1,177 articles
Latest Air Force stories, analysis, and updates from SOFREP.
We are excited to continue building our Ready Room of contributing writers. J. Kirkbride joins us from the Air Force side. He’s been a First Assignment Instructor Pilot (FAIP) for the past few years and now he’s working his way through the F-15 syllabus. Welcome aboard J.K.! The Pilot Training Machine The United States is […]
Happy Father’s Day Fighter Sweep community. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the new Assistant Editor for Fighter Sweep. We are incredibly excited to add someone with “Smokin” Joe Ruzicka’s experience and credentials. Smokin is a former Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) in the F-14 Tomcat and Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) in the F-18 […]
The pilots at the controls of the two F-16 jets that collided over Georgia this week are seasoned combat veterans — and so are the jets they were flying. The planes were built in 1993 and have flown hundreds of combat missions, including the fiery 2003 attack on Baghdad dubbed “Shock and Awe,” according to […]
BALTOPS. Anakonda. Saber Strike. Swift Response. Thousands of U.S. and allied service members are participating in exercises across Europe, from Poland to the Baltics, to improve interoperability and prepare for real-world conflicts. They come at a time when Russia is reportedly building new bases on the borders of Ukraine. A 10-member U.S. Air Force detachment in Poland, which […]
Two South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 fighter pilots ejected safely after an apparent midair collision in eastern Georgia, the Guard said. The collision happened about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday during night training operations over a remote military operating area in Jefferson County, Georgia, a National Guard spokeswoman said. The jets were assigned to the South […]
“The Air Force’s projected force structure in 2030 is not capable of fighting and winning against [an] array of potential adversary capabilities,” according to the newly released unclassified version of the Air Force’s Air Superiority 2030 Flight Plan. The document, developed during a yearlong study “by an enterprise capability collaboration team [ECCT] composed of Air Force operators, acquirers […]
Engine failure, fuel malfunction. Maybe even a bird strike. The official finding of what caused an F-16 to crash after performing for the Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremony Thursday has not been released, but experts and pilots are giving major props to the pilot of the No. 6 jet, Maj. Alex Turner, for a safe and impressive […]
The F-22 Raptor, the most feared combat aircraft in the world, is also much-maligned and has certainly had its share of challenges to overcome. The final aircraft to roll off the production line is 10-4195, and currently serves as the flagship for the 525th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. Aircraft 4195 was […]
A Happy Saturday to you all, FighterSweep Fans! Our good friends down in the Land of No Slack recently embarked on a trip which took them to Kuopio, Finland. They were able to partake in a combined training exercise with European partner nations, but focused predominantly on the Finnish Air Force. The visit was much […]
FighterSweep Fans, we’ve heard a lot about folks who are disgruntled with the Air Force’s new B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber. Senator John McCain, as an example, has repeatedly threatened to block funding for the LRSB because of the proposed “cost-plus” contract structure. Others have also bad-mouthed the program because of a thick veil of […]
FighterSweep Fans, here is an awesome story which caught our attention over the last few days comes from our good friends over at Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE). Brothers flying during the same time period in any branch of service is fairly rare. What’s even more rare is to find those brothers flying the same aircraft–let […]
This morning there was a crash involving a B-52H deployed from Minot AFB. It appears as if the aircraft went down within the perimeter of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, but most importantly, it appears all crew members are accounted for and safe. This is the first time a B-52 has crashed since 2008. The […]
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