Close Air-to-Air Combat Made MiG Alley One of the Deadliest Places of the Korean War
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
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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’
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…
A ‘Spooky’ Aircraft Known as Puff, the Magic Dragon – The Story of the Douglas AC-47
“Puff, the Magic Dragon” wasn’t just a popular ’60s song by Peter, Paul and Mary, it was also the nickname for the Douglas AC-47 Spooky,…
Dwight D. Eisenhower Lost a Bet to Bernard Montgomery and Had to Pony Up a B-17 Flying Fortress
War isn’t normally a time for playing games and making bets, but that’s exactly what happened in 1943 between Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gen.…
Lockheed YO-3 Quiet Star: The American Aircraft That Flew Over Vietnam’s Treetops Undetected
When discussing American stealth aircraft, designs like the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Northrop B-2 Spirit and the Lockheed U-2 “Dragon Lady” are often brought up. However,…