Ask A Fighter Pilot: The Future Of Our Inventory

Ask A Fighter Pilot: The Future Of Our Inventory

“I am an aspiring fighter pilot, and was wondering what our inventory may look like in ten years or further into the future, and what will be different in the life of a fighter pilot and the path to becoming one?” ~Jackson D., South Carolina Great question, Jackson! Of course, it is a tough one […]

Lockheed: Advanced EOTS Preparing For Tests

Lockheed: Advanced EOTS Preparing For Tests

Editor’s Note: As has been the case with the F-22, the F-35 is running up against an issue with technology being outdated even before the aircraft reaches it’s Initial Operational Capability. In this case, it is the Electro-Optical Targeting System. The current generation of Sniper targeting pods is outperforming EOTS, and the Department of Defense […]

Air Force: T-X Requirements To Remain Unchanged

Air Force: T-X Requirements To Remain Unchanged

Editor’s Note: As we’ve spoken of before, things are heating up in the competition between aircraft manufacturers to win the T-X contract, the Air Force’s replacement to its aging fleet of T-38 Talon jet trainers. Some thought a shift in those requirements was pending, which would allow Textron’s entry, one based on their prototype “Scorpion” […]

Rangers Supported With CAS From F-35 Lightning II

Rangers Supported With CAS From F-35 Lightning II

Editor’s Note: The U.S. Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II continues to make great strides in its advance toward IOC (Initial Operational Capability), which is anticipated sometime between August and October of this year. While most of the good news stories concerning the F-35 these days cannot be discussed for classification reason, this one is definitely […]

F-22 Raptor Finally Begins Fielding The AIM-9X!

Editor’s Note: FighterSweep Fans, this has been a long time coming. Raptor pilots have long lamented the lack of the U.S. Air Force’s most capable short-range air-to-air missile, the AIM-9X Sidewinder. On 1 March, the 90th Fighter Squadron “Dicemen” became the first Raptor squadron in the CAF (Combat Air Forces) to receive the AIM-9X. So […]

11 Game-Changing Aircraft Of The 21st Century!

11 Game-Changing Aircraft Of The 21st Century!

Happy Wednesday, FighterSweep Fans! Our friends over at Business Insider came up with a list of eleven aircraft that are the most “game-changing” thus far in the 21st century. Many of these aircraft will come as no big surprise to die-hard aviation fans, but admittedly, there are a couple entries which surprised me! Go check […]

From The Cockpit: Tophats Rule!

From The Cockpit: Tophats Rule!

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, […]

Boeing and Lockheed Withdraw B-21 Challenge

Boeing and Lockheed Withdraw B-21 Challenge

Editor’s Note: When Northrop-Grumman won the original award of the U.S. Air Force’s Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B, now known as the B-21) contract, the competing team of Boeing and Lockheed-Martin filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Their claim was denied by the GAO, and both companies have elected to not pursue any […]

Lockheed-Martin: Partners Must Decide On F-35 Block Buy

Lockheed-Martin: Partners Must Decide On F-35 Block Buy

Editor’s Note: All twelve partner nations are doing their best to make their dollars stretch as far as they can, so that means being smart with the timing of their acquisitions, as well as the rate at which they procure them. It’s good news for Lockheed-Martin, but potentially bad timing for some nations that aren’t […]

Kadena Launches First MC-130J Five-Ship Formation

Kadena Launches First MC-130J Five-Ship Formation

Editor’s Note: Just like their brothers and sisters in Air Combat Command and Air Force Global Strike Command, the aviators in AFSOC have been in need of upgrades for platforms for some time. A big first step in the right direction is the introduction of the MC-130J Commando II. It replaces the (much) older MC-130N/P […]

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

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 […]

Raytheon Enters U.S. T-X Jet Trainer Competition

Raytheon Enters U.S. T-X Jet Trainer Competition

Editor’s Note: Competition for the USAF’s T-38 jet trainer replacement, known simply as the T-X at this point, has a field of very capable vendors and partnerships. The latest to join is an partnership comprised of Raytheon, Finmeccanica, and CAE, and the team will offer the T-100 for review. Raytheon on Monday officially announced it is […]