US Air Force Archives

Aerospace & Defense

The Dassault Rafale Fighter Costs About $16,500 an Hour to Fly and an F-35A Costs About $42,000. The Rafale Is Not Stealthy, and It Is Selling Better Than It Ever Has.

The Rafale entered service in 2001 and by any normal measure should be aging out. Instead it is in the middle of the largest...

Steve BalestrieriSeptember 9, 2026

U.S. Air Force Capt. Nick “Laz” Le Tourneau, pilot and commander of the F-22 Raptor Aerial Demonstration Team, performs an aerial demonstration during the 52nd Annual SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, April 18, 2026. Capt. Le Tourneau showcased the unmatched capabilities of the F-22 to the SUN ‘n FUN crowds by performing multiple series of combat maneuvers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lauren Diaz)

Aerospace & Defense

A $68,000,000 US Navy EA-18G Growler Simulated the Shootdown of a $143,000,000 US Air Force F-22 Raptor at Nellis in 2009. The Navy Pilot Painted an F-22 Silhouette on His Cockpit.

The F-22 Raptor was built so that American pilots could kill enemy fighters before those pilots ever saw them, at nearly $143,000,000 per aircraft....

Brandon WeichertSeptember 9, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

The US Space Force X-37B Spaceplane Is 29 Feet Long, Weighs 11,000 Pounds and Has a Payload Bay 7 Feet Long. Nobody Outside the Program Has Ever Been Told What Goes Inside It.

The X-37B is 29 feet long with a 15-foot wingspan, weighs 11,000 pounds, and has a payload bay about 7 feet long. It launches...

Harrison KassSeptember 9, 2026

A-12 Avenger II Creative Commons Computer Mock Up from 2023

Aerospace & Defense

The US Navy Fixed a Price on Stealth Technology Nobody Had Invented Yet, and the A-12 Avenger II Never Flew. 35 Years Later Boeing Lost $4,900,000,000 in a Single Year on the Same Kind of Contract.

Lockheed refused to bid. Northrop refused to bid, and told the Navy its cost estimate was at least $2,000,000,000 short. The contract fixed a...

Harry J. KazianisSeptember 9, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

“We Had Raptor Salad for Lunch.” German Eurofighter Typhoon Pilots Said That After Beating US Air Force F-22 Raptors at Red Flag 2012, Then Painted Raptor Kill Decals on Their Fuselages.

The Luftwaffe sent 8 Eurofighter Typhoons and 150 personnel to Alaska in 2012 for two weeks of Red Flag. In close-range basic fighter maneuvers,...

Brent M. EastwoodSeptember 9, 2026

Maj. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe demonstrates the capabilities of the F-35A Lighting II, a single seat, single engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighter aircraft, during a practice flight with the F-35 Demonstration Team at Hill Air Force Base, Utah Feb. 6, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jack Rodgers)

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force F-35 Lightning II Went 20 to 1 Against Aggressor F-16s at Red Flag 2017. In Stealth Configuration It Carries Only 4 AMRAAM Missiles, and the F-16 Pilots Worked That Out.

The F-35 Lightning II reportedly finished Red Flag 2017 with a 20:1 kill ratio, killing aggressor F-16s that never knew they had been seen....

Harrison KassSeptember 9, 2026

A B-21 Raider test aircraft lands at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., during ongoing developmental flight testing, Sept. 11, 2025. The B-21 will be the backbone of the bomber fleet; it will incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers. (U.S Air Force photo by Todd Schannuth)

Aerospace & Defense

Chinese Researchers Ran the US Air Force B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Through Their Own Simulation Software Using Nothing but Public Photographs, and Say They Found Aerodynamic Flaws in It.

Researchers at the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre say they have identified aerodynamic and stability weaknesses in the US Air Force's B-21 Raider...

Harrison KassSeptember 9, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force Wanted to Retire All 162 A-10 Warthogs in 2026. Congress Wrote a Law Forcing It to Keep 126 of Them Flying Until 2033 and Named the Law After the Sound the Gun Makes.

The US Air Force wanted every remaining A-10 Warthog gone in the FY2026 budget cycle — all 162 of them, two years ahead of...

Brandon WeichertSeptember 8, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

Boeing Spent $67,000,000 of Its Own Money Building YF-118G Bird of Prey Stealth Aircraft. It Flew 38 Times on Landing Gear From a Beech King Air and an Ejection Seat From a Harrier.

Boeing paid for the YF-118G Bird of Prey out of its own pocket — roughly $67,000,000 — to prove that an all-aspect stealth aircraft...

Steve BalestrieriSeptember 8, 2026

A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, flies a training mission over southeast United States, March 23, 2026. The 96th Test Wing and 53rd Wing perform developmental and operational test series on the platform including next-generation survivability, radars, sensors and networking capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Blake Wiles)

Aerospace & Defense

Forget the F-35 Stealth Fighter: At 87,000,000,000 Operations Per Second, the US Air Force F-15EX Eagle II Is a Real Flying Supercomputer

The F-15EX Eagle II is not stealthy and the US Air Force bought it anyway. It flies at Mach 2.5 against the F-35's Mach...

Kris OsbornSeptember 8, 2026

19FortyFive

All posts tagged "US Air Force"

Aerospace & Defense

The Dassault Rafale Fighter Costs About $16,500 an Hour to Fly and an F-35A Costs About $42,000. The Rafale Is Not Stealthy, and It Is Selling Better Than It Ever Has.

Aerospace & Defense

A $68,000,000 US Navy EA-18G Growler Simulated the Shootdown of a $143,000,000 US Air Force F-22 Raptor at Nellis in 2009. The Navy Pilot Painted an F-22 Silhouette on His Cockpit.

Aerospace & Defense

The US Space Force X-37B Spaceplane Is 29 Feet Long, Weighs 11,000 Pounds and Has a Payload Bay 7 Feet Long. Nobody Outside the Program Has Ever Been Told What Goes Inside It.

Aerospace & Defense

The US Navy Fixed a Price on Stealth Technology Nobody Had Invented Yet, and the A-12 Avenger II Never Flew. 35 Years Later Boeing Lost $4,900,000,000 in a Single Year on the Same Kind of Contract.

Aerospace & Defense

“We Had Raptor Salad for Lunch.” German Eurofighter Typhoon Pilots Said That After Beating US Air Force F-22 Raptors at Red Flag 2012, Then Painted Raptor Kill Decals on Their Fuselages.

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force F-35 Lightning II Went 20 to 1 Against Aggressor F-16s at Red Flag 2017. In Stealth Configuration It Carries Only 4 AMRAAM Missiles, and the F-16 Pilots Worked That Out.

Aerospace & Defense

Chinese Researchers Ran the US Air Force B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Through Their Own Simulation Software Using Nothing but Public Photographs, and Say They Found Aerodynamic Flaws in It.

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force Wanted to Retire All 162 A-10 Warthogs in 2026. Congress Wrote a Law Forcing It to Keep 126 of Them Flying Until 2033 and Named the Law After the Sound the Gun Makes.

Aerospace & Defense

Boeing Spent $67,000,000 of Its Own Money Building YF-118G Bird of Prey Stealth Aircraft. It Flew 38 Times on Landing Gear From a Beech King Air and an Ejection Seat From a Harrier.

Aerospace & Defense

Forget the F-35 Stealth Fighter: At 87,000,000,000 Operations Per Second, the US Air Force F-15EX Eagle II Is a Real Flying Supercomputer

Trending

Recent Posts

Archives