October 2026

An F-35 test pilot from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23), Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), flies an F-35C Lightning II fighter aircraft to the PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) in the Western Atlantic Oct. 13, 2026. This is the first time an F-35C has landed on a Ford-class aircraft carrier. A Patuxent River F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) team detached to the ship is conducting Aircraft Compatibility Testing (ACT) with the specially instrumented carrier variant of the stealth jet. ACT assesses the operational capabilities of the ship's aircraft launch and recovery equipment with U.S. Navy aircraft.

Aerospace & Defense

The Navy’s Newest Aircraft Carrier Could Not Handle Its Newest Fighter: The F-35C’s 3,600°F Exhaust Was Too Hot for USS Gerald R. Ford’s Flight Deck as Built

The Navy’s newest carrier class and its newest fighter did not fit. As built, USS Gerald R. Ford’s jet blast deflectors could not take...

Christian D. Orr6 days ago

Aerospace & Defense

US Navy Attack Submarine USS Grayling Collided With a Russian Submarine Carrying 16 Nuclear Missiles 105 Miles North of Murmansk in 1993, and Both Sides Swept It Under the Rug

On March 20, 1993, the Sturgeon-class attack submarine USS Grayling was shadowing the Russian Delta IV ballistic missile submarine Novomoskovsk in the Barents Sea...

Isaac Seitz6 days ago

Aerospace & Defense

80,000-Ton Navy Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy Sliced the Top Off the Cruiser USS Belknap in 1975. The Fires Burned Within 40 Feet of the Cruiser’s Nuclear Weapons, and 8 Sailors Died

The collision between the USS John F. Kennedy and the guided-missile cruiser USS Belknap during maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea is considered one of...

Brandon Weichert6 days ago

(Sept. 08, 2012) The forward deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) sails through calm seas near Guam at sunset. George Washington is the centerpiece of Carrier Strike Group FIVE, the US Navy’s only continuously forward deployed carrier strike group, based out of Yokosuka, Japan. Carrier Strike Group FIVE is currently on a routine Western Pacific patrol. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul Kelly/ Released)

Aerospace & Defense

China Does Not Have to Sink a US Navy Aircraft Carrier. It Only Has to Keep It Outside the First Island Chain, Where Its Jets Need Tankers, and Tankers Are Easy Targets for the J-20

Iran’s cheap drones and missiles have blown through US defenses and left the Navy wary of the Strait of Hormuz. China has been building...

Brandon Weichert6 days ago

Aerospace & Defense

I Am a Retired US Army Special Forces NCO: The Colt King Cobra Carry Holds 6 Rounds at 26 Ounces and Ran a 0.89-Second Speed Drill. It Beat 2 Lighter Smith & Wessons Doing It.

Six rounds instead of five, 26 ounces instead of 36, and a cylinder that takes the old Colt Detective Special speedloaders. The trade is...

Steve Balestrieri6 days ago

Aerospace & Defense

The F-4 Phantom Flew Without a Gun Because Missiles Were Supposed to Make Dogfights Obsolete. Then Vietnam Put It Nose to Nose With Agile MiGs, Its Missiles Kept Failing, and the US Air Force Fix Was a Gun Pod

For F-4 Phantom crews, the saying went that two ejections ended a flying career, not as punishment but because the G-forces of the seat...

Caleb Larson6 days ago

Aerospace & Defense

Army General George S. Patton Was Able to Define War in Nearly Perfect and Haunting Terms: ‘War is very simple, direct, and ruthless. It takes a simple, direct, ruthless man to wage war.’

“War is very simple, direct, and ruthless. It takes a simple, direct, ruthless man to wage war.” George S. Patton Jr. earned the line...

Steve Balestrieri6 days ago

Aerospace & Defense

Decades Later, US Army General George S. Patton’s Best ‘Boxing’ Line Is Still the Greatest Military Quote in Armed Forces History

“War is just like boxing. When you get an opponent on the ropes, you must keep punching the hell out of him and not...

Brent M. Eastwood6 days ago

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, performs precision aerial maneuvers during the Columbus Air Show at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio, June 21, 2026. The F-35A Demonstration Team showcases the unique aerodynamic capabilities, advanced avionics, and combat readiness of the military's premier fifth-generation fighter to inspire the next generation of Airmen and demonstrate American air power. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Samir Harris)

Aerospace & Defense

‘You Cannot Clone People’: A Former NORAD Deputy Commander Says Canada Does Not Have the Pilots or Technicians to Run F-35s and Gripens at the Same Time. Its Fighter Force Is at Two-Thirds Strength

Retired Lt. Gen. Alain Pelletier, NORAD’s deputy commander from 2020 to 2023, told the National Post that the Royal Canadian Air Force can’t stand...

Steve BalestrieriOctober 15, 2026

Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: Chinese Internet.

Aerospace & Defense

China Says Its 2-Seat J-20S Stealth Fighter Is Now Meant to Strike Ships at Sea. It Has Not Named a Single Anti-Ship Missile for the Jet or Said Whether One Fits Inside Its Weapons Bays

China marked the 15th anniversary of the J-20’s maiden flight on January 11, 2026, by announcing that the two-seat J-20S Mighty Dragon is meant...

Harrison KassOctober 15, 2026

19FortyFive

Aerospace & Defense

The Navy’s Newest Aircraft Carrier Could Not Handle Its Newest Fighter: The F-35C’s 3,600°F Exhaust Was Too Hot for USS Gerald R. Ford’s Flight Deck as Built

Aerospace & Defense

US Navy Attack Submarine USS Grayling Collided With a Russian Submarine Carrying 16 Nuclear Missiles 105 Miles North of Murmansk in 1993, and Both Sides Swept It Under the Rug

Aerospace & Defense

80,000-Ton Navy Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy Sliced the Top Off the Cruiser USS Belknap in 1975. The Fires Burned Within 40 Feet of the Cruiser’s Nuclear Weapons, and 8 Sailors Died

Aerospace & Defense

China Does Not Have to Sink a US Navy Aircraft Carrier. It Only Has to Keep It Outside the First Island Chain, Where Its Jets Need Tankers, and Tankers Are Easy Targets for the J-20

Aerospace & Defense

I Am a Retired US Army Special Forces NCO: The Colt King Cobra Carry Holds 6 Rounds at 26 Ounces and Ran a 0.89-Second Speed Drill. It Beat 2 Lighter Smith & Wessons Doing It.

Aerospace & Defense

The F-4 Phantom Flew Without a Gun Because Missiles Were Supposed to Make Dogfights Obsolete. Then Vietnam Put It Nose to Nose With Agile MiGs, Its Missiles Kept Failing, and the US Air Force Fix Was a Gun Pod

Aerospace & Defense

Army General George S. Patton Was Able to Define War in Nearly Perfect and Haunting Terms: ‘War is very simple, direct, and ruthless. It takes a simple, direct, ruthless man to wage war.’

Aerospace & Defense

Decades Later, US Army General George S. Patton’s Best ‘Boxing’ Line Is Still the Greatest Military Quote in Armed Forces History

Aerospace & Defense

‘You Cannot Clone People’: A Former NORAD Deputy Commander Says Canada Does Not Have the Pilots or Technicians to Run F-35s and Gripens at the Same Time. Its Fighter Force Is at Two-Thirds Strength

Aerospace & Defense

China Says Its 2-Seat J-20S Stealth Fighter Is Now Meant to Strike Ships at Sea. It Has Not Named a Single Anti-Ship Missile for the Jet or Said Whether One Fits Inside Its Weapons Bays

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