History

James Maitland Stewart was an American actor and military officer who is among the most honored and popular stars in film history. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart had a film career that spanned over 55 years and 80 films. With the strong morality he portrayed …

On Mar. 6, 1990, SR-71 Blackbird S/N 61-7972 (tail number #972) made its final flight from Edwards Air Force Base, California, to Washington DC to be retired and put on display at The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile …

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft that was developed by Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The F-117 was based on the Have Blue technology demonstrator. The Nighthawk was the first operational aircraft to be …

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Streak Eagle is currently in storage at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. This aircraft can be viewed on the Behind the Scenes Tours. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ken LaRock) The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, high performance, all-weather air …

The F-4 Phantom II entered the U.S. Air Force (USAF) inventory in 1963 and was the primary multi-role air in the USAF throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The F-4 flew bombing, combat air patrol, fighter escort, reconnaissance, and the famous Wild Weasel anti-aircraft missile suppression missions. It was also flown …

Pan Am Flight 103 was a regularly scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via London and New York. 31 years ago on 21 December 1988, N739PA, the aircraft operating the transatlantic leg of the route was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew …

Russian Air Force MiG-25RB – Credits: Alex Beltyukov via Wikipedia China’s PLA tested its first nuclear weapon in 1964 and its first thermonuclear weapon just three years later in 1967. Testing continued until 1996, and the military continued to develop higher payload weapons with smaller and lighter warheads to allow …

on Mar. 19, 1990, a U.S. Air Force (USAF) Elmendorf Air Force Base (AFB) F-15 Eagle was accidentally hit by an AIM-9M Sidewinder missile fired from another USAF F-15. As can be seen by looking at the photo, the missile caused extensive damage to the tail section of the aircraft …

An F-15E Strike Eagle at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew) Boeing and the U.S. Air Force claim that the F-15 Eagle has a clear-cut win-to-loss ratio of 104 to zero. However, Has Any Fighter jet Ever managed to Shot Down an F-15 …

Near the end of the Cold War, in an operation that seems made for a major Hollywood movie, a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy transport plane discreetly flew U.S. Army special operators (Night Stalkers) and a pair of MH-47D Chinooks from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment to the African …