Military Aviation
International military aviation programs and the U.S. military, including the Air Force, Marines, Army and Navy
The Truth is Out There
A veteran reporter describes his search for the aircraft of Area 51.
September 2010 |
By William B. Scott
The Curse of the Cargomaster
Readied to transport the first U.S. ICBMs, the Douglas C-133 had a peculiar habit. It kept crashing.
September 2010 |
By John Sotham
Case Closed
Mysteries solved, secrets revealed, and questions finally answered.
September 2010 |
By The Editors
What Made Yuri Fall?
Igor Kuznetsov reopened the Gagarin inquest to find out.
September 2010 |
By Andrew Osborn
Wings of Honor
The World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., was built to honor the 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces during that conflict, the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported their efforts from the homefront. But the Greatest Generation is aging rapidly, and about 1,200 World...
August 20, 2010 |
By Rebecca Maksel
B-24 Understudy Fills Big Shoes
Just two weeks ago, the Commemorative Air Force returned its B-29 Superfortress, Fifi, to flight after six years of down time while the airplane was fitted with customized engines (maintainers had found metal shavings in the engine oil). The CAF planned to re-launch Fifi as the signature aircraft f...
August 18, 2010 |
By Pat Trenner
Dog Ate My Homework
The cabaret known as the U.S. Air Force's KC-X tanker competition is getting in some high-kicks now, baby. This summer, a little known company with 30 employees called U.S. Aerospace, which had changed its name from New Century only last March, and which has had some recent questions surrounding it...
August 06, 2010 |
By Mike Klesius
Low Jinks in the Mach Loop
How do you complete a marathon in four minutes? In a jet fighter, of course, at 400-plus knots. That's how this Tornado pilot and others fly the Mach Loop in Wales. The loop is a 26-mile ring of valleys in a region designated by the British military as Low Flying Area 7, one of several such regi...
August 03, 2010 |
By Mike Klesius
How to Win Enemies and Influence Policy
From the halls of power to field laboratories, the Air Force Chief Scientist helps shape the future of U.S. flight.
August 2010 |
By Mark Wolverton
The Air Force in 2030
Forecasting technology is a notoriously tricky business. In spite of all the predictions, we still don't have fusion power or flying cars, but in 2010 you can kick around a virtual soccer ball using a handheld camera phone, and who saw that coming?It's the job of the Air Force Chief Scientist and h...
July 30, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
The Flying Fortress Turns 75
A classic symbol of World War II aviation, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is celebrating its 75th anniversary of flight today. To commemorate the airplane’s long history, at least four of them will be at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this week.Of the nearly 13,000 B-17s produced between...
July 28, 2010 |
By Mary McKillop
Hang Time
Designers of spy planes have come up with any number of ways to increase dwell time over a target, from long-lasting UAVs to slow-moving airships to this hydrogen-powered craft called Phantom Eye, which was unveiled last week by Boeing Phantom Works.According to Boeing, Phantom Eye will be shipped ...
July 19, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Truck Killer
For one mission in Vietnam, the best aircraft for the job was a bomber from World War II.
July 2010 |
By David Lande
The Last Gunslinger
The F-15C is the only dedicated dogfighter left in the U.S. military fleet. Why isn't the Air Force replacing it?
July 2010 |
By Michael Behar
Sixty Years After Korea
The Korean War often gets lost in the commemorative gap between World War II and Vietnam, but it was the first major conflict of the Jet Age, and has plenty of lore of its own. The war began 60 years ago this month, when North Korean forces crossed the 38th Parallel to invade South Korea.
Here's a...
June 29, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
The World War II History of the Wright Military Flyer
The two-seat biplane looks somewhat flimsy. Sure, it was cutting-edge in 1909 when the Wrights demonstrated it for the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Meyer. But how would it fare during World War II?Fortunately, the Wright Military Flyer never had to compete in any dogfights. But it did travel from...
June 14, 2010 |
By Rebecca Maksel
