Watch: Airborne Flight Testing of the F-35B Gun Completed!

Another check in the block for the F-35 program and a bit of aviation history was recently made when the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX23 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River completed airborne testing of the F-35B gun. Watch Earlier Ground Testing of the F-35 Gun Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23) is […]

Air Forces Removes Weight Restriction on F-35 with New Ejection Seat

The Air Force has removed a weight restriction for pilots on the F-35 with a new ejection seat for the stealth aircraft. Until Monday there had been a restriction that no one weighing less than 136 pounds was allowed to fly the F-35 because of the possibility of neck injuries when the election seat’s parachute […]

Turkish Newspaper Demands the Withdrawal of US Forces from Incirlik Air Base

A prominent newspaper in Turkey is demanding that US personnel and aircraft be evicted from Incirlik Air Base. The tensions between the US and Turkey went up dramatically after the Trump administration decided to send weapons to the Kurdish militia to support their efforts fighting ISIS. #Turkish kemalist newspaper Sözcü wants that #NATO air base #Incirlik […]

Watch: AC-130 Gunship Live Fire Exercise. Take a Ride on the Spooky!

The Lockheed AC-130 Gunship is a weapons system that literally puts fear into the hearts of the enemy. Ride along and get an inside look at what it is like being on board the aircraft with the nickname ‘Spooky’. In 2009, Norwegian journalist Peter Refsdal embedded with the Taliban in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, the […]

Air Force Transports US Navy Dolphin from Key West to San Diego

The Air Force’s 301st Airlift Squadron transported some precious Navy cargo, four Bottlenose dolphin and their trainers from Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, to the U.S. Naval Marine Mammal Program in San Diego, California. “The dolphins need to be challenged and get experience in different waters,” said Brit Swenberg, an NMMP biological technician. “It also gets […]

New Spending Bill Gives Air Force a Big Boost for the Huey Replacement Program

President Trump signed the $1 trillion omnibus spending bill which included in it a major bump in funding for the Air Force’s UH-1N Huey helicopter replacement program. Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky unit is proposing a version of the H-60 Blackhawk The legislation allocates an additional $75 million toward the program, bumping the final bill adjustment to $93.3 million, according […]

Change of Heart? F-35 Will Attend Paris Air Show After all!

Last week Fighter Sweep reported to you that the F-35 would not be attending the Paris Air Show this summer. The word from a defense official was that the F-35 was not invited to attend but a spokesperson for air show organizing committee said an invitation was sent. Sounds like a lack of communication somewhere […]

27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Turns 100!

How often do you hear about an active duty US fighter squadron turning 100 years old? Never! Well, the 27th Fighter Squadron does just that today marking its 100th year of service. The squadron is currently deployed with their F-22 Raptors in support of the Combined Joint Task Force/Operation Inherent Resolve fighting ISIS. The squadron […]

Picture of the Day: South Korean Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon Taking Off

Image of a South Korean Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon taking off from Kunsan Air Base in South Korea participating in Exercise Max Thunder 17. “Exercise Max Thunder serves as an invaluable opportunity for U.S. and ROKAF forces to train together shoulder-to-shoulder and sharpen tactical skills vital to the defense and security of the Korean Peninsula,” said Lt. […]

Watch: F-35A Lightning II Does the Mach Loop for the 1st Time!

No need to say much. Just watch and enjoy. What more could you want on a Friday night? The ‘Mach Loop’ is a set of valleys, situated between Dolgellau in the north (north-west Wales, UK), and Machynlleth in the south (and from which the Mach Loop gets its name), which are regularly used for low […]

Ho-Hum…More Russian Bear Bombers Fly Near Alaska Coast but This Time With a Twist…

Yet again, Soviet Union era Russian Tupolev Tu-95 ‘Bear’ Bombers entered the Alaskan Air Defense Zone Wednesday night. A couple weeks ago the Russians did this maneuver two nights in a row and the second night the US reportedly did not even send any aircraft to intercept them. So Russian leader Vladimir Putin must have realized that […]

Watch: US Launches 2nd Long Range Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in Seven Days

The United States launched a second long range ballistic missile from Vanderberg Air Force Base in California in a period of seven days. The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) flew over 4000 miles before it came down near the Marshall Islands which is located in the central Pacific Ocean region between Hawaii and the […]