Machinery & Gear | War History

The Short Career of the Civil War-Era Double-Barreled Cannon

Double-barreled cannon on display

The double-barreled cannon is as cool as it sounds. It can shoot two cannon balls at the same time that, when attached by a chain,…

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…

The Lee-Enfield Repeating Rifle Has the World’s Second-Longest Service History

Todd Neikirk
British soldiers training on Lee-Enfield repeating rifles

The first version of the Lee-Enfield repeating rifle entered into service in 1895. Since then, 17 million units and a number of variants have been…

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63): The Decorated Aircraft Carrier That was Sold to Scrap Dealers for One Cent

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) at sea

In May 2022, the decommissioned supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) arrived in Brownsville, Texas for scrapping. The iconic vessel served the US Navy for nearly…

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…

PL-01: The Polish Stealth Tank That’s Never Seen the Battlefield

PL-01 on display

Countries are always looking to equip their militaries with the latest equipment, whether that be new firearms or vehicles. In 2013, Poland wowed everyone with…

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…

Russian Forces Are Hitting Eastern Ukraine With an Estimated 60,000 Shells Per Day

Ukrainian soldier holding a rocket fragment

The Russo-Ukraine War is nearing the four-month mark, and the Ukrainian military is beginning to run dangerously low on the ammunition needed to operate its…

Panther KF51: Rheinmetall’s New Main Battle Tank Features a 130 mm Gun

Panther KF51 driving along a dirt road

Arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has revealed its new main battle tank (MBT). The company unveiled the vehicle – the Panther KF51 – at Eurosatory 2022, touting…

M777 Howitzer: The US Military’s Lightweight Replacement for the M198

Clare Fitzgerald
US soldiers firing an M777 howitzer

The M777 howitzer might not look all that intimidating when placed alongside its much larger counterparts, but this small and lightweight artillery system packs quite…

Vietnam War Traps: 9 Viet Cong Booby Traps That Defined the Vietnam War

American soldiers walking along a rice field

The Vietnam War was infamous for the guerrilla warfare the American forces were largely unprepared for. The Viet Cong were on home turf and used…

Tank Ramming Was a Dangerous Tactic Used By the Red Army During WWII

Two tanks on a hill

Tanks are undoubtedly some of the most powerful military vehicles ever produced, and they made a world of difference to those fighting in the Second…