Last week, military officials testified before the Senate that 2022 is shaping up to be the “most challenging recruiting year” since 1973, and while that may be bad news for recruiting commands, it also means now may be among the best times in history to join the military. As both public and private sector organizations […]
MQ-9B STOL: A new Reaper cousin could help Marines win the Pacific
AirpowerGeneral Atomics recently unveiled a new iteration of the MQ-9 line designed specifically for short take-off and landings aboard naval flattops, dubbed the MQ-9B STOL. The STOL portion of the name reflects this aircraft’s unique Short Take-Off and Landing capabilities, making it uniquely suited for service aboard amphibious assault ships and small aircraft carriers. These […]
3 Reasons E-3’s actually run the US military
On DutySergeants may be the backbone of the U.S. military, but it’s the junior enlisted troops, or E-3s and below, who really make mission. In the U.S. military, what you call each rank may change from branch to branch, but pay grades are the universal equalizer. Enlisted ranks begin at E-1, like a private in the […]
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ producer says Darkstar looked so real, China moved spy satellite to see it
Off DutyThe long-awaited “Top Gun: Maverick” will fly into theaters later this month, and while most of the movie features very real U.S. Navy aircraft, there’s one exotic platform aviation buffs might not recognize: the hypersonic Darkstar. Darkstar may not be a real airplane, but it certainly looks the part—so much so that the Navy apparently […]
How do the world’s stealth fighters really stack up?
AirpowerThe U.S., Russia, and China all have stealth fighters in service, but not all stealth is created equal. Here’s how these jets really stack up.
New fighter programs like NGAD are learning what not to do from the F-35
AirpowerThe F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the most expensive defense acquisition in human history, but while this stealth fighter may represent the peak of the Pentagon’s poor spending practices, it has also brought about significant changes in the way America goes about purchasing new fighters. With the Air Force developing a new air superiority system […]
3 pieces of Special Operations gear that give troops ‘super powers’
Special OpsIt’s no secret that America’s special operations units are at the forefront of military technology and training, but you still might be surprised at just how “super” some special operations gear can make our elite war fighters. Over the past two decades of near-continuous combat operations in theaters all around the world, the U.S. Special […]
How Pokemon inspired a secret weapon concept for the US Army
Off DutyIn the late 1990s, one unusual episode of the Pokemon cartoon inspired the US Army to investigate developing a less-than-lethal weapon that could subject its victims to short body-clenching seizures. The idea wasn’t inspired by a weapon used in the cartoon… but instead by how the cartoon itself actually affected its viewers. This weapon was […]
What kind of fighter could the latest military tech really build?
AirpowerIf you were put in charge of developing America’s next air superiority fighter—an aircraft purpose-built to dominate the skies over even the most hotly contested warzones of the 21st century—how would you go about doing it? What systems, capabilities and cutting-edge technologies would you build your new fighter around? That’s a question that was actually […]
Timeline: The groundbreaking firsts in US airpower
AirpowerThe United States of America has led the world in military aviation since the very inception of the concept. And with advanced new fighter and bomber platforms under development in programs like the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) and the B-21 Raider, America appears to be extending its technological lead in the airpower realm, incorporating […]
