Fightersweep

With the exception of one engagement over Syria in 2017, the United States has not found any of its fighters in a good old-fashioned “dogfight” since the early 1990s. Throughout much of the world, the same can be said for most other national militaries. As a result (and bolstered by new fighter technologies), there’s a […]

Flying combat operations with a high degree of efficacy requires a broad skill set and, as some pilots describe it, “supreme confidence” in your ability to manage both the situation and the $90 million worth of supersonic state secrets secured to your ejection seat. America’s fighter pilots average about three times the flight experience of […]

U.S. Air Force Airmen and aircraft from the 75th Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., return from supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Jan. 25, 2019. The A-10C Thunderbolt II, which has an increased loiter time and weapons capabilities, deployed to Southwest Asia in support of ground forces.   U.S. Air Force photo by Airman […]

On Wednesday, Boeing unveiled its Airpower Teaming System, also referred to as “Loyal Wingman,” at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon. The announcement included a display mock-up of the aircraft that is currently in development, as well as some pertinent details about what the Loyal Wingman program offers not only Australia, but allied nations on […]

A C-17 Globemaster III takes off from an airfield in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Jan. 31, 2019. The 386th Expeditionary Medical Group facilitates transfers of ill personnel from across the area of responsibility back to the United States or other locations to receive required care.   U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. […]

Ever since the story broke that the U.S. Air Force was considering the purchase of new F-15 airframes, dubbed the F-15X, pundits and analysts alike have debated why the branch would be willing to devote billions of dollars to procure a fourth-generation aircraft in the era of stealth-capable fifth-generation platforms. Put simply, the question has […]

Following reports of F-117(s) spotted flying in Nevada and Eastern California last week, Dutch aviation magazine “Scramble” is now reporting that four of the retired stealth aircraft were actually conducting classified air strikes over Syria as recently as 2017. Scramble is a magazine published by an aviation society of the same name and dates back […]

The thing about fighter jets is that just about every developed nation in the world has some, and while the capabilities of these aircraft vary greatly from platform to platform, it’s hard to withhold the awe you experience seeing any one of these purpose-built aviation marvels do their thing. And for the most part, those […]

An F-16 Fighting Falcon flies over the coast of Florida during a training sortie during a deployment at Patrick Air Force Base, Feb. 4, 2019. The Patrick AFB training provides the strategic agility needed to fight against a formidable and aggressive adversary in a continually strained fiscal environment.   Air National Guard photo by Senior […]

Earlier this week, we showed you pictures a number of people uploaded onto social media of an F-117 Nighthawk (colloquially know to some as the “Stealth Fighter,” despite it being a horribly inaccurate nickname) flying some unusual maneuvers over Nevada, not far from the Nellis Test Range and the infamous Area 51. The same day, […]

The U.S. Navy announced on Wednesday the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman would be retired from active duty sometime in the next several years, bringing the total number of operational aircraft carriers in the U.S. arsenal to ten. The Truman was expected to undergo a major overhaul operation in or around 2024, which […]

On Monday, Russia issued an unusually cryptic threat, specifically to U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein on Twitter. The message cited the F-35, America’s most advanced stealth fighter, and included footage of Soviet-era surface-to-air missiles shooting down aircraft. ‘If a Russia… ever was to see an F-35 inside its airspace’, we would […]