The Blackbird Developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft, the SR-71, sometimes known unofficially as the “Blackbird,” is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The 4200th (later 9th) Strategic…
US Navy F-14 pilot recalls when he and his RIO fired 6 AIM-54 Phoenix missiles against 6 different targets
The AIM-54 Phoenix The controversial F-111B, which was being developed for the Navy’s carrier fighter inventory, was replaced by the F-14 Tomcat in 1968. The F-14 Tomcat was built with…
The Blackbird The Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft were the basis for the long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft known as the SR-71, or “Blackbird,” as it was informally called.…
B-58 navigator recalls dropping Mark-53 nuclear bomb (without plutonium pit)
B-58 Navigator The first operational supersonic bomber of the US Air Force, the B-58, took flight on November 11, 1956. Apart from its delta wing design, the Hustler was distinguished by its advanced inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, its slender “wasp-waist” fuselage, and its extensive use…
When an SR-71 pilot and his RSO pushed their Blackbird to Mach 3.5 and outran Gaddafi’s SAMs during a BDA flight in Libya
Operation El Dorado Canyon Operation El Dorado Canyon began on April 14, 1986, with a strike group consisting of eighteen US Air Force (USAF) F-111 fighter bombers, supported by a…
The Scaled Composites ARES Agile Responsive Effective Support (ARES) is a full-scale proof-of-concept demonstrator that was developed as a concept in support of a US Army request for a Low-Cost…
F-14 test pilot recalls when his Tomcat was scorched after a Mach 2+ test sortie
The F-14 Tomcat In the 1986 movie “Top Gun,” the F-14 Tomcat had a key part. The Navy required an aircraft to defend its surface fleets from hostile aircraft and long-range…
When a KC-135Q Stratotanker flew into Northern Laos to save his Blackbird after a Double-Engine Flameout
The SR-71 Blackbird A group of Lockheed members led by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson—then vice president of Lockheed’s Advanced Development Company Projects, also referred to as the “Skunk Works” and currently…
Graduation of last USMC AV-8B Harrier II pilots On March 29, 2024, at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, the last two pilots to receive the 7509…
During a night training Mach 2 bomb run, the B-58 navigator remembers his pilot turning in his wings after their Hustler went in a nose-high stall
The B-58 Hustler On November 11, 1956, the B-58, the US Air Force’s first operational supersonic bomber, took off. Apart from its delta wing design, the Hustler was distinguished by…