News

Meet the Air Force's New Flying Multi-Tool: The Skyraider II Hits 18 in Service

The U.S. Air Force just hit a milestone with its newest light attack aircraft. As of this week, 18 OA-1K Skyraider II planes are officially in service, with more rolling out before October. Air Force Special Operations Command isn't shy...

Ejection Seats Earn Their Paycheck: Two Navy Growlers Tangle Over Idaho

The phrase “return on investment” doesn’t usually come up in defense budgeting discussions, but on Sunday afternoon outside Mountain Home Air Force Base, four Navy aviators delivered a vivid reminder of what those $300,000 Martin-Baker ejection seats are actually for....

80 Kills, 80 Canvases: The Artist Who Painted Every One of the Red Baron's Victories

Most aviation buffs can name the Red Baron. Far fewer can name the man who spent years painting every single one of his 80 aerial victories — but they probably should.Thomas La Padula, a New York-based aviation artist and decades-long...

Goose, We're Going Back: Congress Wants to Save the Last F-14 Tomcats from the Boneyard

If you've ever felt the need... the need for speed, you're going to like this one. The U.S. Senate just passed something called the Maverick Act, and yes, it's named exactly the way you think it is. The bill could...

Goodbye Sonic Boom: How NASA's X-59 Is Rewriting the Rules of Supersonic Flight

For decades, the dream of zipping across continents at supersonic speed crashed against one stubborn problem: the sonic boom. Anyone unlucky enough to be standing under a passing Concorde knew the drill — windows rattled, dogs barked, and entire neighborhoods...