Spy Plane Caught Naked Over Texas
Share this story Quick Facts AircraftBoeing RC-135V/W Rivet Joint RoleSignals intelligence (SIGINT) and electronic surveillance SpottedOver Greenville, Texas — photographed with paint completely stripped FacilityL3Harris maintenance depot, Greenville–Majors Airport...
The X-65: A Jet With No Moving Control Surfaces
Share this story Quick Facts AircraftAurora X-65 CRANE ProgrammeDARPA CRANE (Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors) BuilderAurora Flight Sciences (Boeing subsidiary) Key InnovationActive Flow Control (AFC) — no traditional flaps, ailerons, or rudder...
GCAP Sixth-Gen Fighter Lands Its First £686M Contract
Share this story Quick Facts ProgrammeGlobal Combat Air Programme (GCAP) Contract Value£686 million ($905 million) ContractorEdgewing (joint venture: BAE Systems, Leonardo, JAIEC) Partner NationsUnited Kingdom, Italy, Japan GenerationSixth-generation combat aircraft...
Italy Blocks US Warplanes From Sicilian Bases
Share this story Quick Facts EventItaly blocks US military aircraft from using NAS Sigonella for Iran-bound strike missions DateLate March 2026 BaseNaval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily ReasonUS failed to notify Italy in advance; bilateral agreements require prior...
Battered but Biting: Inside Iran’s Air Defence Network
Share this story Quick FactsLong-Range SAMsS-300PMU-2 (Russian, 200 km range) and Bavar-373 (indigenous, 200–300 km range)Medium-Range SAMsKhordad-15 (150 km), Mersad (modernised MIM-23 Hawk), Talash family (60–200 km)Short-Range / Point DefenceTor-M1, Azarakhsh,...
First Shootdown in 23 Years — What It Reveals About Iran’s Air Defences
Share this story Quick Facts EventFirst US combat aircraft shot down by enemy fire since April 8, 2003 Aircraft LostF-15E Strike Eagle (494th Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath) DateApril 3, 2026 Previous ShootdownA-10 Thunderbolt II over Baghdad,...
Two Down in One Day: F-15E and A-10 Lost Over Iran
Share this story Related: F-15E Down Over Iran — Crew Fate Unknown Quick Facts Date April 3, 2026 Operation Epic Fury (ongoing since February 28, 2026) Aircraft Lost One F-15E Strike Eagle (494th Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath) + one A-10C Thunderbolt II F-15E Crew...
Fox One, Fox Two, Fox Three — Decoded
Share this story Quick Facts Fox One Semi-active radar-guided missile launch (e.g. AIM-7 Sparrow) Fox Two Infrared/heat-seeking missile launch (e.g. AIM-9 Sidewinder) Fox Three Active radar-guided missile launch (e.g. AIM-120 AMRAAM) Origin NATO brevity code system...
F-117 Shootdown: The Night Stealth Died
Share this story Quick Facts Date March 27, 1999 Aircraft Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk (serial 82-0806, callsign “Vega 31”) Pilot Lt. Col. Dale Zelko, USAF Weapon Isayev S-125 Neva/Pechora (NATO: SA-3 Goa) surface-to-air missile Fired By 3rd Battery, 250th Air Defence...
Afterburners: The Controlled Explosion Behind Every Fighter
Share this story Quick Facts What It Is A secondary combustion system that injects raw fuel into a jet engine’s exhaust Thrust Increase 40–70% above maximum dry (non-afterburning) thrust Fuel Penalty Fuel consumption roughly triples during afterburner use Duration...
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