Aircraft | War History

Men Were Too Scared to Fly B-29 Superfortresses – Until Two Women Did

Boeing B-29 Superfortress in flight + Paul Tibbets, Dora Dougherty and Dorothea Moorman standing in front of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress

In the lead up to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Paul Tibbets was tasked with training a group of pilots on the newly-produced Boeing…

The History of Drop Tanks: From Improvised Bombs to Vietnamese Canoes

Aircraft in flight + Close-up of a drop tank

Since the end of the Vietnam War, Vietnamese civilians have been making the most of US military waste. Reduce, reuse, recycle has taken on a…

There Was Almost a Stealth Bomber Version of the F-22 Raptor

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor in flight

The Lockheed Martin FB-22 Strike Raptor was going to be an innovative and new stealth bomber. Not only that, it had the promise of being…

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk: The US Military’s Beast in the Sky

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk in flight

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk has a long and impressive history that spans over more than half a century. Developed for the US Navy and Marine…

How the Sophisticated B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Stays Invisible

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit in flight

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is one of the rarest aircraft in the world. Born out of Cold War innovation, only 21 were…

The US Air Force Once Tried Landing Bombers On Tank Treads – It Didn’t End Well

Convair B-36 Peacemaker in flight + Track landing gear installed on the Convair XB-36 Peacemaker

Tanks are invaluable military assets, as are heavy bombers. Combining the two should be a winning combination… Right? As the US Air Force learned, the…

Highways Across the World Are Built for Warplanes to Land on Them

Airplane landing on a highway

Typically, an aircraft landing on a highway would indicate a serious problem, perhaps a mechanical issue or medical emergency with one of the pilots… That…

Top Gun Planes: The Aircraft & Jets Used in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)

Tom Cruise as Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in 'Top Gun: Maverick'

There have been few sequels to hit the scene quite like Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Despite the enormous success of the 1986 film, it took…

Why Wasn’t the Second Antonov An-225 Finished?

Antonov An-225 Myria in flight, with the Buran space shuttle on its back

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is an incredibly rare aircraft, with only one ever put into service. There was the intention to build a second, and…

The Five Greatest Fighter Aircraft Ever Flown By the US Military

F-15E Strike Eagle in flight + F-86 Sabre in flight + Belly of an F-4E Phantom II in flight + F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in flight + F-22 Raptor in flight

Over the course of history, world powers have worked relentlessly to build the best fighter aircraft. American manufacturers, such as McDonnell Douglas, Lockheed Martin and…

Why the F-15 Eagle is the Best Fighter Aircraft of All Time

F-15 Eagle in flight

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine fighter aircraft that has served the US Air Force for decades. Entering service in 1976, the F-15…

Tom Cruise Created Intense Flight Training Program for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Co-Stars

Jay Ellis, Monica Barbaro and Danny Ramirez in 'Top Gun: Maverick'

Top Gun: Maverick has only just been released in movie theaters, but that doesn’t mean reviews haven’t begun to role in. The sequel to the…