Why Shield AI’s X-BAT promises to reshape the nature of drones
ShieldAI’s X-BAT isn’t a drone with some fighter capabilities… it’s a fighter that happens to be a drone. And that has the potential to be a very big deal. ... Read more.
Could Northrop’s YF-23 have been better than the F-22?
While the F-22 bears a passing resemblance to conventional 4th-gen fighters, the YF-23 was rather unconventional.... Read more.
F-16XL: Why America didn’t get the best F-16 ever made
The fighter was so capable that it went from being a technology demonstrator to serving as legitimate competition for the venerable F-15E.... Read more.
How Colombia’s drug cartels almost bought a Soviet submarine
In the 1990s, a Russian immigrant named Tarzan and a crook named Juan Almeida almost managed to sell a Soviet submarine to the drug cartels.... Read more.
Iconic Black Hawk helicopter has been turned into a drone
Sikorski has turned America's most prolific military helicopter, the UH-60 Black Hawk, into a fully unmanned drone aircraft.... Read more.
How much does it cost to train an Air Force pilot? A LOT
The U.S. operates some of the most advanced and capable tactical aircraft ever, but what does it cost to train the pilot? More than you might think.... Read more.
The untold history of the Soviet Union’s weapons testing in space
The decision was made to base this new secret space cannon on the 23mm gun utilized by their supersonic bomber, the Tupolev Tu-22 Blinder.... Read more.
The B-52 was designed in a hotel room over a weekend (and will probably fly for 100 years)
The B-52 is now slated to continue flying long after much newer bombers have already been sent out to pasture.... Read more.
Why the Navy never put the F-22 on aircraft carriers
Alongside the usual changes needed for a carrier-capable aircraft, an F-22 Navy variant would've needed to incorporate a variable sweep-wing design.... Read more.
Lockheed Martin’s ‘Vectis’ promises to be the most advanced drone fighter ever built
It aims to be so advanced and capable that it won't need to serve as a wingman and instead execute assigned missions with minimal oversight.... Read more.