Daesh Training Pilots At Libyan Air Base?

[Editor’s Note: While it makes perfect sense Daesh would want to develop the same functionality Al Qaeda used to such a devastating effect just over fourteen years ago, one can only hope they’d really be that stupid. While turning airplanes into weapons is not a new concept–it wasn’t even a new idea in 2001–it is […]

What Would a No-Fly Zone Over Syria Look Like?

[Editor’s Note: As you’re well aware, the situation in Syria is one we have been watching very closely. From the first Russian air strikes, to the shoot-down of a Russian fighter, to the deployment of the S-400 SAM system, FighterSweep and its staff of knowledgeable, credible authors have been on top of things, so to […]

So You Want to Be a Mercenary (Pt. 1)

I am not, nor was I ever, a mercenary, and the few times that people felt sorry enough to give me a few dollars, it was always far short of delaying my imminent 2015 bankruptcy, and was geared toward providing rations outside of standard chow.

Birth Of A Super Hornet: First Australian F/A-18F

Happy Sunday, FighterSweep Fans! Like many of you, I built a lot of model airplanes as a kid, and while I may have left that hobby behind decades ago, the interest in how things go together remains. Thanks to Boeing, we have the opportunity to see the construction of the very first Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet […]

Burner Friday: Royal Air Force Tornado GR4

The UK’s Royal Air Force, having been a background player in the fight against Daesh, recently began their first strikes in Syria following a Parliament vote in favor of the campaign. Within hours, five-hundred-pound Paveway bombs fell with the most forceful of intentions from Panavia Tornado GR4 fighter-bombers onto Daesh-controlled oil fields. The swing-wing Tornado, affectionately known as the […]

Burner Friday: Royal Air Force Tornado GR4

The UK’s Royal Air Force, having been a background player in the fight against Daesh, recently began their first strikes in Syria following a Parliament vote in favor of the campaign. Within hours, five-hundred-pound Paveway bombs fell with the most forceful of intentions from Panavia Tornado GR4 fighter-bombers onto Daesh-controlled oil fields. The swing-wing Tornado, affectionately known as the […]

Know Your Enemy: Daesh, the Islamic State (Pt. 1)

A ragtag group of backwater extremists have risen to international media heights and challenged the peace of mind and collective safety of the free world. Generally speaking, most people know little about them. A dangerous position, and if one man is historically noted as an expert on that point, it is Sun Tzu. In his classical […]

What Does The RAF Bring To The Syria Fight?

On December 2nd at 22:30 GMT, following a day long debate in Parliament, politicians in the United Kingdom voted by a majority of 174 in favor of the government’s plan to carry out bombing operations on Daesh targets in Syria. This sees the RAF joining the US, France and Russia in sustained bombing campaigns over […]

What Does The RAF Bring To The Syria Fight?

On December 2nd at 22:30 GMT, following a day long debate in Parliament, politicians in the United Kingdom voted by a majority of 174 in favor of the government’s plan to carry out bombing operations on Daesh targets in Syria. This sees the RAF joining the US, France and Russia in sustained bombing campaigns over […]

Kurdish Coalition Liberates Sinjar From ISIS

A coalition force of approximately 7,500 Peshmerga-led Kurdish soldiers launched a coordinated assault in the Sinjar region against ISIS fortified positions on 12 November, 2015, supported by U.S. and British air strikes.