Air Force Archives

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Northrop’s Tacit Blue Was Called ‘the Most Unstable Aircraft Ever Flown’ — Its 130 Flights at Area 51 Helped Create the B-2 Spirit

Northrop’s Tacit Blue stealth research demonstrator made its first flight from Groom Lake — better known as Area 51 — in 1982, eventually making...

Caleb LarsonMay 9, 2026

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Boeing Won a $20,000,000,000 Contract for the F-47 NGAD — 185 Aircraft Designed to Replace the F-22 and Outclass China’s J-20

In March 2025, President Donald Trump and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin announced that Boeing had won a $20 billion...

Steve BalestrieriMay 9, 2026

At sea aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)-- A lone plane captain conducts a walk around inspection of his F-14D Tomcat that is assigned to Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31). THe F-14D is armed with AIM-9 Siderwinder Missiles and a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and a GBU-14. USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Carrier Air Wing FOURTEEN (CVW 14) are conducting combat operations in support of Operation Southern Watch. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Third Class (AW/PJ) Philip A. McDaniel. Cleared for release by ALBG PAO, LCDR Jeff Bender.

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Operation Epic Fury Destroyed Most of Iran’s F-14 Fleet — Now Congress Wants to Pull Three Tomcats From Storage and Fly One Again

Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran, destroyed most of Tehran’s F-14 Tomcat fleet — the only F-14s flying anywhere outside...

Caleb LarsonMay 8, 2026

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The SR-71 Blackbird’s Pratt & Whitney J58 Engines Suffered an ‘Unstart’ at 83,000 Feet — and the Aircraft Began Falling Sideways

In 1984, an SR-71 Blackbird flying at 83,000 feet over the Soviet Kola Peninsula lost both Pratt & Whitney J58 engines simultaneously — and...

Kris OsbornMay 8, 2026

The Treaty

‘The Market Hasn’t Seen the Full Impact’: The Iran War Could Create a Historic Oil Crisis

Three U.S. destroyers came under Iranian missile, drone, and small-craft attack Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz — day 69 of a war the...

Reuben JohnsonMay 8, 2026

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

At Mach 3, the XB-70 Valkyrie “Lost Pieces Bigger Than the YF-12” — One Test Pilot’s Bar Comeback That Became Aviation Legend

In the mid-1960s, Lockheed’s Mach 3 YF-12 and North American Aviation’s Mach 3 XB-70 Valkyrie were both flying test missions out of Edwards Air...

Brent M. EastwoodMay 8, 2026

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

In 1963, a B-58 Hustler Flew From Tokyo to London in 8 Hours and 35 Minutes — Averaging 938 MPH the Whole Way

Convair built 116 B-58 Hustlers — the first U.S. operational supersonic bomber, capable of Mach 2 on four General Electric J79 afterburning turbojets. The...

Christian OrrMay 8, 2026

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 345th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, decends for landing at Ørland Air Base, Norway, during a Bomber Task Force Europe deployment, Aug. 9, 2025. The BTF mission highlights how we deliver effects rapidly across dynamic and contested environments through integrated training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tambri Cason)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The U.S. Air Force Was Going to Retire the B-1B Lancer — Then Operation Epic Fury Proved the Cold War-Era Bomber Still Has No Equal

The U.S. Air Force was preparing to retire the B-1B Lancer when Operation Epic Fury began on February 28 — and the Cold War-era...

Isaac SeitzMay 8, 2026

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The CIA Built 13 A-12 Oxcarts to Spy on Russia — Then Lost 5 of Them in Accidents Before the Program Was Killed in 1968

In April 1962, Lockheed Skunk Works flew an A-12 Oxcart spy plane that required an entirely new American titanium industry just to manufacture and...

Jack BuckbyMay 8, 2026

National Security Journal

All posts tagged "Air Force"

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Northrop’s Tacit Blue Was Called ‘the Most Unstable Aircraft Ever Flown’ — Its 130 Flights at Area 51 Helped Create the B-2 Spirit

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Boeing Won a $20,000,000,000 Contract for the F-47 NGAD — 185 Aircraft Designed to Replace the F-22 and Outclass China’s J-20

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Operation Epic Fury Destroyed Most of Iran’s F-14 Fleet — Now Congress Wants to Pull Three Tomcats From Storage and Fly One Again

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The SR-71 Blackbird’s Pratt & Whitney J58 Engines Suffered an ‘Unstart’ at 83,000 Feet — and the Aircraft Began Falling Sideways

The Treaty

‘The Market Hasn’t Seen the Full Impact’: The Iran War Could Create a Historic Oil Crisis

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

At Mach 3, the XB-70 Valkyrie “Lost Pieces Bigger Than the YF-12” — One Test Pilot’s Bar Comeback That Became Aviation Legend

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

In 1963, a B-58 Hustler Flew From Tokyo to London in 8 Hours and 35 Minutes — Averaging 938 MPH the Whole Way

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The U.S. Air Force Was Going to Retire the B-1B Lancer — Then Operation Epic Fury Proved the Cold War-Era Bomber Still Has No Equal

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The CIA Built 13 A-12 Oxcarts to Spy on Russia — Then Lost 5 of Them in Accidents Before the Program Was Killed in 1968

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