Air Force Archives

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, performs a strafing run during Haboob Havoc, April 24, 2024, over Barry M. Goldwater Range, Arizona. Haboob Havoc is a total force exercise that provides a way for pilots from various bases to demonstrate their skills across a diverse range of aircraft, including F-35 Lightning IIs, F-16 Fighting Falcons, and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, while also testing their abilities in different mission sets such as dogfighting and gun runs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mason Hargrove)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

F-35 Fighter Now Armed with ‘No Escape’ Mach 4 Ramjet Meteor Missile

Key Points and Summary – New ground integration tests at Edwards AFB show the ramjet-powered Meteor BVRAAM can now “talk” to, fit inside, and...

Reuben JohnsonDecember 14, 2025

Four B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, arrive Feb. 6, 2017, at Andersen AFB, Guam. The 9th EBS is taking over U.S. Pacific Command’s continuous bomber presence operations from the 34th EBS, assigned to Ellsworth AFB, S.D. The B-1B’s speed and superior handling characteristics allow it to seamlessly integrate in mixed force packages. While deployed at Guam the B-1Bs will continue conducting flight operations where international law permit. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Richard P. Ebensberger)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The B-1B Lancer Bomber Has a Special Message for the Air Force

Key Points and Summary – This piece traces how the B-1B Lancer, conceived as a Cold War nuclear penetrator, reinvented itself as a conventional...

Jack BuckbyDecember 13, 2025

A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircraft assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, taxis to its parking spot at Morón Air Base, Spain, Nov. 19, 2025, as part of Bomber Task Force Europe 26-1. The ability of U.S. forces and equipment to operate in conjunction with those of our Allies and partners is critical to bolstering an extended network of capabilities to decisively meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Codie Trimble)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

‘Super’ B-52J Bomber Is Coming to the U.S. Air Force: Summed Up in 3 Words

Key Points and Summary – Seventy years after entering service, the B-52 Stratofortress is being rebuilt for a new era. -Under the B-52J upgrade,...

Stephen SilverDecember 13, 2025

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Photos Reveal North Korea’s New IR Air-to-Air Missile on MiG-29s

North Korean MiG-29s Now Carry IRIS-T-Style Missiles — With Russian Help?: Article Summary -New imagery from North Korea’s KCNA shows MiG-29s carrying a previously...

Reuben JohnsonDecember 12, 2025

YF-23A Black Widow II National Security Journal Photo

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Designer of the YF-23 Black Widow II Has a Radical New Plan for F-35 Fighter

Key Points and Summary – Lockheed Martin may have lost the F-47 NGAD competition, but it is not done shaping the future of airpower....

Brent M. EastwoodDecember 11, 2025

An A-10C Thunderbolt II sits under a sun shade July 29, 2014, at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The A-10’s primary weapon is a single 30mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun. It can also carry up to 16,000 pounds of mixed ordnance such as cluster bomb units, joint direct attack munitions and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ryan Callaghan)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The A-10 Warthog Is No Plane – It’s a Flying Cannon

Key Points and Summary: The A-10 Warthog was literally built around its GAU-8/A Avenger, a 30mm, seven-barrel cannon that spits depleted-uranium rounds at nearly...

Christian OrrDecember 11, 2025