The Story of when NASA Tested Towing a QF-106 (with the Engine in Idle) with a USAF C-141. The Six...
NASA’s Eclipse Project demonstrated that a legacy aerotow system can lift a winged launch vehicle using a USAF C‑141A towing a modified QF‑106 Delta Dart. Between December 1997 and February 1998 the pair completed six towed flights, reaching up to 25,000 feet before the QF‑106 released and powered back to Edwards AFB. Extensive modifications to both aircraft enabled a reliable towline release, reinforced structures, and instrumentation for wake‑turbulence and tow‑line tension data. The program proved the concept’s feasibility for low‑cost small‑satellite launch to low‑Earth orbit.
US Navy Produces First Organic Super Hornet to Undergo Block III Modifications
Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) completed the U.S. Navy’s first fully organic F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III modification, performing the entire upgrade in‑house for the first time. The Block III package adds an Advanced Cockpit System, larger touchscreen displays, upgraded avionics, networking...
P-51D “Seahorse:” The Mustang Carrier Testing and Why It Was Unsuited for Service on US Navy Flat Tops
In 1944 the US Army Air Forces explored using a navalized P‑51D Mustang to escort B‑29 bombers from carriers near Japan, launching the classified Project Seahorse. The sole test aircraft, serial 44‑14017, was modified and evaluated on the deck of...
He Photographed E-4B, RC-135 at Offutt AFB: Chinese Engineering Student Jailed
Chinese aeronautical engineering student Tianrui Liang, 21, was arrested for photographing a Boeing E-4B Doomsday Plane and an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft at Offutt Air Force Base, the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command. The FBI charged him under Title 18 Section 795, which...
Better Adversaries, Better Training: VFC-13 “Fighting Saints” Ex-USAF F-16C Fighting Falcons
The U.S. Navy’s VFC-13 "Fighting Saints" has transitioned to a fleet of ex‑Arizona Air National Guard F‑16C Block 32 and F‑16D Block 25 aircraft, replacing its legacy F/A‑18 Hornets. The squadron received 20 single‑seat Block 32s and six two‑seat Block 25s, each upgraded with...
F-16 Rapid Integration with FAMM-L, Family of Affordable Mass Munitions – Lugged Weapon
In March 2026 the USAF successfully integrated the Family of Affordable Mass Munitions – Lugged (FAMM‑L) onto an F‑16 at Eglin Air Force Base, completing fit checks, loading validation and live release. The rapid test series was led by the...
SR-71 Spy Planes Could Go Faster than Mach 3.4 For BDA Flights of Libya in Support of Operation El Dorado...
The SR‑71 Blackbird, retired in 1990 after a 24‑year career, was pushed beyond its normal speed ceiling during bomb‑damage‑assessment flights over Libya in April 1986. By temporarily raising the J58 engine inlet temperature limit from 427 °C to 450 °C, pilots achieved...
The US Navy RA-5C Vigilante that Took a Picture of an SA-2 SAM Passing Just 104 Feet From Its Belly
The U.S. Navy’s RA‑5C Vigilante, a converted supersonic bomber turned reconnaissance aircraft, captured a rare photograph of an SA‑2 surface‑to‑air missile passing just 104 feet beneath its belly during a Vietnam‑era mission over the Song Ca River. Photogrammetric analysis confirmed the missile’s...
Tu-160 Blackjack Vs B-1 Bone: Copy or Not?
The Tupolev Tu‑160 Blackjack and Rockwell B‑1B Bone share a swing‑wing silhouette, yet their design histories and performance diverge sharply. The B‑1 originated in the 1960s AMSA program, faced cancellations, and emerged as the B‑1B with reduced speed (Mach 1.2) and...
The “ADCOM F-14:” The USAF Tomcat that Never Was
In the early 1970s Grumman built a single F-14B “ADCOM” mock‑up to meet a USAF request for a new interceptor to replace the Convair F‑106. The variant sported larger internal fuel and altered missile launchers, but the Air Force ultimately...
Boeing 777-9 Performs Critical Test as Brakes Reach 2,500 Degrees
Boeing's 777‑9 completed a maximum brake energy test at Edwards Air Force Base, aborting a takeoff at about 190 knots with the aircraft at its highest certified takeoff weight. The test pushed the carbon brakes to temperatures exceeding 2,500 °F (1,371 °C),...
Retired KC-135 Pulled From 309 AMARG to Rejoin USAF Tanker Fleet
On April 2, 2026 the U.S. Air Force transferred two Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers from the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis‑Monthan to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. The aircraft, serial numbers 58‑0011 (retired last year) and 58‑0018...
Tempest V vs Fw 190D-9: The First Dogfight Between Two of the Finest Fighters Ever Built
On 27 December 1944, No. 486 Squadron RAF engaged a large formation of Fw 190D‑9 "Dora" fighters from JG 54 in the first recorded dogfight between the British Tempest V and the German high‑altitude variant. Flying in finger‑four sections, the Tempests surprised the Germans, broke their...
P-51 Vs Me 262 and the Death of Luftwaffe Ace Walter Nowotny
The German Messerschmitt Me 262 became the first operational jet fighter in July 1944, but logistical constraints limited its combat impact. The U.S. P‑51 Mustang, equipped with the Packard‑Merlin engine and drop tanks, could escort bombers deep into Germany and even challenge...
B-52 Vs F-14: BUFF Pilot Recalls an Unusual Bomber V Fighter Dogfight
Former B‑52 pilot Jay Lacklen recounts Cold‑War intercept drills where Navy Grumman F‑14 Tomcats routinely out‑maneuvered his massive bomber. While older USAF interceptors such as the F‑102 and F‑106 could be shaken off with steep decelerating turns, the Tomcat’s forward‑swept...