Stealth

As America’s secretive new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, continues development, it’s clear that the days of America’s legacy bomber platforms, the B-2 Spirit and the B-1B Lancer, are numbered. With the B-21 expected to enter into service in the mid-2020s, America’s current heavy payload stealth bombers and heavy payload supersonic bombers will begin their […]

Russia’s Tu-95 Bear long range bombers are not an entirely uncommon presence near American or allied airspace. These long range, heavy payload bombers are often flown within other country’s Air Defense Identification Zones, prompting a response from domestic intercept fighters tasked with identifying and escorting the Russian aircraft away from their sovereign airspace. While not […]

The United States Department of Defense has ended its freeze on accepting deliveries of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, apparently ending a dispute over who would be financially responsible for the repair a significant issue plaguing most, if not all, of the air frames delivered thus far in the program’s lifespan. Early last month, […]

The F-35B, America’s most-advanced stealth fighter wowed a record 215,000 people Saturday at the base’s 42nd annual Friendship Day. In its first aerial demonstration in Asia, the F-35B Lightning II showed off its ability to hover and land vertically. “The best part of today is watching the Japanese people get excited about what we do […]

In today’s media climate, even the most ardent follower of the news could be forgiven for falling behind on the complex issues of the day. Between work, family, friends, and the other obligations that make up everyday life, it’s a miracle anyone has time to devote some thought and concern to the plight of civilians […]

As the United States Navy works to address looming concerns about the capability gap created by Chinese and Russian hypersonic capable anti-ship missiles, the solution to their problem may actually come from the U.S. Air Force. Advanced anti-ship missiles capable of traveling at speeds in excess of Mach 5 (the “hypersonic” barrier) are too fast […]

On Tuesday, the United States Navy announced that it had accepted delivery of its second Zumwalt class stealth destroyer, slated to become the USS Michael Monsoor once it has been commissioned. Once expected to become the new workhorse platform of the U.S. Navy, the Monsoor is the second of only three Zumwalt class destroyers the […]

As the competition for the Navy’s MQ-25 tanker drone heats up between Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics, it would seem at least two of the contenders believe the decision could come down to which platform offers the most versatility beyond the contract’s requirements. Last week, SOFREP reported on Boeing’s decision to base their MQ-25 […]

An F-22 Raptor participating in the Air Force’s Topgun program appears to have retracted its landing gear too early during take off, resulting in the fifth generation fighter slamming back into the ground and skidding to a stop over the weekend. The incident, which took place at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, has been […]

The United States Department of Defense and at least two other nations have formally stopped accepting deliveries of Lockheed Martin’s flagship F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The hiatus is reportedly the result of continued negotiations regarding who would pay for significant repairs required for hundreds of airframes that have already been delivered. Although there are a […]

According to a new internal assessment produced by the U.S. Air Force, the branch may be forced to cut their plans for a fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters by more than a third due to the high cost of operating and maintaining the aircraft. While this report does not represent anything close to a […]

Two different commercial airline pilots reported seeing an unidentified aircraft in the skies above Arizona in February, according to new radio logs released by the FAA. According to the recordings, first revealed by Warzone writer Tyler Rogoway, and subsequent statements, the unidentified aircraft was first spotted by an American Airlines pilot at the helm of […]