Military Aviation History (Page 3)

Latest in Military Aviation History

Space Shuttle Carrying 747 Was Secretly Modified To Defend Itself From Heat-Seeking Missiles (Updated)
Military Aviation History

Space Shuttle Carrying 747 Was Secretly Modified To Defend Itself From Heat-Seeking Missiles (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jan 28, 2022

Russia’s Su-34 Fullback Strike Jet Is The King Of Hauling Gas
Military Aviation History

Russia’s Su-34 Fullback Strike Jet Is The King Of Hauling Gas

By Thomas Newdick and Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jan 10, 2022

The F-117 Tested A Mirror-Like Skin Decades Before The F-22 Did
Military Aviation History

The F-117 Tested A Mirror-Like Skin Decades Before The F-22 Did

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Dec 23, 2021

An S-3 Viking Once Flew A Captured Terrorist On A Record-Breaking Flight To The United States
Military Aviation History

An S-3 Viking Once Flew A Captured Terrorist On A Record-Breaking Flight To The United States

By Kevin Noonan

Posted on Dec 2, 2021

Tails Of War: Animals Have Made The Rigors Of Combat More Bearable Wherever Troops Have Served
Military Aviation History

Tails Of War: Animals Have Made The Rigors Of Combat More Bearable Wherever Troops Have Served

By Brian O'Rourke

Updated on Nov 11, 2021

This Myth-Busting Walk-Around Of The Soviet MiG-23 Flogger Fighter Is A Must-Watch
Military Aviation History

This Myth-Busting Walk-Around Of The Soviet MiG-23 Flogger Fighter Is A Must-Watch

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 10, 2021

Become One Of The Last Starfighters By Buying This Pristine Mach Two Capable F-104
Military Aviation History

Become One Of The Last Starfighters By Buying This Pristine Mach Two Capable F-104

By Thomas Newdick and Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Oct 8, 2021

The Air Force Blew It When It Decided Not To Give Its KC-135s Winglets 40 Years Ago
Military Aviation History

The Air Force Blew It When It Decided Not To Give Its KC-135s Winglets 40 Years Ago

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Sep 20, 2021

New Light Shed On The Once Top Secret Tacit Blue Aircraft By Veteran Program Manager
Military Aviation History

New Light Shed On The Once Top Secret Tacit Blue Aircraft By Veteran Program Manager

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Aug 10, 2021

Final F-14 Demo Crewman Remembers Legendary Tomcat Demo Pilot Dale “Snort” Snodgrass
Military Aviation History

Final F-14 Demo Crewman Remembers Legendary Tomcat Demo Pilot Dale “Snort” Snodgrass

By LCDR Joe “Smokin” Ruzicka

Updated on Jul 26, 2021

This Spherical Manned Airship Was Tested By The Navy As An Eye In The Sky
Military Aviation History

This Spherical Manned Airship Was Tested By The Navy As An Eye In The Sky

By Brett Tingley

Posted on Jul 20, 2021

The Mach-3 XF-108 Rapier Would Have Packed Its Big Missiles On A Revolver-Like Launcher
Military Aviation History

The Mach-3 XF-108 Rapier Would Have Packed Its Big Missiles On A Revolver-Like Launcher

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jul 14, 2021

Marines Had An “Aircraft Carrier On Land” With Catapults And Arresting Gear In Vietnam
Military Aviation History

Marines Had An “Aircraft Carrier On Land” With Catapults And Arresting Gear In Vietnam

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jul 9, 2021

The B-17 Bomber’s Combat Debut 80 Years Ago Today Was A Fiasco
Military Aviation History

The B-17 Bomber’s Combat Debut 80 Years Ago Today Was A Fiasco

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jul 9, 2021

Air Force Finds New Need For Low-Cost Engine Tech Used On Nazi Buzz Bombs
Military Aviation History

Air Force Finds New Need For Low-Cost Engine Tech Used On Nazi Buzz Bombs

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 24, 2021

The Most Replayed Carrier Crash In History Happened 70 Years Ago Today
Military Aviation History

The Most Replayed Carrier Crash In History Happened 70 Years Ago Today

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 23, 2021

Why The F-117 Made Its First Flight In Pastel Camouflage 40 Years Ago Today
Military Aviation History

Why The F-117 Made Its First Flight In Pastel Camouflage 40 Years Ago Today

By Thomas Newdick and Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jun 19, 2021

That Mysterious Black Target From Kirtland AFB Was Related To A Program Called TDU-X
Military Aviation History

That Mysterious Black Target From Kirtland AFB Was Related To A Program Called TDU-X

By Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway

Updated on May 28, 2021

The Story Behind The Thunderbirds’ Black-Tailed F-4 Phantom And “Captain Carbon”
Military Aviation History

The Story Behind The Thunderbirds’ Black-Tailed F-4 Phantom And “Captain Carbon”

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on May 28, 2021

With No Ejection Seats, Skyknight Fighter Crews Slid Down A Tunnel To Salvation
Military Aviation History

With No Ejection Seats, Skyknight Fighter Crews Slid Down A Tunnel To Salvation

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on May 5, 2021

Remembering The Time Grumman Helped Craft A Modern Fighter For China
Military Aviation History

Remembering The Time Grumman Helped Craft A Modern Fighter For China

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Apr 30, 2021

Articulated Gun Pods Allowed Soviet Aircraft To Fire Backwards, Downwards, And Even Sideways
Military Aviation History

Articulated Gun Pods Allowed Soviet Aircraft To Fire Backwards, Downwards, And Even Sideways

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Apr 12, 2021

The Boscombe Down Incident Remains One Of Military Aviation’s Most Intriguing Mysteries
Military Aviation History

The Boscombe Down Incident Remains One Of Military Aviation’s Most Intriguing Mysteries

By Brett Tingley

Updated on Apr 8, 2021

The Cheyenne Attack Helicopter Had A Crazy Rotating Gunner’s Seat Right Out Of Star Wars
Military Aviation History

The Cheyenne Attack Helicopter Had A Crazy Rotating Gunner’s Seat Right Out Of Star Wars

By Brett Tingley and Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Apr 2, 2021

This Is The Early Warning Radar Helicopter The Royal Navy Could Have Had
Military Aviation History

This Is The Early Warning Radar Helicopter The Royal Navy Could Have Had

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 1, 2021

Special Operations Command’s New A-29 Super Tucano Pays Tribute To World War II Air Commandos
Military Aviation History

Special Operations Command’s New A-29 Super Tucano Pays Tribute To World War II Air Commandos

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Mar 29, 2021

Canada’s CF-105 Arrow Interceptor Is The Cold War Legend That Refuses To Die
Military Aviation History

Canada’s CF-105 Arrow Interceptor Is The Cold War Legend That Refuses To Die

By Stephen Walker

Posted on Mar 25, 2021

Yes, The U.S. Navy Also Took The Spitfire Into Battle During World War II
Military Aviation History

Yes, The U.S. Navy Also Took The Spitfire Into Battle During World War II

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Mar 5, 2021

How The World’s First Privately Owned Fleet Of F-16 Aggressor Jets Became A Reality
Military Aviation History

How The World’s First Privately Owned Fleet Of F-16 Aggressor Jets Became A Reality

By James Deboer

Updated on Feb 24, 2021

Air Force Fighters Almost Got An Air-Launched Ballistic Missile 40 Years Ago, Now They’re A Hot Item
Military Aviation History

Air Force Fighters Almost Got An Air-Launched Ballistic Missile 40 Years Ago, Now They’re A Hot Item

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jan 26, 2021

The “Lady Bird Special” Was The Lowliest Of Air Force One Aircraft
Military Aviation History

The “Lady Bird Special” Was The Lowliest Of Air Force One Aircraft

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 26, 2021

Royal Air Force Turned A Torpedo Bomber Into A Flying Flamethrower During World War II
Military Aviation History

Royal Air Force Turned A Torpedo Bomber Into A Flying Flamethrower During World War II

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jan 20, 2021

The Story Of The Jet That Would Have Delivered South Africa’s Nuclear Bomb
Military Aviation History

The Story Of The Jet That Would Have Delivered South Africa’s Nuclear Bomb

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jan 18, 2021

This Stretched Super FB-111 Was A Low-Cost Challenger To The B-1 Bomber
Military Aviation History

This Stretched Super FB-111 Was A Low-Cost Challenger To The B-1 Bomber

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jan 9, 2021

Behold The SR-71 Blackbird’s Nest At Dawn
Military Aviation History

Behold The SR-71 Blackbird’s Nest At Dawn

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jan 2, 2021

Britain’s Shackleton Radar Plane Was Born As An Already Antiquated Cold War Dinosaur
Military Aviation History

Britain’s Shackleton Radar Plane Was Born As An Already Antiquated Cold War Dinosaur

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 24, 2020

Chasing Soviet Missiles In The Cobra Ball From A Desolate Rock In The Aleutian Islands
Military Aviation History

Chasing Soviet Missiles In The Cobra Ball From A Desolate Rock In The Aleutian Islands

By Robert Hopkins

Updated on Dec 16, 2020

Chuck Yeager’s Amazing Life Told Through The Airplanes He Flew
Military Aviation History

Chuck Yeager’s Amazing Life Told Through The Airplanes He Flew

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Dec 9, 2020

The Untold Story Of How Indonesian And Australian Jets Nearly Came To Blows Over East Timor
Military Aviation History

The Untold Story Of How Indonesian And Australian Jets Nearly Came To Blows Over East Timor

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 2, 2020

Yes, Serbian Air Defenses Did Hit Another F-117 During Operation Allied Force In 1999
Military Aviation History

Yes, Serbian Air Defenses Did Hit Another F-117 During Operation Allied Force In 1999

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Dec 2, 2020

Test Pilot Explains The YF-23 Black Widow’s Awesomely Innovative Flight Control System
Military Aviation History

Test Pilot Explains The YF-23 Black Widow’s Awesomely Innovative Flight Control System

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

How A Canadian Pilot Became The First Westerner To Fly The Feared MiG-29 Fulcrum
Military Aviation History

How A Canadian Pilot Became The First Westerner To Fly The Feared MiG-29 Fulcrum

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

The Forgotten Fireball Made The First Jet-Powered Carrier Landing By Accident
Military Aviation History

The Forgotten Fireball Made The First Jet-Powered Carrier Landing By Accident

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

You Can Buy The World’s Only Flyable P-82 Twin Mustang For $12,000,000
Military Aviation History

You Can Buy The World’s Only Flyable P-82 Twin Mustang For $12,000,000

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

The Day The Royal Air Force Lost Six Jet Fighters In Just 45 Minutes
Military Aviation History

The Day The Royal Air Force Lost Six Jet Fighters In Just 45 Minutes

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

A Dozen Of The Most Unusual Variants Of The Ubiquitous KC-135 Family Of Aircraft
Military Aviation History

A Dozen Of The Most Unusual Variants Of The Ubiquitous KC-135 Family Of Aircraft

By Robert Hopkins

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

The AH-1W Super Cobra Has Been Retired From The Marine Corps After 34 Years Of Service
Military Aviation History

The AH-1W Super Cobra Has Been Retired From The Marine Corps After 34 Years Of Service

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

The Amazing Story Of How This Nazi Recon Plane Ended Up Being Tested In The U.S. During WWII
Military Aviation History

The Amazing Story Of How This Nazi Recon Plane Ended Up Being Tested In The U.S. During WWII

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

The Amazing Tale Of Bravo November, The British Chinook Helicopter That Refused To Die
Military Aviation History

The Amazing Tale Of Bravo November, The British Chinook Helicopter That Refused To Die

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 27, 2020

This Soviet Twin-Rotor Helicopter Design Was A High-Speed Rival To The Mi-24 Hind
Military Aviation History

This Soviet Twin-Rotor Helicopter Design Was A High-Speed Rival To The Mi-24 Hind

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 25, 2020

The Nanchang J-12 Is The Lightweight Chinese Fighter You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Military Aviation History

The Nanchang J-12 Is The Lightweight Chinese Fighter You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Nov 5, 2020

Veteran Flight Tester On How The YA-7F Strikefighter Was Really A Jet Recycling Program
Military Aviation History

Veteran Flight Tester On How The YA-7F Strikefighter Was Really A Jet Recycling Program

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jul 11, 2020

Skyhawks Over Cuba: VC-10 “Challengers” And Their TA-4J’s Unique Cold War Mission
Military Aviation History

Skyhawks Over Cuba: VC-10 “Challengers” And Their TA-4J’s Unique Cold War Mission

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jul 5, 2020

Early On, The A-10 Warthog’s Legendary Gun Was Both a Blessing and a Curse
Military Aviation History

Early On, The A-10 Warthog’s Legendary Gun Was Both a Blessing and a Curse

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 5, 2020

The Crazy Aircraft Carrier Hangar Catapults Of World War II
Military Aviation History

The Crazy Aircraft Carrier Hangar Catapults Of World War II

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jul 5, 2020

The AGM-122 “Sidearm” Came To Be From A Novel Missile Recycling Scheme
Military Aviation History

The AGM-122 “Sidearm” Came To Be From A Novel Missile Recycling Scheme

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jul 5, 2020

Remember The Fallen With This Chilling “Grumman Cats” Missing Man Formation
Military Aviation History

Remember The Fallen With This Chilling “Grumman Cats” Missing Man Formation

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jul 5, 2020

The U.S. Air Force’s Last Tail Gunner Has Retired
Military Aviation History

The U.S. Air Force’s Last Tail Gunner Has Retired

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 3, 2020

The Time A F-4G Wild Weasel’s Anti-Radiation Missile Blew Apart A B-52’s Tail
Military Aviation History

The Time A F-4G Wild Weasel’s Anti-Radiation Missile Blew Apart A B-52’s Tail

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jul 3, 2020

Ryan Aeronautical Had Big Plans for the Vertifan Jump Jet
Military Aviation History

Ryan Aeronautical Had Big Plans for the Vertifan Jump Jet

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 3, 2020

France Turned the B-26 Invader Into a Colonial Night Fighter
Military Aviation History

France Turned the B-26 Invader Into a Colonial Night Fighter

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 3, 2020

Taking The F-14A Tomcat On Cruise For My First Time
Military Aviation History

Taking The F-14A Tomcat On Cruise For My First Time

By Paul Nickell And Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jul 3, 2020

Lockheed Once Pitched the Massive C-5 as a Flying Command Center
Military Aviation History

Lockheed Once Pitched the Massive C-5 as a Flying Command Center

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 3, 2020

The Pentagon Thought it Could Retire the U-2 in 1969
Military Aviation History

The Pentagon Thought it Could Retire the U-2 in 1969

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 3, 2020