US Air Force Archives

Test pilots with the 461st Flight Test Squadron, 412th Test Wing, return to Edwards Air Force Base, California, on January 21 after conducting a TR-3 AIM-120 live fire mission over the Pacific Test Range. The F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards is responsible for developmental testing of all three F-35 aircraft variants across the joint-services. (Courtesy Photo)

Aerospace & Defense

The Former Canadian CF-18 Pilot Who Said in 2011 That the F-35 Was “Not the Right Plane for Canada” Is Now the Minister Deciding How Many Canada Buys. Stephen Fuhr Has Committed to 16 of the 88 Jets Ottawa Announced.

Fuhr also runs the Defence Investment Agency, created by Prime Minister Mark Carney last October to cut through a procurement system known for cumbersome...

Georgia GilholySeptember 14, 2026

An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, deployed to Kadena Air Base, sit on the flight line during base-wide operational readiness exercise BH 26-1 at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 3, 2025. Kadena serves as a critical element in deterring potential adversaries through its demonstrated strength and commitment to regional security.

Aerospace & Defense

The Pentagon Is Paying $24,290,000,000 for 296 F-35 Fighters. The Engines Were Not Included. With Them, One F-35A Now Costs $92,000,000.

The Pentagon has put a price on the newest F-35s in today's dollars for the first time. An Air Force F-35A from Lots 18...

Jack BuckbySeptember 14, 2026

Forty-nine F-16 Vipers and MQ-9 Reapers assigned to the 49th Wing line up on the runway during an elephant walk at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, April 21, 2023. The 49th Wing is the Air Force’s largest F-16 and MQ-9 formal training unit, building combat aircrew pilots and sensor operators ready for any future conflicts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo)

Aerospace & Defense

Ukraine’s F-16s Have Shot Down 2,500 Russian Drones in Two Years. Now Pilots Are Using the 20mm Cannon Because Missiles Are Running Low.

Ukraine waited years for the F-16, and for more than two years the jets have flown combat missions. They never fought the air-superiority campaign...

Jack BuckbySeptember 14, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

A US Air Force SR-71 Blackbird Came Apart Around Pilot Bill Weaver at Mach 3.2 and 78,000 Feet. He Never Pulled the Handle — the Aircraft Threw Him Out. He Survived and Was Flying Again 2 Weeks Later.

The pressure suit did the work. It kept his blood from boiling at 78,000 feet, fed him oxygen, and its ejection system deployed a...

Isaac SeitzSeptember 14, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

The Youngest B-52 Was Built in 1962 and the US Air Force Plans to Fly It Until 2050 — 88 Years in Service. In Early March 2026, B-52s Struck Ballistic Missile Sites Inside Iran for the First Time.

The B-52H is being re-engined with Rolls-Royce F130s for a 30 percent fuel efficiency gain, and the old AN/APQ-166 is being replaced with an...

Steve BalestrieriSeptember 14, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

Sorry, F-35: South Korea Flew 6 KF-21 Boramae Prototypes on Nearly 1,600 Sorties Over 42 Months and Declared Development Complete in July 2026.

Forty KF-21 Block I aircraft are contracted for delivery by 2028, with 80 Block II to follow, at about $83 million and $112 million...

Brandon WeichertSeptember 14, 2026

A Royal Norwegian F-35A Lightning II attached to the 132nd Air Wing, 332nd squadron, is staged during a forward arming and refueling point operation during exercise Cold Response. Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 273, Marine Air Control Group 28, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, established a forward arming and refueling point allows aviation assets to rapidly receive fuel and ordnance closer to the area of operations, which increases their operational tempo and lethality during exercise Cold Response 26. A key component of NATO's enhanced vigilance activity Arctic Sentry, exercise Cold Response 26 is a Norwegian-led winter military exercise designed to enhance collective defense capabilities and ensure U.S. readiness to rapidly deploy and seamlessly operate alongside NATO Allies in challenging arctic conditions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Donovan Pimentel)

Aerospace & Defense

Canada Agreed to Buy 88 F-35As and Has Formally Committed to 16. The Official Now Running Canadian Defence Procurement Is a Former CF-18 Pilot Who Told the CBC in 2011 That the F-35 Was “Not the Right Plane for Canada.”

Canada's acquisition budget for 88 F-35s, infrastructure and support runs to C$27.7 billion, and Ottawa is committed to the first 16. In February it...

Georgia GilholySeptember 14, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

‘Death Is Imminent!’: An SR-71 Blackbird Lost Its Entire Nose Section in a Collision With Its Own Tanker at Altitude. Both Crewmen Ejected and Both Survived.

The SR-71 Blackbird managed roughly 2,000 nautical miles on internal fuel. With KC-135Q tankers positioned along the route, missions ran past 12,000. The fastest...

Jack BuckbySeptember 14, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

‘Usually Only in the Single Digits’: Just a Tiny Amount of Donated American-Made F-16 Fighters Can Fly for Ukraine Against Russia Because of Spare Parts Problems

Moving past the F-16: Every new-build fighter now scheduled for Ukraine is European. Twenty JAS-39E/F Gripens are on contract against a letter of intent...

Reuben JohnsonSeptember 14, 2026

SR-71 Blackbird Above the Earth Creative Commons Artist Image

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force SR-71 Blackbird Has a Dirty Little Secret: It Could Hit Mach 3.5 Speeds and 85,000 Feet Thanks to Titanium Alloy and Special Fuel and Engines

On July 28, 1976, Robert Helt and Larry Elliott took an SR-71 above 85,000 feet in sustained horizontal flight. The same day, a second...

Jack BuckbySeptember 14, 2026

19FortyFive

All posts tagged "US Air Force"

Aerospace & Defense

The Former Canadian CF-18 Pilot Who Said in 2011 That the F-35 Was “Not the Right Plane for Canada” Is Now the Minister Deciding How Many Canada Buys. Stephen Fuhr Has Committed to 16 of the 88 Jets Ottawa Announced.

Aerospace & Defense

The Pentagon Is Paying $24,290,000,000 for 296 F-35 Fighters. The Engines Were Not Included. With Them, One F-35A Now Costs $92,000,000.

Aerospace & Defense

Ukraine’s F-16s Have Shot Down 2,500 Russian Drones in Two Years. Now Pilots Are Using the 20mm Cannon Because Missiles Are Running Low.

Aerospace & Defense

A US Air Force SR-71 Blackbird Came Apart Around Pilot Bill Weaver at Mach 3.2 and 78,000 Feet. He Never Pulled the Handle — the Aircraft Threw Him Out. He Survived and Was Flying Again 2 Weeks Later.

Aerospace & Defense

The Youngest B-52 Was Built in 1962 and the US Air Force Plans to Fly It Until 2050 — 88 Years in Service. In Early March 2026, B-52s Struck Ballistic Missile Sites Inside Iran for the First Time.

Aerospace & Defense

Sorry, F-35: South Korea Flew 6 KF-21 Boramae Prototypes on Nearly 1,600 Sorties Over 42 Months and Declared Development Complete in July 2026.

Aerospace & Defense

Canada Agreed to Buy 88 F-35As and Has Formally Committed to 16. The Official Now Running Canadian Defence Procurement Is a Former CF-18 Pilot Who Told the CBC in 2011 That the F-35 Was “Not the Right Plane for Canada.”

Aerospace & Defense

‘Death Is Imminent!’: An SR-71 Blackbird Lost Its Entire Nose Section in a Collision With Its Own Tanker at Altitude. Both Crewmen Ejected and Both Survived.

Aerospace & Defense

‘Usually Only in the Single Digits’: Just a Tiny Amount of Donated American-Made F-16 Fighters Can Fly for Ukraine Against Russia Because of Spare Parts Problems

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force SR-71 Blackbird Has a Dirty Little Secret: It Could Hit Mach 3.5 Speeds and 85,000 Feet Thanks to Titanium Alloy and Special Fuel and Engines

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