united states air force

Taken from Structural Design Considerations for Cold Thrust Augmentation Fighter Concepts.

In the late 1970s Sandia explored the design of a maneuvering glide bomb, the Extended Range Bomb: "Aerodynamic Design of an Extended Range Bomb" https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/3.57916 "TIGER -- A technology to improve the delivery capability of nuclear bombs and the survivability of the...

News just came over the transom to me. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/bill-anders-apollo-8-astronaut-took-earthrise-photo-dies-plane-crash-w-rcna156149

https://www.airforcetimes.com/veterans/military-history/2024/05/20/bud-anderson-americas-last-world-war-ii-triple-ace-dies-at-102/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=air-dnr Bud´s Old Crow aircraft https://toflyandfight.com/the-p-51-mustang/the-old-crow/ RiP

I don’t think anyone was too aware of this until news that Boeing was eliminated from the competition,(https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/boeing-eliminated-us-air-forces-doomsday-plane-competition-2023-12-01/) so who will make this next “doomsday” plane? Northrop Grumman building...

Does anybody remember the A-7/stealth pod cover stories from the mid 80's. I remember some pics and the basic cover story but can't find anything about it anywhere now.

Does anyone know the final disposition of the Terex MX Transporter Emplacer (TE)? This vehicle was designed to support MX deployment in a system of multiple protective shelters linked by above ground roads, the so-called "Racetrack" proposal. In 1979, President Carter announced that 200 MX...

In the January 16, 2020 article "Triplesonic Interceptors: The F-103, F-108, and YF-12A", Tony R. Landis of the Air Force Material Command History Office briefly mentioned an "I-70" interceptor version of the North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie. According to Landis (2020), the "I-70" was...

https://thespacereview.com/article/4479/1

Confess that this one has me stumped. What is under the port wing? My guess is that it is some kind of a drone, but it is far smaller than the only two-engine drone I can think of (CT41) other than modified Bomarc. The rest of the load-out is pretty eccentric as well - Harpoon, Maverick and is...

The latest work of my friend Davide Sivolella an aeronautical engineer and a skilled author, who lives in England. If you want to learn about never realized Space Shuttle versions, this is the right book...

Found this reference to USAF fighters escorting Kennedy on his famous visit to West Berlin. https://www.panam.org/pan-am-stories/632-a-dangerous-game I had always assumed that no Western combat aircraft had flown through the air corridors to Berlin during the Cold War. There were plans for...

A space weapon concept model from 1961-62. More jibberjabber here: https://www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/?p=5018

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/09/13/an-f-16-pilot-died-when-his-ejection-seat-failed-was-it-counterfeit/ Lovely.

A more theoretical question than alternative history, was there any interest within SAC to develop a "Heavy" ICBM to match the R-36's capabilities? If so, could it fit within the existing Titan II launch sites? Titan II and R-36 are somewhat surprisingly similar in diameter and height, though...

As we all know, the USAF went into Vietnam without a dedicated air superiority fighter and suffered for it, particularly in the early years with unreliable sparrows/sidewinders, no cannons on the Phantoms, and inadequate BFM training. Que the arrival of the F-4E, along with better missiles and...

https://thespacereview.com/article/4440/1

After WWII the US military developed a large scale exercise using a fake country called Aggressor. They were known as the Trigonist (see Circle Trigonist link, their flag, manuals, etc.) and the military developed a plethora of information and documentation to support these operations. I thought...

Associated with McDonnell-Douglas' Long Range Interceptor (LRI) studies in 1954. Drawing is of the Model 111A weapons bay which could carry 3. Model Description Date Model 103A AIR TO AIR MISSILE CARRYING SPECIAL WARHEAD. 24000LB. THRUST MOTOR. LENGTH 110 INCHES. FIXED FINS. SOLID ROCKET...

Boeing https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/boeing-model-731-for-system-476l-c-141-rival.21959 Douglas https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/douglas-d-2085-logistic-transport-support-system-ss-476l.20057/ Lockheed...