China built more than 4,500 Shenyang J-6 fighters, its licence-built MiG-19. They fought over Vietnam, served Pakistan for decades and are now being turned into drones.
Yakovlev Yak-28: The Soviet Brewer and the Firebar Lost in Berlin
The Yakovlev Yak-28 served the Soviet Union as bomber, spy plane, jammer, trainer and interceptor. In 1966 a Yak-28P Firebar fell into a West Berlin lake, and the West got a close look.
Hawker Sea Hawk: The Navy Jet That Fought From Suez to 1971
The Hawker Sea Hawk was Hawker’s first jet: a straight-winged naval fighter-bomber that struck Egypt at Suez in 1956 and fought for India in 1971.
Dornier Do 17: The Luftwaffe’s “Flying Pencil” Bomber
The Dornier Do 17 flying pencil fought from Spain to the Battle of Britain before the Ju 88 replaced it. The only known survivor was raised from the Goodwin Sands in 2013.
N-Numbers: How a US Aircraft Registration Is Assigned and Reserved
How a US aircraft N-number is assigned, reserved for $10, changed, released to another owner and retired, under FAA rules in 14 CFR Part 47.
Yakovlev Yak-9: The Most-Produced Yak Fighter of World War II
Yakovlev built 16,769 Yak-9 fighters between 1942 and 1948, more than any other Yak. The pilots who flew it, from Soviet aces to Normandie-Niemen, remember why.
Fighter Jet Noise: How Loud Is an F-35 in Decibels, Measured
How loud is a fighter jet? Air Force and university measurements put an F-35 near 150 dB at the exhaust and about 135 dB at 76 metres. What the decibel numbers really mean.
Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario: The Italian Fighter an RAF Ace Admired
The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario was one of Italy’s finest Second World War fighters, but fewer than fifty were delivered before the 1943 armistice.
Life-Limited Parts: Why a Good Turbine Disc Gets Cut in Half
Engine life-limited parts are retired at a fixed number of flight cycles even when they look perfect. Here is the statistics, the FAA rules and why the scrap gets cut in half.
Messerschmitt Bf 110: The Zerstörer That Found Its Role at Night
Messerschmitt Bf 110: Goering’s Zerstoerer heavy fighter was mauled in the Battle of Britain, then became the Luftwaffe’s principal night fighter and the mount of its top night ace.
Tri-Service Designation System: Why the F-47 Is the F-47
The 1962 Tri-Service designation system turned the F4H and F-110 into the F-4, let the F-111 slip in after the F-110, and still explains MDS codes like EA-6B and MQ-9A. Then came the F-35 and F-47.
SBD Dauntless: The Slow Dive Bomber That Won the Battle of Midway
On 4 June 1942, Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown sank four Japanese fleet carriers at Midway. The story of the plane its crews called Slow But Deadly.
Electra EL9: Air Force Pays $4.7M to Test Quiet Hybrid-Electric STOL
On 9 November 2026, Electra Defense announced a $4.7 million AFRL contract to ground- and flight-test its hybrid-electric EL9, including battery-only acoustic tests for special operations.
Aircraft Tyres and Carbon Brakes: Nitrogen, Retreads and Fuse Plugs
Why aircraft tyres are filled with nitrogen, how fuse plugs stop them bursting, why they are retreaded up to seven times, and why carbon brakes hate gentle braking.
GJ-11 Stealth Drone: New PLA Footage Shows Its Weapon Bays Up Close
On 9 November 2026, Chinese state TV aired close-up footage of the GJ-11 stealth combat drone, showing its weapon bays, and said it had hit a target in its first live-fire strike test.
Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa: The Oscar, Japan’s Most-Built Army Fighter
With 5,919 built, the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, codenamed Oscar, was the Japanese Army’s most-produced fighter of World War II.
FQ-44A Fury Drones Fly First AI-Directed Air Combat Maneuvers
On 26 October 2026, two Anduril FQ-44A Fury CCAs flew in formation and ran beyond-visual-range air combat maneuvers directed by Shield AI’s Hivemind software, a first announced on 9 November.