The Non-Flying Side of being a Military Pilot

The Non-Flying Side of being a Military Pilot

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. […]

How Do You Earn The Coveted Wings of Gold?

How Do You Earn The Coveted Wings of Gold?

Happy Saturday, Fightersweep fans! Today we are going to look at the process of becoming a Naval Aviator, specifically a Strike Fighter Pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet community! We will look at all of the phases of the process, from commissioning all the way to the fleet, illustrating see why those pilot who wear the Wings […]

US Navy to formalize UFO reporting procedures: what does this mean?

US Navy to formalize UFO reporting procedures: what does this mean?

According to a report first published by Politico, the U.S. Navy (USN) is currently drafting new guidelines for use by military personnel when reporting sightings of unidentified aircraft. This once again draws attention to the Pentagon’s efforts to better understand this unusual phenomenon. “There have been a number of reports of unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft […]

War with China could mean ‘hot loading’ ordnance on F-35Bs in the field without returning to a carrier

War with China could mean ‘hot loading’ ordnance on F-35Bs in the field without returning to a carrier

Diplomatic tensions between the United States and China have risen throughout the the ongoing presidential trade dispute, but in the nearby South China Sea, American and Chinese forces have long been staring one another down from either side of the horizon. The People’s Liberation Army’s massive modernization and reorganization effort, which has included the launch […]

How do you become a US Navy fighter pilot?

How do you become a US Navy fighter pilot?

Today we are going to look at the process of becoming a Naval Aviator, specifically a Strike Fighter Pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet community! We will look at all of the phases of the process, from commissioning all the way to the fleet, illustrating see why those pilot who wear the Wings of Gold […]

Getting to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle

Getting to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle

When I was a kid, blessed with my ignorance of geopolitics and the looming rise of terrorism, I was aware of only a few legitimate threats to my safety and well-being. Rocky, I was aware, had already successfully defused the Cold War through the art of boxing, which left only looming concerns about clowns, quicksand […]

These Norwegian missiles could make the F-35 America’s best ship hunter

These Norwegian missiles could make the F-35 America’s best ship hunter

In recent months, much ado has been made about America’s diplomatic opponents developing anti-ship capabilities that we currently have no defense against. Chinese and Russian anti-ship missiles, capable of achieving hypersonic speeds, represent a kind of threat the United States hasn’t faced in decades: a technology that America is not only behind on, but apparently, […]

Navy patrol unit breaks world transit record with eye toward a China conflict

Navy patrol unit breaks world transit record with eye toward a China conflict

Two U.S. Navy Mark VI patrol boats assigned to the Coastal Riverine Group (CRG) 1 Detachment (Det.) Guam, completed the longest-ever small patrol boat transit. The two boats completed the 500-nautical-mile transit in just two days. The objective of the mission was to test and evaluate the operational reach of the patrol craft. Special attention […]