70 years of the Phantom

70 years of the Phantom

Jul 16, 2025 | American, Other Military Aviation

On July 25, 2025, the F-4 Phantom marks 70 years since the US Navy contracted McDonnell Aircraft Corporation to build two XF4H-1 prototypes. Ordered in 1955, just ten years after World War II, the Phantom entered service with multiple armed forces globally and remains...
F-47 Unveiled

F-47 Unveiled

Jul 16, 2025 | American, Other Military Aviation

On March 21, 2025, the White House announced the US Air Force’s first sixth-generation fighter, the F-47, with President Trump announcing Boeing as the prime contractor. Prototypes have clocked hundreds of flight hours over the past five years, developed under the...
Before the U-2 there was the Bell X-16

Before the U-2 there was the Bell X-16

Jul 16, 2025 | American, Other Military Aviation

Introduction In the late 1950s, the Lockheed U-2 entered service as the most advanced reconnaissance aircraft of its time. Designed for extreme altitudes, equipped with state-of-the-art cameras, and initially beyond the reach of Soviet defences, it was a technological...
The Lost Potential of the Tomcat

The Lost Potential of the Tomcat

Jul 16, 2025 | American, Other Military Aviation

In the 1970s, the US Navy would be elevated to a new standard. The arrival of the first Alpha model F-14 Tomcats in September 1974, and their first deployment to Vietnam with VF-1 and VF-2 signalled the beginning of a new era in air combat. Roughly coinciding with the...