U.S. Air Force Militaire et armes

Why was the F-117 retired so quickly?

Quite simply, the F-117 could do a lot of things, but nothing so exceptionally well that made it functionally unique and irreplaceable by other aircraft that were either already in service or soon to enter service. In fact,…

Why would some military pilots prefer riding a plane into a crash than ejecting?

All the answers so far are great, and they go into details that are correct. But I think there are two big-picture points that should be emphasized, which most people not familiar with aviation miss: The inside of…

Why did the Flying Tigers decorate their planes with shark teeth instead of decorating with tiger teeth or calling themselves the Flying Sharks?

In describing the genesis of the name “Flying Tigers” and the group’s insignia, Claire L. Chennault, their commander explains: “Before I left the United States in the summer of 1941, I asked a few friends in Louisiana to…

Is a revisited F-18 Super Hornet better than a F-35 JSF?

In the age of modern avionics and sensors, technology wins. The F35 might not have the turn rate or thrust to weight ratio, or even comparable wing loadings (I have not checked so it could be superior in…

Why doesn’t the USAF modify a C-5 Galaxy to serve as a bigger version of the B-52? They’re both bright dots on radar anyway.

Would you want a Ford Aerostar as your choice of vehicle for a NASCAR event? Hell, no. Same principle for one reason. They are built for different missions. The C-5 Galaxy is not built to house weapons for…

Can unmanned QF-16s actually be made for active service?

Thanks for the oppt’y to answer your question, Tyler! Boeing is the defense contractor with the modification program for the QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target (FSAT). Boeing’s aircraft modification line is located at the former Naval Air Station-Cecil Field…

How does the B-52 compare to the Xian H-6?

Overwhelmingly superior. Now I know that you shouldn’t ‘judge a book by its cover’, but let’s just look at their appearance and see: B-52H Stratofortress Xian H-6 As you can see – one thing that is certain is…

If you had $1 trillion to build an air force to protect a small country, what planes would you pick (assuming maintenance, hangars, bases, runways, etc. were taken care of)? Why?

A trillion dollars to protect a nation. Honestly, an Air Force would not be my priority in the conventional sense. Air units by and large are part of a Joint offensive capability. There are two approaches. One high…

What is the controversy about USAF’s new tactical fighter?

Basically costs and the fact that it is a military procurement. There are those who oppose practically any military procurement and the cost of the F-35 makes it a very easy, very big target. Then there are the…

U.S. Air Force: What did the Pentagon learn from Operation Chimichanga?

First, what is Operation Chimichanga? David Cenciotti at The Aviation blogs: Dubbed Operation Chimichanga, the exercise saw three B-1 bombers from the 37th Bomb Squadron flying from Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, to Fort Yukon, Alaska to conduct a…