The Pic of the Day: The business end of an F-16

During Red Flag 12-2, a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft from the 416th Flight Test Squadron (FLTS) rests before the backdrop of the nightlights of downtown Las Vegas. The 416th FLTS is out of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.   Courtesy photo by Chad Bellay

The Pic of the Day: Warthogs launch flares over Georgia

Captains Andrew Glowa (left) and William Piepenbring (right) launch flares from two A-10C Thunderbolt IIs Aug. 18, 2014, over southern Georgia. Both pilots are with the 74th Fighter Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga. Pilots, maintainers and support Airmen ensure Moody AFB’s A-10s stay mission ready for daily training sorties and deployments downrange.   U.S. […]

The Pic of the Day: F-16s refueling over Iraq

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker with the 28th Expeditionary Aerial Refueling Squadron (EARS) in support of Operation Inherent Resolve over Iraq, Nov. 8, 2018. The 28th EARS empowers the fight against ISIS by providing mission extending aerial refueling services to U.S. and Coalition forces conducting operations in […]

Listen to the audio logs as multiple pilots report seeing UFOs off the Irish coast

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has opened an investigation into multiple reports of one or more fast-moving, unidentified objects seen flying off the coast of Ireland last Friday. The unusual object was first reported to air traffic control by a British Airways pilot flying off the south-western coast of Ireland, with other pilots soon following suit. […]

China’s newest drone appears to be just another copy of American tech

China’s aviation advancements are on full display this week at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition and Airshow in Zhuhai, but for those who are well versed in U.S. military aircraft, the event may feel eerily familiar… almost as though you’ve seen all this before. China’s J-20 and J-31 programs, both considered fifth-generation fighters […]

China’s newest drone appears to be just another copy of American tech

China’s aviation advancements are on full display this week at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition and Airshow in Zhuhai, but for those who are well versed in U.S. military aircraft, the event may feel eerily familiar… almost as though you’ve seen all this before. China’s J-20 and J-31 programs, both considered fifth-generation fighters […]

The Pic of the Day: First Responders train to save F-35 pilots

Brian Easterling, a 96th Test Wing firefighter, extracts an injured pilot from an F-35 Lightning II during a major accident response exercise May 9. This was the first MARE involving the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft at Eglin. First responders had to put out fires on debris from the aircraft after a hard landing. They […]

Mattis orders an immediate and massive overhaul of America’s fighter squadrons

After a slew of aviation incidents in recent years, attributed largely to reduced maintenance and increased operational tempo for America’s workhorse fighters, Defense Secretary James Mattis has issued a new directive to Air Force and Navy officials: Bring America’s fighter fleets back up to an 80% readiness rating — and even more dramatically — do […]