Deale: We Have Literally Flown The Wings Off The A-10

Editor’s Note: To the casual observer, it may appear as though the U.S. Air Force–despite Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s assurances, is trying to divest itself of the A-10 faster than the 2022 timeline given. But those on the inside understand it will take a time to complete the process, which will ramp up in a […]

Air Force: Out With The Old, In With The New?

Editor’s Note: If you were the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force and had one dollar in your pocket to spend, how would you do it? Would you expend those resources on legacy platforms to keep them in service as long as possible? Do you spend that whole dollar on tomorrow’s near-peer or […]

Goldfein: Daesh, Russia Big Factors In A-10 Decision

Editor’s Note: We reported to you a couple weeks ago about the Air Force’s decision to delay the retirement of the A-10C Thunderbolt II until 2022. According to U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh, there were a variety of factors leading to that decision, and today we’re able to get a glimpse […]

Hammer Time: B-52s Go Live at Eglin AFB!

Editor’s Note: There are two different Weapons System Evaluation Programs (WSEPs) currently run by the U.S. Air Force. One is Combat Archer, which is for air-to-air weaponry, and Combat Hammer, which is geared toward air-to-surface munitions. Combat Hammer is held either over the vast Utah Test and Training Range adjacent to Hill Air Force Base […]

LRS-B: Air Force Promises More Info On New Bomber

Editor’s Note: We’re all really anxious to hear more about Northrop-Grumman’s winning LRS-B design, but in all likelihood we’ll have to wait for a little bit. Preparations are underway at different installations to accommodate the new design and its infrastructure, but beyond that, there isn’t much to tell at this point. We’ll see what happens […]

BUFF: Air Force Prolongs The Life Of Its Oldest Bomber

Editor’s Note: You cannot help but love the BUFF, ladies and gentlemen. She’s old, tired, really cranky, and has one heck of a unique personality. She smokes waaaaaaaay too much to be healthy, screams louder than almost everyone else at the party, and Heaven help you if she ever came hunting for your hide; the […]

WASPs: Betrayed by the Department of Defense?

Editor’s Note: This is another issue near to our hearts, FighterSweep Fans. Every one of our sisters flying in the Army and Air Force can trace their service heritage back to this exceptional group of women. Brigadier General Dawn Dunlop, the first woman to fly the F-22 Raptor, and our good friend Colonel Nicole Malachowski, were […]

Future Fighter: Lasers and Autonomous Intelligence!

Editor’s Note: As we’ve mentioned before, there are a lot of ideas out there as to what NGAD or Next Generation Air Dominance will entail. Some have mentioned lasers, others have mentioned visual cloaking devices, and still others are talking about tech that hasn’t been developed yet–that we know of. One thing we do know […]

Air Force: BIG Structure Changes In FY 2017 Budget

Editor’s Note: Not to beat a dead horse, but the Budget Control Act and Continuing Resolution have had severe consequences on the ability of the U.S. Air Force and her sister services to conduct operations. We’ve been discussing the FY 2017 budget quite a bit over the past few days, and the Air Force has […]

Valentine’s Day Memoir: Strike Eagle Air-To-Air Kill!

Editor’s Note: Today is a big day in the awesome history of the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, FighterSweep Fans! On Valentine’s Day twenty-five years ago during Operation Desert Storm, an F-15E from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina was on a nocturnal Scud-hunting mission in northwestern Iraq. The jet […]

Saving Money While Fueling The U-2 Mission!

[Editor’s Note: Sometimes the heroes in a particular story are those whose service is unsung. Fact is, none of the airplanes which we love to talk and write about would be anything except very large, ridiculously expensive paper-weights without fuel. We ran across this story and thought it would be fun to share a critical […]