U.S. Air Force Archives

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The F-47 NGAD Fighter May Be the Costliest Weapon in History — and China Says That’s Exactly Why It Won’t Matter

As the United States Air Force prepares to accept its newest jet, the F-47, into service, the reaction from America’s principal geopolitical adversary toward...

Caleb Larson3 hours ago

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

‘Flies Like a Bullet, and Turns Like One’: Russia’s MiG-23 Had One of the Most Embarrassing Combat Records in Aviation History

Summary and Key Points: The Soviet MiG-23 Flogger was Moscow’s first swing-wing fighter, built in the late 1960s to rival the American F-4 Phantom....

Steve Balestrieri5 days ago

U.S. Air Force Capt. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team commander and pilot, takes off from Selfridge Air National Guard base for the 2020 London SkyDrive Air Show in Canada Sep. 12, 2020, Harrison Township, Mich. The F-35 Demo Team flew alongside the F-16 Viper, the F-22 Raptor, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration teams in London, Ontario, Canada. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Forget F-22 and F-35 Stealth Fighters: The U.S. Air Force Is Flying 63-Year-Old Tankers — and It’s Becoming a Crisis

Summary and Key Points: In June 2025’s Operation Midnight Hammer, seven B-2 stealth bombers flew a 36-hour, 12,000-mile round trip from Missouri to strike...

Reuben Johnson5 days ago

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Before the Mach 3 SR-71 Blackbird, the CIA Had a Secret Spy Plane That Flew Even Faster

Summary and Key Points: Years before the famous SR-71 Blackbird, the CIA built the A-12 Oxcart — a top-secret Mach 3 spy plane designed...

Steve Balestrieri6 days ago

A U.S. Air Force Airman, assigned to the 345th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, stands a B-1B Lancer during a Bomber Task Force Europe mission at Ørland Air Base, Norway, Aug. 21, 2025. BTF missions expose and familiarize aircrew with air bases and operations in different geographic combatant command areas of operations to enable strategic access and integration with coalition forces to deter global conflict. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tambri Cason)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Boeing Wanted to Turn the B-1B Bomber Into the World’s Largest Fighter Jet

Summary and Key Points: Boeing once floated one of the era’s wildest aircraft concepts: the B-1R, a version of the B-1 Lancer bomber reimagined...

Steve Balestrieri6 days ago

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The F-89 Scorpion Was the First Warplane Armed With a Nuclear Air-to-Air Rocket

Summary and Key Points: Northrop’s F-89 Scorpion holds two firsts: it was the first purpose-built jet interceptor in U.S. service and the first warplane...

Steve Balestrieri6 days ago