Aircraft | War History

Here’s Why the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 Has Withstood the Test of Time

Sukhoi Su-27 in flight

The Sukhoi Su-27, nicknamed the “Flanker” by NATO, is a Soviet-made aircraft that has withstood the test of time and continues to perform in almost…

The History of the US Navy’s TOPGUN School

Tom Cruise and Larry Gilyard starring in 'Top Gun'

The popular Tom Cruise movie Top Gun debuted in theaters in 1986, and features Cruise and his co-stars attending the US Navy’s TOPGUN school –…

The Titanium Used to Construct the SR-71 Blackbird Came from the Soviet Union

SR-71 Blackbird in flight

Aviation technology rapidly advanced during the 20th century, but as the aircraft advanced, so too did the machines and technology designed to detect them. In…

Close Air-to-Air Combat Made MiG Alley One of the Deadliest Places of the Korean War

Four photos of a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 in flight

For many US Air Force pilots, one of the most deadly places to battle the enemy during the Korean War was MiG Alley. The site…

Lockheed AC-130: The Gunship That Provided Much-Needed Support in Vietnam

Lockheed AC-130 in flight

The Lockheed AC-130 is a special operations gunship that can trace its history back to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Over its nearly 60 years of…

A-12 Spy Plane: Why Lockheed’s CIA Spy Plane Only Flew 29 Missions

Lockheed A-12 in flight

The Lockheed A-12 spy plane was developed for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for service during Project Oxcart. While it had the potential for a…

Grumman F-14 Tomcat: The Versatile Fighter Made For Top Gun Pilots

Grumman F-14 Tomcat taking off

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is one of the most iconic aircraft to ever be operated by the US Navy, with it serving as the primary…

Wild Weasels Undertake the US Air Force’s Most Dangerous Missions

General Dynamics F-16CJ Fighting Falcon in flight + Wild Weasel patch

There is nothing we love more than a good motto! The unofficial slogan for the US Air Force’s Wild Weasel crew is “YGBSM” – an…

Little-Known Facts About the F-35 Lightning II Helmet – It Costs More Than a Ferrari!

Anthony Farnsworth wearing a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II helmet + Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II in flight

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II experienced its first flight in December 2006, and it has since become an integral part of the US military.…

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 ‘Sturmböcke’ Was Designed to Take On the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6 parked in grass

In the early stages of World War II, aerial combat over Europe was dominated by two particular aircraft: the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Supermarine Spitfire.…

Weird Military Aircraft: de Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle

Selmer Sundby aboard a de Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle

Many unusual military vehicles have been developed throughout history, yet there are few as strange as the de Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle. Designed to be piloted…

MD-160: The Aircraft-Ship Hybrid Known as the ‘Caspian Sea Monster’

MD-160 sitting on the beach

There have been some really unusual military vehicles built over the course of history, but none have amazed us more than the Lun-class MD-160. A…