military aviation

U.S. Navy Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Ashley Crescimanno, from Albany, New York, directs an F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 97, on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Arabian Gulf, Jan. 17, 2019, during exercise Intrepid Sentinel. Intrepid Sentinel brings together […]

LEMOORE, Calif. (Nov. 16, 2018) An F-35C Lightning II, attached to the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, fly in formation for a photo exercise. VFA-147 is the first U.S. Navy Operational F-35C squadron based out of NAS Lemoore. Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, headquartered at Naval Air […]

“Dude, we’re going flying,” my flight lead said with a chuckle as I showed him the satellite image on my phone while he worked on a lineup card for the day’s mission in the Ready Room. It showed an orange and pink blob covering the edges of the airspace over the Gulf of Mexico and […]

A Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 Raptor receives feel from a Wisconsin Air National Guard KC-135 Stratotanker Dec. 11, 2018, near the Hawaiian Islands. Sentry Aloha provides tailored, cost effective and realistic combat training for U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and other Department of Defense services to provide U.S. warfighters with the skill sets […]

An F-15C Eagle flies during routine training Dec. 11, 2018, out of Kadena Air Base, Japan. Both the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons at Kadena AB play a unique role in securing peace and stability in a free and open Indo-Pacific with their F-15C/D capabilities.   U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew […]

Depending on who you ask, the response to uttering the words “Iron Maiden” bring about very different emotions. Ask any fan of rock music and chances are the reaction is the sign of the horns. Ask any Naval Aviator, however, and the response is almost certainly dread. The trouble starts seemingly as a result of […]

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a demonstration during the Mather Airshow at Mather Airport, Sacramento, California, Sept. 23, 2018. The U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron or “Thunderbirds” were created in 1953.   U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Lauren Parsons/Released

Hypersonic platforms, or aircraft and weapons that can travel at speeds in excess of Mach 5, have become a significant concern for the American defense apparatus over the past year or so. With the recent revelation that both China and Russia are quickly moving toward deploying operational hypersonic missile platforms, the U.S. has been forced […]

Beyond the “show up and go up” myth of military flying, the second biggest myth is that all pilots do is fly and go home to their hot supermodel wives (ok the second part is true…maybe). With ground jobs, additional duties, and endless amounts of general military training, this couldn’t be further from the truth. […]

U.S. Air Force Maj. John Waters, F-16 Viper Demonstration Team (VDT) pilot and commander, navigates an F-16CM Fighting Falcon, “Viper,” during a demonstration at Sakhir Airbase, Kingdom of Bahrain, Nov. 14, 2018. Waters demonstrated the flying capabilities of the F-16 before an international crowd at the Bahrain International Air Show in support of U.S. Air […]

Hypersonic platforms, or aircraft and weapons that can travel at speeds in excess of Mach 5, have become a significant concern for the American defense apparatus over the past year or so. With the recent revelation that both China and Russia are quickly moving toward deploying operational hypersonic missile platforms, the U.S. has been forced […]

Editor’s note: Justin Lee is an active duty U.S. Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pilot. Lee has earned four Air Medals over the span of more than 400 hours of combat flight time throughout his eight+ years at the stick of the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35, and now he’s bringing his unique insight […]