Featured in KC-135BYTyler RogowayJul 3, 2020ShareThe Air Force Desperately Needs A Stealth TankerFielding a stealthy tanker would go a long way to remedy the USAF’s near-sighted practice of betting heavily on relatively short-ranged stealth fighters, but it won’t be cheap. BYTyler RogowayJul 3, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayMay 2, 2020ShareArizona-Based Air Force Jets Filled The Sky Over Phoenix For Jaw-Droppingly Huge Flying SaluteThe impressive display of support for those on the front lines of the pandemic was the largest of its kind so far. BYTyler RogowayMay 2, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayApr 22, 2020ShareHawaii Air National Guard F-22s, KC-135, And C-17 Do The “Elephant Walk” In HonoluluBehold an amazing display of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s resident airpower. BYTyler RogowayApr 22, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareSale Of KC-46 Tanker To Israel Approved While New Delays For Key Fixes RevealedThe US Air Force says it won’t use the tankers for aerial refueling, except in an emergency, until critical fixes are completed years down the road. BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayMar 24, 2020ShareTanker Boom Operator Photographs Rare And Glorious Formation Of Four B-1B BombersThe B-1B fleet has suffered from very low readiness rates and airframe fatigue, so seeing four in formation at the same time is quite a treat. BYTyler RogowayMar 24, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayMar 8, 2020ShareThis Strategic Air Command Airpower Demonstration From 1987 Is Just BonkersA B-52, KC-10, FB-111, and two KC-135s pulled off wild maneuvers, many of which wouldn’t be allowed today, over Offutt AFB at the end of the Cold War. BYTyler RogowayMar 8, 2020ShareBYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickMar 1, 2020ShareGeneral Atomics Wants To Give Aerial Tankers Their Own Missile-Laden Loyal Wingmen DronesThe “Defender” concept is a potentially promising way to address the increasing vulnerability of Air Force tankers and other lumbering support planes. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickMar 1, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickFeb 25, 2020ShareGeneral Warns Of Aerial Tanker Shortage As Air Force Looks To Retire 13 KC-135s And 16 KC-10sThe Air Force wants to retire a number of older KC-10A and KC-135R tankers in the next fiscal year, but its new KC-46As are not yet ready for combat. BYJoseph TrevithickFeb 25, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayFeb 17, 2020ShareCheck Out All The Airpower On Guam For Exercise Cope North In This Exclusive Satellite ImageOne of the biggest air combat exercises is underway at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam and it even looks impressive from space. BYTyler RogowayFeb 17, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJan 31, 2020ShareAir Force Isn’t Happy With Boeing’s Plans To Fix The KC-46 Tanker’s Troubled Vision SystemAmid this prospect of more KC-46 delays, senior US officials are increasingly considering hiring contractors to help fill the potential tanker gap. BYJoseph TrevithickJan 31, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareNKC-135R Tanker From Edwards AFB Flew This Peculiar Night Mission Over Area 51Exotic and highly secretive aircraft in flight testing need gas too. BYTyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareBYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareThe SR-71 Blackbird’s Predecessor Created “Plasma Stealth” By Burning Cesium-Laced FuelSkunk Works needed a way to hide the A-12’s radar reflecting behind, so they dumped cesium into its fuel to create a radar-absorbing exhaust plume. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 19, 2019ShareAir Force Says It Will Be Years Before Boeing’s Faulty New Tankers Are Fully OperationalProblems with the boom operator’s vision system and the boom itself persist and a recently disclosed issue prevents the aircraft from carrying cargo. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 19, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareOfficial USAF Twitter Jokes About Nuclear War and Questions Santa’s ExistenceThe stewards of America’s deadliest weapons aren’t above quoting 1983’s “WarGames” and intraservice rivalry. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 18, 2019ShareLockheed And Airbus Join Forces To Disrupt U.S. Aerial Refueling Marketplace And MoreThe team plans to pitch the A330-based tanker’s services to the Pentagon and jointly develop all new tanker concepts. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 18, 2019ShareBYTyler RogowayMay 24, 2019ShareThe Dark World Of USAF Special Ops Air Refuelers And Their Modified KC-135RT TankersWe talk to an elite group of specially trained airmen that fuel low flying special operations aircraft in total darkness and in radio silence. BYTyler RogowayMay 24, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMay 3, 2019ShareAir Force Considering Making Its Next Tanker A Drone With A Podded Refueling BoomPackaging an aerial refueling boom in a pod will be a major engineering challenge, but it would change the way the USAF keeps its planes in the fight. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 3, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickApr 17, 2019ShareMore Than A Dozen Air Force KC-135s and KC-46s Flee Kansas Base Ahead Of Bad WeatherThe Air Force is clearly taking no chances after two other major air bases suffered serious storm-related damage in the past six months. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 17, 2019ShareBYTyler RogowayApr 9, 2019ShareA U-2 Spy Plane Is Flying Peculiar Tracks High Over South Las Vegas (Updated)There appears to be some sort of large force exercise occurring over parts of Nevada and Utah. BYTyler RogowayApr 9, 2019ShareBYTyler RogowayJan 29, 2019ShareUSAF Chief Just Said Next Air Refueling Tanker May Fly In Space… Huh?The puzzling comment comes at a time when the USAF is doing anything it can to keep its grasp on space-based capabilities. BYTyler RogowayJan 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJan 10, 2019ShareUSAF Finally Accepts Its First KC-46A Tanker, But The Design Still Needs Years Worth Of FixesBoeing will begin delivering the aircraft soon, but persistent issues with the refueling system will limit their operational utility in the near-term. BYJoseph TrevithickJan 10, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2018ShareLockheed Martin Is Crafting New Stealth and Drone Tanker Concepts For The USAFThe Air Force knows it needs tankers that can survive in high-risk areas and it might end up flying a mix of manned and unmanned types. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2018ShareBYTyler RogowayJul 30, 2018ShareListen To This Highly Interesting Radio Recording Of The F-117’s Latest Flight Over NevadaThe recording is high quality, includes a Red Flag mission and test sorties, as well as the F-117’s shadowy flight. BYTyler RogowayJul 30, 2018ShareBYTyler RogowayMar 16, 2018ShareThe KC-46 Pegasus Tanker Program Is Still A MessBoeing’s new tanker, which is now slated to first replace the KC-10 Extender fleet, looks like it is heading for more delays. BYTyler RogowayMar 16, 2018ShareBYTyler RogowayFeb 28, 2017ShareThis Is What USAF Bomber Pilots Would Wear During a Nuclear ApocalypseIt’s an obscure Cold War-era technological relic that’s still in use—and becoming increasingly relevant. BYTyler RogowayFeb 28, 2017Share12
BYTyler RogowayJul 3, 2020ShareThe Air Force Desperately Needs A Stealth TankerFielding a stealthy tanker would go a long way to remedy the USAF’s near-sighted practice of betting heavily on relatively short-ranged stealth fighters, but it won’t be cheap. BYTyler RogowayJul 3, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayMay 2, 2020ShareArizona-Based Air Force Jets Filled The Sky Over Phoenix For Jaw-Droppingly Huge Flying SaluteThe impressive display of support for those on the front lines of the pandemic was the largest of its kind so far. BYTyler RogowayMay 2, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayApr 22, 2020ShareHawaii Air National Guard F-22s, KC-135, And C-17 Do The “Elephant Walk” In HonoluluBehold an amazing display of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s resident airpower. BYTyler RogowayApr 22, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareSale Of KC-46 Tanker To Israel Approved While New Delays For Key Fixes RevealedThe US Air Force says it won’t use the tankers for aerial refueling, except in an emergency, until critical fixes are completed years down the road. BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayMar 24, 2020ShareTanker Boom Operator Photographs Rare And Glorious Formation Of Four B-1B BombersThe B-1B fleet has suffered from very low readiness rates and airframe fatigue, so seeing four in formation at the same time is quite a treat. BYTyler RogowayMar 24, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayMar 8, 2020ShareThis Strategic Air Command Airpower Demonstration From 1987 Is Just BonkersA B-52, KC-10, FB-111, and two KC-135s pulled off wild maneuvers, many of which wouldn’t be allowed today, over Offutt AFB at the end of the Cold War. BYTyler RogowayMar 8, 2020Share
BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickMar 1, 2020ShareGeneral Atomics Wants To Give Aerial Tankers Their Own Missile-Laden Loyal Wingmen DronesThe “Defender” concept is a potentially promising way to address the increasing vulnerability of Air Force tankers and other lumbering support planes. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickMar 1, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickFeb 25, 2020ShareGeneral Warns Of Aerial Tanker Shortage As Air Force Looks To Retire 13 KC-135s And 16 KC-10sThe Air Force wants to retire a number of older KC-10A and KC-135R tankers in the next fiscal year, but its new KC-46As are not yet ready for combat. BYJoseph TrevithickFeb 25, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayFeb 17, 2020ShareCheck Out All The Airpower On Guam For Exercise Cope North In This Exclusive Satellite ImageOne of the biggest air combat exercises is underway at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam and it even looks impressive from space. BYTyler RogowayFeb 17, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJan 31, 2020ShareAir Force Isn’t Happy With Boeing’s Plans To Fix The KC-46 Tanker’s Troubled Vision SystemAmid this prospect of more KC-46 delays, senior US officials are increasingly considering hiring contractors to help fill the potential tanker gap. BYJoseph TrevithickJan 31, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareNKC-135R Tanker From Edwards AFB Flew This Peculiar Night Mission Over Area 51Exotic and highly secretive aircraft in flight testing need gas too. BYTyler RogowayDec 1, 2019Share
BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareThe SR-71 Blackbird’s Predecessor Created “Plasma Stealth” By Burning Cesium-Laced FuelSkunk Works needed a way to hide the A-12’s radar reflecting behind, so they dumped cesium into its fuel to create a radar-absorbing exhaust plume. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayDec 1, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 19, 2019ShareAir Force Says It Will Be Years Before Boeing’s Faulty New Tankers Are Fully OperationalProblems with the boom operator’s vision system and the boom itself persist and a recently disclosed issue prevents the aircraft from carrying cargo. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 19, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareOfficial USAF Twitter Jokes About Nuclear War and Questions Santa’s ExistenceThe stewards of America’s deadliest weapons aren’t above quoting 1983’s “WarGames” and intraservice rivalry. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 18, 2019ShareLockheed And Airbus Join Forces To Disrupt U.S. Aerial Refueling Marketplace And MoreThe team plans to pitch the A330-based tanker’s services to the Pentagon and jointly develop all new tanker concepts. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 18, 2019Share
BYTyler RogowayMay 24, 2019ShareThe Dark World Of USAF Special Ops Air Refuelers And Their Modified KC-135RT TankersWe talk to an elite group of specially trained airmen that fuel low flying special operations aircraft in total darkness and in radio silence. BYTyler RogowayMay 24, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMay 3, 2019ShareAir Force Considering Making Its Next Tanker A Drone With A Podded Refueling BoomPackaging an aerial refueling boom in a pod will be a major engineering challenge, but it would change the way the USAF keeps its planes in the fight. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 3, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickApr 17, 2019ShareMore Than A Dozen Air Force KC-135s and KC-46s Flee Kansas Base Ahead Of Bad WeatherThe Air Force is clearly taking no chances after two other major air bases suffered serious storm-related damage in the past six months. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 17, 2019Share
BYTyler RogowayApr 9, 2019ShareA U-2 Spy Plane Is Flying Peculiar Tracks High Over South Las Vegas (Updated)There appears to be some sort of large force exercise occurring over parts of Nevada and Utah. BYTyler RogowayApr 9, 2019Share
BYTyler RogowayJan 29, 2019ShareUSAF Chief Just Said Next Air Refueling Tanker May Fly In Space… Huh?The puzzling comment comes at a time when the USAF is doing anything it can to keep its grasp on space-based capabilities. BYTyler RogowayJan 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJan 10, 2019ShareUSAF Finally Accepts Its First KC-46A Tanker, But The Design Still Needs Years Worth Of FixesBoeing will begin delivering the aircraft soon, but persistent issues with the refueling system will limit their operational utility in the near-term. BYJoseph TrevithickJan 10, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2018ShareLockheed Martin Is Crafting New Stealth and Drone Tanker Concepts For The USAFThe Air Force knows it needs tankers that can survive in high-risk areas and it might end up flying a mix of manned and unmanned types. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2018Share
BYTyler RogowayJul 30, 2018ShareListen To This Highly Interesting Radio Recording Of The F-117’s Latest Flight Over NevadaThe recording is high quality, includes a Red Flag mission and test sorties, as well as the F-117’s shadowy flight. BYTyler RogowayJul 30, 2018Share
BYTyler RogowayMar 16, 2018ShareThe KC-46 Pegasus Tanker Program Is Still A MessBoeing’s new tanker, which is now slated to first replace the KC-10 Extender fleet, looks like it is heading for more delays. BYTyler RogowayMar 16, 2018Share
BYTyler RogowayFeb 28, 2017ShareThis Is What USAF Bomber Pilots Would Wear During a Nuclear ApocalypseIt’s an obscure Cold War-era technological relic that’s still in use—and becoming increasingly relevant. BYTyler RogowayFeb 28, 2017Share