Military Aviation History

Latest in Military Aviation History

India’s then-controversial decision to buy the MiG-21 ushered in an era in which Soviet (and latterly Russian) fighters were dominant in the Indian Air Force, a situation that continues to this day. While India buying arms from Moscow is now well established, the Fishbed helped kick off this trend. The delta-winged fighter was selected in favor of Western designs to revamp the Indian Air Force. A key driver was the need to field a fighter that would challenge the F-104 Starfighter that the Pakistan Air Force was then operating.
Military Aviation History

India’s Iconic MiG-21 Blasts Off Into Retirement

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Sep 26, 2025

A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 164th Airlift Wing, Memphis Air National Guard, Tennessee departs from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska providing airlift support for 11th Airborne Division soldiers participating in Talisman Sabre 25, July 13, 2025. Talisman Sabre 25 is a bilateral exercise with multinational participation hosted by Australia, in partnership with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The Talisman Sabre series is the principal Australian-U.S. military training activity focused on mid-intensity, high-end war fighting to ensure our forces are capable, interoperable, deployable on short notice and combat-ready.
Military Aviation History

The Unusual Asymmetry Of The C-17 Globemaster III

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Sep 7, 2025

Yesterday’s “show of force” by a pair of Venezuelan F-16s close to a U.S. Navy destroyer has put the spotlight very much back on the intriguing history of the South American nation’s Viper fleet. While you can catch up with our initial reporting on the incident, which involved the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Jason Dunham, here, it’s an opportune time to review why a country now so hostile to the United States flies F-16s.
Military Aviation History

The Unlikely Saga Of Venezuela’s F-16s

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Sep 5, 2025

The Argentine Navy has brought back to service an example of the classic Cold War-era Grumman S-2 Tracker anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Returning to duty a remarkable 73 years after the type first took to the air, the S-2T in question is currently the only example of the Tracker in active military service anywhere in the world. At the same time, the fact that the aircraft has been reactivated points to the very limited resources available to modernize the Argentine Navy’s aging air component.
Military Aviation History

This S-2 Tracker Is The Last Of Its Kind In Military Use

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jul 17, 2025

The unique RF-5E Tigergazer reconnaissance aircraft operated by the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) has been stood down from service. The retirement of Taiwan’s RF-5Es comes after the country bid farewell to its F-5E Tiger II fighters at the end of 2023, after almost half a century of operations. With high levels of tension between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, the ROCAF’s future tactical reconnaissance needs will be handled by drones and pod-equipped F-16 fighters.
Military Aviation History

Taiwan’s RF-5 Tigergazer Reconnaissance Jets Have Retired

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jul 7, 2025

X-36 was an early progenitor that lead to the F-47.
Military Aviation History

Reflections Of The F-47: Looking Back At The X-36

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Mar 27, 2025

A-4 being loaded with bombs during the Falklands War.
Military Aviation History

Argentine Air Force Went To War With Chaff Made By Pasta Machine

By Thomas Newdick, Mariano Sciaroni

Posted on Mar 14, 2025

A U.S. Air Force Convair B-36B-1-CF Peacemaker (s/n 44-92033) of the 7th Bombardment Wing in flight, in 1949. This aircraft was retired to the MASDC on 19 November 1956.
Military Aviation History

America’s First Broken Arrow Incident Happened 75 Years Ago

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Feb 14, 2025

The Philippine Mars flying boat made its final flight today.
Military Aviation History

The Last Mars Flying Boat Just Made Its Final Flight

By Howard Altman

Updated on Feb 11, 2025

While the 1950s was a time of truly unusual and fast-paced innovation in military aerospace, one of the more bizarre projects was for a nuclear-armed, liquid-fueled development of the Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
Military Aviation History

The Navy Nearly Built A Nuclear Armed “Super Sidewinder” Air-To-Air Missile

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Feb 1, 2025

In the face of post-Cold War drawdowns, the U.S. Air Force pushed ahead with buying the famously expensive F-22 Raptor stealth fighter in part because of a perhaps unexpected reason: concerns about Syrian air defenses.
Military Aviation History

Syria’s Air Defenses Helped Make The F-22A Raptor A Reality

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 20, 2024

The spy plane at the center of one of the most notorious post-Cold War Today air incidents, a U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries II, has arrived at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, for future public display. The EP-3E’s journey to get to the museum has been a long one, starting with the dramatic collision with a Chinese fighter in the so-called Hainan Island incident in 2001.
Military Aviation History

EP-3E Aries II Spy Plane That Collided With Chinese Fighter Is Going On Display

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Oct 23, 2024

Half a century ago today, the first prototype of the Panavia Tornado prototype, aircraft P-01, was recorded at Manching in West Germany, with test pilots Paul Millet from British Aerospace and Nils Meister of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) at the controls.
Military Aviation History

Panavia Tornado Swing-Wing Combat Jet’s Ten Most Unusual Variants

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Aug 14, 2024

Testbed for the Navy's helicopter escape system in the 1960s
Military Aviation History

Navy’s Cold War-Era Helicopter Crew Escape System Literally Sliced Fuselages Apart

By Oliver Parken

Posted on Aug 7, 2024

Two legendary U.S. nuclear bombers, their first flights separated by almost half a century, took to the skies over Missouri at the weekend. The formation flights by the U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the B-29 Doc — one of only two examples of the World War II-era bomber that are flying anywhere in the world — were, the service believes, the first time that these two legendary aircraft had flown together in this way.
Military Aviation History

B-2 Spirit Joined By B-29 Superfortress For Unprecedented Nuclear Bomber Heritage Flight

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jul 15, 2024

Piggyback bomber at a Nazi airfield In WWII.
Military Aviation History

Recalling The Nazis’ Bizarre Piggyback Bombers 80 Years After They Went To War

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 30, 2024