Military Aviation
International military aviation programs and the U.S. military, including the Air Force, Marines, Army and Navy
Panthers At Sea
U.S. Navy Panthers weren’t highly evolved, but they could shoot. And they were air conditioned.
June 2013 |
By David Noland
Kamikaze Bats
The plan: Strap napalm bombs onto bats, and drop them over World War II Japan.
April 29, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Does Missile Defense Actually Work?
Not 100 percent. But it’s better than it used to be.
April 10, 2013 |
By Roger A. Mola
Docking on the Empire State Building
Despite plans for a mooring station, only one airship ever docked at the Empire State Building.
April 01, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Cancelled: Britain’s High-Mach Heartbreak
The TSR-2 bomber was a case of aeronautical genius foiled by political foolishness.
April 2013 |
By David Noland
Rescue, James Bond Style
Some of 007's imaginative toys were based on actual inventions.
March 01, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Who Inspects the Navy’s Aircraft Carriers?
It takes a (uniformed) village.
February 04, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Nuke the Pilot
Operation Redwing tested aircraft vulnerabilities to atomic blasts.
February 2013 |
By Norvin C. “Bud” Evans
The Flying Crane
Test pilot Gale Moore rose to the challenge of the XH-17.
February 2013 |
By Don Porter
The Misty Mystique
Over Vietnam, F-100 pilots flew fast and low. Later, they hit the heights.
February 2013 |
By Mark Bernstein
Tennis, Anyone?
When she wasn't playing tennis on the wing of a biplane in flight, Gladys Roy was dancing the Charleston.
January 29, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Stratomouse!
In the 1950s, balloons carried live mice to near-space to study how the trip might affect astronauts.
January 11, 2013 |
By Heather Goss
Spy Pigeons
Unlikely soldiers during World War II: More than 250,000 pigeons deployed by the British.
December 18, 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Mustache March
Handlebar, pencil, or toothbrush? A gallery of famous aviators' 'staches in honor of a fuzzy Air Force tradition.
December 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Catapulting Into History
The first catapult launch of an unmanned combat aircraft -- and more milestones to come.
November 30, 2012 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Pippo: A World War II Mystery
Why does the solitary night fighter call out for a nickname?
November 29, 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Beavers On Parachutes
In 1948, Idaho decided the best way to move beavers was to airdrop them.
November 26, 2012 |
By Heather Goss
The Air Force Survival Guide (Don’t Leave Home Without it)
Find yourself in a hostile environment? The Air Force knows what to do.
November 19, 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
