US Military Aviation
Legends of Vietnam: Shoulder to Shoulder
The Grumman A-6 was ugly, but it sure could cook.
May 2009 |
By Rafael Lima
Remembering the fall of Saigon
On this day in 1975, the last Americans were airlifted from Saigon, bringing an end to the war in Vietnam. Fred Reed, who was a news reporter at the time, was "determined to stay until the end." His account of being evacuated in the middle of the night in a darkened C-130 appeared in our June 1992 ...
April 30, 2009 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Goodwill Mission
To residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast, the Joint Strike Fighter says “Won’t you be my neighbor?”
April 24, 2009 |
By Richard P. Hallion
Hold the F-22s, Order More F-35s
After much lobbying and posturing on both sides, there appears to be a decision: The Air Force will cap production of the F-22 fighter at 187 airplanes, according to an op-ed by Air Force secretary Michael Donley and chief of staff Gen. Norton Schwartz (link requires registration) in yesterday's Wa...
April 14, 2009 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Marine One
Meet J.T. Bachmann, the first USMC pilot to fly the Joint Strike Fighter.
April 09, 2009 |
By Michael Klesius
The First Air Force Mission
In 1916, eight Curtiss biplanes from the U.S. Army’s 1st Aero Squadron—the country’s entire air force—flew into Mexico for their first military action.
March 19, 2009 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Giving the WASPs their due
You don’t see much bipartisanship in Washington these days, but yesterday all 17 female members of the U.S. Senate, Democrats and Republicans alike, introduced a bill (S. 614) to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs. The medal, previously given to groups...
March 18, 2009 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Thuds, the Ridge, and 100 Missions North
How the Republic F-105 got good at a mission it was not designed to fly.
March 2009 |
By Carl Posey
The Art of War
The paintings of Tom Lea, Life magazine's artist-correspondent during World War II.
February 06, 2009 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Where Have All the Phantoms Gone?
How a fighter-bomber-recon-attack superstar ended up as fodder for
target practice.
January 2009 |
By Ralph Wetterhahn
Warbird Obsession
It's an addiction. Admitting you have it is the first step.
December 03, 2008 |
By Rebecca Maksel
How Things Work: The Ouija Board
Think of a shipboard chess game with airplanes instead of pawns.
November 2008 |
By Mark Wolverton
The Last to Die
The war in the Pacific ended as it began, with a surprise attack by Japanese warplanes.
November 2008 |
By Stephen Harding
Restoration: The Memphis Belle
For this famous B-17, surviving 25 missions in World War II was the easy part.
November 2008 |
By Mark Bernstein
Portrait of the Enemy
Photographs taken from the world’s first warplanes changed the course of battle.
September 2008 |
By Robin White
A & S Interview: Brig. Gen. Brooks Bash
A talk with the commander of the Air Force transition team in Iraq.
September 2008 |
By Paul Hoversten
Letter From Bagram
Occasional dispatches from our man in Afghanistan.
August 15, 2008 |
By John Sotham
