Machinery & Gear | War History

The USS Intrepid Survived Four Kamikaze Attacks And Continued In Service For Decades

USS Intrepid Docked

The USS Intrepid was an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during WWII. Initially operating in the Pacific Theatre, Intrepid would end up serving a wild 30-year…

The Colt Walker 1847: The Most Powerful Sidearm Ever Issued By the US Military

Colt Walker 1847

In 1846 the United States Army brought the Colt Walker 1847 into service – a revolver that is the most powerful sidearm ever issued by…

America’s Black Hawk Helicopter Still Has A Lot Of Work To Do

Black Hawk And the US Marines

The famous and long-lasting UH-60 Black Hawk, which has been flying since the 1970s, will likely remain in service until the 2030s. The airframe is…

MD-160: The Aircraft-Ship Hybrid Known as the ‘Caspian Sea Monster’

MD-160 sitting on the beach

There have been some really unusual military vehicles built over the course of history, but none have amazed us more than the Lun-class MD-160. A…

Why WWII’s M1 Carbine was Ahead of Its Time

M1 Carbine Worn By Soldier

The M1 Carbine was a small, lightweight weapon that found itself in the hands of many Allied soldiers during WWII. Its relatively small cartridge led…

The USS North Carolina Was a Nightmare for Japan During WWII

USS North Carolina - Colorized Photo

The USS North Carolina was a mighty battleship that served throughout the Second World War. She was involved in intense combat on many occasions but…

The USS Olympia Is a Cruiser with a Battleship’s Guns And A Very Long History

USS Olympia

The USS Olympia is the physical representation of the saying “big things come in small packages”. Launched in 1895, the comparatively small cruiser was armed…

These US Military Jets Accidentally Shot Themselves Down

F-14

As a rule, most aircraft armed with offensive weapons either attack ground targets or other aircraft. Over the past century, we have gotten pretty good…

Here’s Why the US Didn’t Attempt To Match Russia’s Titanium Submarines

Alfa Class Submarine

In 1968 the Soviet Union produced a revolutionary new class of submarines; the Alfa-class. These vessels incorporated a number of advanced and innovative features that…

These 4 Weapons Created For Combat Were Cheap But Ingenious Game Changers

Sometimes, no matter how tactically adept a military force may be, if an opponent suddenly shows up with a particularly advanced or capable weapon, it…

Grumman F-11 Tiger: The US Navy’s Second Supersonic Aircraft has a Weird History

F11F-1

The Grumman F-11 Tiger was an interesting fighter from an era that saw rapid and continuous advances in aircraft design. It was the US Navy’s…

Only the Best of the Best Graduate from the US Army Sniper School

Clare Fitzgerald
US Army Sniper School trainee in the ghillie wash

There are few soldiers who can say they’ve graduated from the US Army’s prestigious Sniper School. The seven-week course is one of the most grueling…