3 Orion Ten men focus on instrument panels, scopes, and detection devices as their P-3 Orion flies an ASW search pattern, far from land, skimming over rough seas whose…