1,177 articles
Latest Air Force stories, analysis, and updates from SOFREP.
Editor’s Note: This is a very interesting story about the man considered to be the “Father of the A-10.” Colonel Avery Kay led the effort back in the 1960s to develop an aircraft designed specifically to support troops on the ground. Not surprisingly, like all thinkers and innovators ahead of their time, he faced a […]
Editor’s Note: The Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) reports the pace of deployments is slowing as compared to years past, but the current operational tempo the Air Force is maintaining is still very stressful on personnel, resources, and equipment. While combat operations are still underway, requiring the presence of fighters and bombers, Air Mobility Command […]
Editor’s Note: In all the years I’ve been attending airshows, I’ve only seen the PACAF F-16 Demonstration one time–and that was in Alaska of all places. A lot of folks don’t realize there’s another Viper demo out there, but it is every bit as high-powered and high-energy as its stateside counterpart. The team draws its […]
Editor’s Note: The F-22A Raptor is the world’s most feared combat aircraft, and the world’s only operational 5th-Generation fighter. Tyson Wetzel has previously discussed how this magnificent fighter has matured in the ten years since reaching IOC. And while it has seen its share of problems, and has more than its fair share of critics, […]
FighterSweep Fans, it’s safe to say we all have our heroes in the aviation world who inspired us to pursue our passion. I personally have been very fortunate to meet a number of the men I read about growing up: Bud Anderson, Chuck Yeager, Bob Hoover, Joe Engel, and Pappy Boyington immediately come to mind. […]
Editor’s Note: Like many others in the inventory, one of our very favorite airplanes has been extremely busy over the past decade-plus and is in need of a break, also of upgrade. The Rockwell (now Boeing) B-1B Lancer is now enjoying some much-needed time off. While crews refresh and retrain, the jets will also be […]
Editor’s Note: FighterSweep Fans, I’m not quite sure what to say about this one. “I am lacking in diversity of gender, ethnicity, and [aircraft type] background.” That is a line out of an email written by the Wing Commander of the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Brigadier General Christopher Short, the man presiding […]
Editor’s Note: We mentioned the looming deadline before, and all eyes on on the Pegasus aerial refueling tanker as it presses on through its test phase. Once Milestone C is reached, leadership at AMC (Air Mobility Command) will decide on an acceptable date to shoot for to reach Initial Operational Capability. All hopes are geared […]
Happy Sunday, FighterSweep Fans! We know you’ve brought you a few B-Course videos, and though this one is in a similar vein, it’s more of a compilation of the different phases a student F-16 pilot goes through in order to reach their initial qualification in the jet. You’ll see BFM, SAT (surface attack training), CAS, […]
Editor’s Note: As we previously reported, one of the bed-down locations for the Air Force’s brand-new Joint Strike Fighter is at Eielson Air Force Base, just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. Once the Lightning IIs are at Eielson, it will establish Alaska as a bastion of Air Dominance. Between the F-35s and the F-22s down the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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