Could America’s secretive B-21 Raider already be flying?

Back in 1975, Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works started tooling around with the Experimental Survivable Testbed (XST) program, also known as Project Harvey. Harvey soon led to the Hopeless Diamond, a shape developed using computers that experts agreed would offer the smallest radar return possible under their current computational restrictions. The Hopeless Diamond led to Have […]

The Pic of the Day: Giants in the mist

An Airman walks past multiple C-17 Globemaster IIIs at Joint Base Charleston, S.C., Feb. 21, 2019. Exercise Patriot Sands was a joint-service exercise coordinated by the Air Force Reserve, designed to integrate first responders from federal, state, local agencies and the military by providing quick response training in the event of a regional emergency or […]

How one planning decision is responsible for so many of the F-35’s woes

It can be tough to find stories about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that don’t go out of their way to paint the platform as either an incredibly overpriced boondoggle or the best thing to happen to military air power since the invention of nose-mounted radar. From an editorial standpoint, these “absolute good” and “absolute […]

The Pic of the Day: American Bone flying with a Qatari Mirage 2000

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber and a Qatari Mirage 2000 fly in formation, Feb. 19, 2019. The aircraft participated with regional partners to test objective-based command and control actions during Joint Air Defense Exercise 19-01.   U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Cupit

Could America’s secretive B-21 Raider already be flying?

Back in 1975, Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works started tooling around with the Experimental Survivable Testbed (XST) program, also known as Project Harvey. Harvey soon led to the Hopeless Diamond, a shape developed using computers that experts agreed would offer the smallest radar return possible under their current computational restrictions. The Hopeless Diamond led to Have […]

The Pic of the Day: F-35 carries a ‘third day of war’ loadout

PHILIPPINE SEA (Feb. 3, 2019) An F-35B Lightning II attached to the F-35B detachment of the “Flying Tigers” of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262 (Reinforced) prepares for takeoff during flight operations aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). Wasp, flagship of Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), […]

The Pic of the Day: Blue Angel on a low pass

EL CENTRO, Calif. (Feb. 2, 2019) Opposing solo pilot Lt. Cmdr. Andre Webb, assigned to the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, performs a low transition take off during a practice demonstration. The Blue Angels are conducting winter training at Naval Air Facility El Centro, California, in preparation for the 2019 show season. […]

Unlike the F-15, America will likely never see new F-22s

Unlike the F-35, the F-22 has been operational for years, and has already been used in a number of intercepts of foreign aircraft over international waters.  It also trumps the F-35 in performance tests like maximum speed, rate of climb, and maneuverability, delivering figures that largely match or exceed that of the global competition. Like […]

The Pic of the Day: F-35s over Florida

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (Feb. 1, 2019) Three F-35C Lightning II, attached to Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, the “Rough Raiders “Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 and the “Grim Reapers” Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 complete a flight overhead Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton […]