The Russian government recently announced that construction has begun on prototypes for their forthcoming stealth bomber, being developed under the name PAK DA. That means the field of low-observable bombers is promising to be more crowded than ever by the close of the 2020s, with the United States, Russia, and China all planning to field […]
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F-15 ACTIVE: This Frankenstein fighter was better than the Eagle
TechThe F-15 has long been a legendary fighter, but NASA’s ACTIVE program aimed to make it even better. Faced with the looming threat of nuclear war with the Soviet Union, the United States began testing next-generation capabilities before the 10th F-15 even rolled off the assembly line. In the 44 years since the F-15 Eagle […]
America’s plan to build 747 arsenal ships packed with cruise missiles
AirpowerDuring the Cold War, Boeing developed plans to load a 747 with as many as 72 air-launched cruise missiles to serve as a long-range arsenal ship capable of wiping out targets from hundreds of miles away. The design, dubbed the 747 Cruise Missile Carrier Aircraft (CMCA), could have been an extremely cost-effective alternative to America’s […]
Is this the technology that will define 6th generation fighters?
AirpowerDARPA’s effort to incorporate Active Flow Control in military aircraft could eliminate the need for moving flight control surfaces, and while that might not sound like very groundbreaking technology, it might be the biggest shift in aircraft design since the inception of stealth more than a half-century ago. The Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel […]
Retired F-117 Nighthawks show up in Fresno to train against F-15s
AirpowerThe world’s first operational stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk, made a surprise appearance in Fresno, California this week, despite being officially retired since 2008. The Nighthawks, which were spotted alongside F-15 Eagles from the 144th Fighter Wing, made the trip to square off against the air superiority jets in what are expected to be training […]
Sea Raptor: The Navy’s sweep-wing F-22 that wasn’t to be
TechThe U.S. Air Force’s venerable F-22 Raptor is widely seen as the world’s most capable air superiority fighter, but for a short time, it was nearly joined by a sister platform modified specifically for the Navy in the NATF-22. The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor came about as a result of the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced […]
MilSpouse Money Mission: Empowering military spouses financially
Family ResourcesRaising a family while one parent serves on active duty can be tough, but it can be a whole lot tougher when money gets tight. Now, the Defense Department is looking to ease that burden while empowering military spouses to achieve their goals with a new effort called the MilSpouse Money Mission. Related: Advice for […]
The F-16 pilot who tried to give her life to stop Flight 93 on 9/11
AirpowerOn the morning of September 11, 2001, as Americans everywhere were shocked by the terror attack that would change the world, Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney and her wingman were airborne in their unarmed F-16 Fighting Falcons over Washington D.C. The plan was to sacrifice themselves to bring down Flight 93, the hijacked Boeing 757 headed […]
The nobility of service in a post 9/11 world
LifestyleFor service members of my generation, September 11, 2001 represented a pivot point in our lives. We’d grown up in the relative comfort of the late ’80s and ’90s, watching movies like “Fight Club” and lamenting our generation’s lack of great purpose. We watched war movies like “Saving Private Ryan,” and through the lens of […]
Project Pluto: The craziest nuclear weapon in history
HistoryOn August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union conducted its first-ever atomic weapons test, ending America’s monopoly on the most destructive weapon system ever conceived by man. An arms race that had already begun immediately kicked into high gear, with both nations working frantically to develop new weapons and capabilities that were powerful enough to keep […]
