Fightersweep

If Russia spent $500 million on its military operations in Syria, all indications are it’s about to get that back–in spades. Because the Kremlin has done a good job of selling its successes, it just might receive a multi-billion-dollar windfall in new revenue. That is thanks to potential arms sales of it’s latest and greatest […]

Under normal circumstances, a loaned item is one which is used…and then returned. I’m not exactly sure how you loan a piece of expendable ordnance; but hey…if our coalition partners in the fight against Daesh are running short on their own supply of bombs and still have the resolve to keep pressing the fight, then […]

Five years ago, a phone rang in the 28th Bomb Wing vice commander’s office, and that exchange led to Ellsworth AFB making history–and on a grand scale. The end result became the first time the Rockwell (Boeing) B-1B Lancer launched from the continental United States to support overseas combat operations. It was how Operation Odyssey […]

FighterSweep Fans, this one gets logged under the heading of, “You just cannot make this sh*t up.” Late last night, usually long after the point where I am unconcscious, an alert came through about a hijacking of an EgyptAir Flight 181, a short-haul flight out of Alexandria destined for Cairo. An Airbus A320 with 55 […]

FighterSweep Fans, as we mentioned yesterday, the Eurofighter Typhoon is a far cry from what it was in its early days. In this second part, we’re going to explore a few more of the upgrades the aircraft has received in the recent past. The Typhoon now features true “swing-role” capability, and it’s not by accident […]

As we reported previously, the Air Force has expressed great concern over whether or not Boeing Defense will be able to deliver the KC-46A Pegasus on time. Boeing, on the other hand, is not letting the Air Force’s creeping doubt slow it down, so the dash toward the finish line is on. Helping to lead […]

FighterSweep Fans, we’ve been following this one closely and have shared several some interesting data with you: DF-21 carrier killer missiles, J-11 fighters deployed to artificial islands, and radar which can potentially detect and track low-observable aircraft. But China’s move toward dominating the battlespace in the South China Sea doesn’t stop at those things alone. […]

Any fighter design in the past forty years has experienced its share of problems. Anyone remember the days when the F-16 was referred to as the Lawn Dart? Or the F-22 as the “Craptor?” The F-35 is our most recently example of a new MDS experiencing some pretty ugly glitches and growing pains. Well, FighterSweep […]

FighterSweep Fans, there have been many technological advances for the Eurofighter Typhoon in the past few years, many of which directly relate to further development of this magnificent aircraft’s swing-role capability. We’ll take a look at the nuances between Multi-Role and Swing-Role, and the changes required in capability to progress from the former to the latter. The term “Multi-Role,” […]

FighterSweep Fans, history has been made at Columbus Air Force Base, in Columbus, Mississippi. The installation is home to the 14th Flying Training Wing, one of Air Education and Training Command’s UPT wings. This past Friday was like any number of Assignment or “Drop” Nights before it, with one very special exception. On 25 March […]

Apparently there was some confusion over when the A-10 divestiture would actually start, given SECDEF Carter’s declaration the aircraft would be in service until 2022. That is a true statement in context, but when you break it down, it means the last of the A-10s will retire in 2022. The draw-down is going to start […]

This is a topic we’ve touched on quite a bit in the past few months. The Air Force continues to hemorrhage talent from its community of  pilots, but here’s a little known fact: the exodus is impacting the Air Force Reserve even more than it is on the active duty side. The reason boils down […]