Aircraft

A United Arab Emirates F-16 Block 60 "Desert Falcon" conducts a training mission during a multinational exercise, Dec. 9, 2009. The UAE's F-16s are arguably the most advanced Vipers in the world, and many of the aircraft's features, such as its AESA radar and advanced sensors, are likely to find their way to other F-16 fleets as upgrades. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller

Worldwide Aerospace Upgrade Programs Uncertainty boosts the world market for aircraft/system modernization.

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During a media availability in Hawaii on Nov. 12, 2012, then-Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta was asked for his thoughts on the threat of sequestration to U.S. defense and …

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Project Terminated

Book Review – Project Terminated: Famous Military Aircraft Cancellations of the Cold War and What Might Have Been By Erik Simonsen; Foreward by Walter J. Boyne; Crecy Publishing; Hardcover; 160 pages

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Two huge, sleek, breathtaking Avro CF-105 Arrow interceptors are on the prowl over the western United States. One is a visitor from north of the border where the futuristic fighter …

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This is one of two YP-80A Shooting Star fighters (44-83029) that went to Italy in Project Extraversion, seen shortly after its return. Piloted by Maj. Steve Pisanos, the aircraft made an emergency landing in a bean field. It was repaired and was about to take off from the road. The location of this picture does not appear to have been recorded: the aircraft was flying from Andrews Field, Maryland to Wright Field, Ohio. Bob Esposito photo

Project Extraversion: P-80 Shooting Stars in World War II

One of the untold stories of early jet aviation is about the four Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star fighters that reached Europe as early as January 1945. German jets, in particular …

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Fa 223 Drache mountain testing

Nazi Helicopters: Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache and Fa 330 Bachstelze at War Part 2: Henrich Focke’s Helicopters

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After Focke’s Fa 61 experimental helicopter (described in Part 1) proved stable in flight and reliable in service, in 1938, Lufthansa, the German airline, ordered a six-passenger version to whisk …

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A North American XB-70A Valkyrie makes a clean low level pass with its landing gear up. The XB-70 was just one in a long line of aviation "ight have beens." U.S. Air Force photo

Cancelled U.S. Aircraft Programs A look at what might have been

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Aviation is one of the most competitive industries in history. Competitive fly-offs – head-to-head battles like that of the recent Joint Strike Fighter – have been used to determine which …

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A B-2 Spirit flies a training mission over the Pacific Ocean. Two B-2s conducted a long-distance deterrence flight to South Korea on March 28, 2013. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Bush

B-2 Spirits Fly Far to Deter North Korea

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On the contrails of the recent B-52 Stratofortress training flight over South Korea, two B-2 Spirits from the 509th Bomb Wing have gotten in on the action. Their contribution to …

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The first flight of the Focke-Achgelis Fa 61. The Fa 61 would make its public debut on Feb. 19, 1938. EADS Heritage photo

Nazi Helicopters: Henrich Focke’s Fa 61 German Helicopter Development 1932-1945; Part 1

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Nature devised the rotary wing as a way to disperse tree seeds on the wind.  Generations of daydreamers, observing the spiraling flight of maple or ash seeds, imagined riding just …

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A B-52 Stratofortress conducts a training flight over the Republic of Korea, March 19, 2013. As part of the U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence, the crew practiced dropping bombs on targets at Pilsung Range. The mission highlighted the extended deterrence and conventional capabilities of the B-52, and reinforced the U.S. commitment to the security of our allies and partners. Training opportunities such as CBP remain important to ensure U.S. and ROK forces are battle-ready and trained to employ airpower to deter aggression, defend the ROK, and defeat any attack against the alliance. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Emerson Nunez

B-52 Stratofortress Training Mission Over South Korea Demonstrates Capability and Resolve

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With North Korea conducting nuclear weapons tests and making pronouncements about invalidating the Korean armistice, the U.S. Air Force gave North Korea something to think about during the opening days …

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UH-72 Lakota

UH-72 Lakota Could Be a Candidate for Air Force Duty

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The UH-72 Lakota, a utility helicopter that’s increasingly familiar at U.S. Army bases, could eventually join the Air Force as a replacement for the much-loved but very old  UH-1N Twin …

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Oct. 26, 2012, marked 50 years since Boeing delivered its last B-52 Stratofortress to the U.S. Air Force from its Wichita, Kan., facility. Aircraft 61-040, an H-model bomber was assigned to Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and remains in active service. In this photo, 61-040 is parked on the flight line at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam on May 4, 2012. The aircraft has logged more than 21,500 flight hours. While the Air Force wants and needs the Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) system, it faces an uncertain budget environment. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Carlin Leslie

U.S. Air Force 2012: Year In Review

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The U.S. Air Force is the world’s most formidable air arm. It can deliver precision-guided explosive instruments of American policy to any location on earth.

At a time when the …

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