US Air Force Archives

Aerospace & Defense

America Spent the Summer Insulting Canada. Canada Answered by Buying Australian Radar and Swedish Aircraft — and Both Purchases Feed NORAD.

Read the last three months as a divorce and you will get Canada wrong. Ottawa is cutting its dependence on American defense manufacturers and...

Andrew LathamSeptember 4, 2026

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron undergoes pre-flight checks prior to a mission in support of Bomber Task Force 25-1, at Andersen Air Force Base, Jan. 31, 2025. The United States will continue to assure Allies and partners while simultaneously deterring opportunistic acts of aggression through forward presence and the ability to rapidly respond to crises. (U.S. Air Force photos by Airman 1st Class Alec Carlberg)

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force’s B-1B Lancer Proved Its Power During the Iran War But There Is Bad News: The Bomber Is Nearing the End of the Line

Operational demand and aircraft losses have reversed the drawdown. The Air Force is regenerating 1980s B-1B Lancer airframes from desert storage at the same...

Harrison KassSeptember 4, 2026

A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California, departs for an evening test mission over the Mojave Desert. The B-52H test fleet is in high demand, testing a variety of advanced capabilities for the joint-force. The 412th Test Wing will soon begin developmental test work on new avionics, radar, and engines as part of the B-52J effort, allowing the Stratofortress to serve the warfighter into the 2050's. (Air Force photo by Todd Schannuth)

Aerospace & Defense

B-52: Over 70 Years Ago, America Built a Bomber to End the World in a Russia War. It Never Did, and It Will Still Be Flying in 2050

What will happen when the B-52 finally reaches its 100-year service milestone? Who knows. Either way, the BUFF has already made its mark on...

Isaac SeitzSeptember 1, 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 for the Chicago Air and Water Show in Chicago, Illinois, August 14, 2026. The F-22 is designed to perform high-performance maneuvers that showcase its maneuverability and control in flight. The visible vapor forms when rapid changes in air pressure and humidity around the aircraft cause water vapor in the air to condense. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mary Bowers)

Aerospace & Defense

The Air Force Built 195 F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighters at $350,000,000 Each. They Have Just 3 Air-to-Air Kills, and Not One Was an Aircraft.

The Air Force originally planned to buy 750 Advanced Tactical Fighters. The number came down in stages until fewer than 200 were built and...

Isaac SeitzSeptember 1, 2026

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer attached to the 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, banks right with the wings in the swept position over the Pacific Ocean after taking off from Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, June 12, 2022. Bomber missions contribute to joint force lethality and deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by demonstrating United States Air Force ability to operate anywhere in the world at any time in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Technical Sgt. Chris Hibben)

Aerospace & Defense

Air Force B-52, B-1B Lancer and B-2 Stealth Bombers Ruled the Skies Over Iran But Tehran’s Air Defenses Aren’t Completely Wiped Out Just Yet

Six months of American and Israeli air attacks destroyed Iranian radars, command centers and S-300 batteries. They did not destroy the network. The proof...

Brandon WeichertSeptember 1, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

A US Air Force SR-71A Blackbird Had Something To Prove In Its ‘Last Operational Mission’: She Went Mach 3.2 and Did LA to DC in 64 Minutes

The Air Force did not retire the SR-71 because something better came along. Nothing better exists. On March 6, 1990, Lieutenant Colonel Ed Yielding...

Caleb LarsonSeptember 1, 2026

President of the United States Donald Trump speaking at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. By Gage Skidmore.

The Embassy

Trump Just Put Iran on Autopilot and America’s Enemies Should Worry

American forces struck Iranian positions preparing to fire mine-carrying missiles into the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran answered with a handful of missiles that reportedly...

James Jay CarafanoAugust 31, 2026

SR-72 Artist Rendering. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Aerospace & Defense

The Lockheed Martin SR-72 ‘Son of Blackbird’: It Could Hit Mach 6 and 80,000 Feet But No One Really Knows If It Exists

The complete SR-72 Darkstar guide: the 2013 reveal, Lockheed's statements, the 2018 vanishing, the Top Gun mockup, and where the Mach 6 program stands...

Harry J. KazianisAugust 31, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

80,000 Feet and We Have ‘Cracks’: The SR-71 Blackbird Could Hit Mach 3 and Fly to the Edge of Space but the Titanium Skin That Made That All Possible Faced 1,000 Degree Temps

SR-71 Blackbird engineers found that spot-welded titanium parts made in summer were failing early in service, while parts welded in winter held up. Nothing...

Steve BalestrieriAugust 29, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

In the 1960s, Russia Sold Titanium to the US for the Air Force SR-71 Blackbird Spy Plane: The Cover Story Might Have Been Pizza Ovens

The SR-71 aircraft designed to outrun and out-photograph the Soviet Union had a problem: it had to be made of titanium, and the Soviets...

Steve BalestrieriAugust 28, 2026

19FortyFive

All posts tagged "US Air Force"

Aerospace & Defense

America Spent the Summer Insulting Canada. Canada Answered by Buying Australian Radar and Swedish Aircraft — and Both Purchases Feed NORAD.

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force’s B-1B Lancer Proved Its Power During the Iran War But There Is Bad News: The Bomber Is Nearing the End of the Line

Aerospace & Defense

B-52: Over 70 Years Ago, America Built a Bomber to End the World in a Russia War. It Never Did, and It Will Still Be Flying in 2050

Aerospace & Defense

The Air Force Built 195 F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighters at $350,000,000 Each. They Have Just 3 Air-to-Air Kills, and Not One Was an Aircraft.

Aerospace & Defense

Air Force B-52, B-1B Lancer and B-2 Stealth Bombers Ruled the Skies Over Iran But Tehran’s Air Defenses Aren’t Completely Wiped Out Just Yet

Aerospace & Defense

A US Air Force SR-71A Blackbird Had Something To Prove In Its ‘Last Operational Mission’: She Went Mach 3.2 and Did LA to DC in 64 Minutes

The Embassy

Trump Just Put Iran on Autopilot and America’s Enemies Should Worry

Aerospace & Defense

The Lockheed Martin SR-72 ‘Son of Blackbird’: It Could Hit Mach 6 and 80,000 Feet But No One Really Knows If It Exists

Aerospace & Defense

80,000 Feet and We Have ‘Cracks’: The SR-71 Blackbird Could Hit Mach 3 and Fly to the Edge of Space but the Titanium Skin That Made That All Possible Faced 1,000 Degree Temps

Aerospace & Defense

In the 1960s, Russia Sold Titanium to the US for the Air Force SR-71 Blackbird Spy Plane: The Cover Story Might Have Been Pizza Ovens

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