The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operated 24 McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II fighter-bomber aircraft in the ground attack role between 1970 and 1973. The Phantoms were leased from the United States Air Force (USAF) as an interim measure owing to delays in the delivery of the RAAF’s 24 General Dynamics F-111C bombers. The F-4Es…
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With the F-16 still one of the most prolific Western Fighter Jets in service today, Lockheed Martin has not stood still when it comes to keeping this beautiful but deadly lady up-to-date with modern technologies. Designed to operate to 2070 and beyond, the new Block 70 is built on the capabilities of the F-16V advanced…
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The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. It was the first such U.S. jet fighter with twin tails. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy’s Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the collapse of the F-111B project. The F-14 was the first of the American…
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Video Credit: Destiny Video Transcript: [Note: the transcript was produced by a computer, so is NOT 100% accurate. Apologies for that, but over time it will be cleaned up.] What do we mean when we say fifth generation fighter when it comes to fighter jets? The modern world is currently in a transition. The combat…
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The above video is an extended interview between Matthew Burchette (the curator of the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum) & former USN F-14 Pilot Richard “Spud” Webb. They’re discussing everyone’s favourite USN Interceptor – the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which is on display in the museum. What’s extra cool is that this particular…
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The Grumman X-29 was an American experimental aircraft that tested a forward-swept wing, canard control surfaces, and other novel aircraft technologies. The X-29 was developed by Grumman, and the two built were flown by NASA and the United States Air Force. The aerodynamic instability of the X-29’s airframe required the use of computerized fly-by-wire control.…
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The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is a planned stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) that is to be deployed by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was initially designated XQ-222. The Valkyrie successfully completed its first flight on 5 March 2019 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. Design objectives The XQ-58 Valkyrie falls within the USAF…
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Article referenced: The Air Force’s Next (6th Generation) Great Fighter Jet Could Cost $300 Million Apiece. The project called Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) will replace the F-22 Raptor … if the Air Force can afford it, that is. I’m gonna get some haters for this opinion, but spending this kind of money on these (so…
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The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,600 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976.…
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Join Curator Matthew Burchette from the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, as he visits Buckley AFB (in Aurora, Colorado) and gets to check out the sexy (but deadly) F16 Viper. Matthew is guided through the tour by Lt Col Craig “Lobo” Wolf, F-16 fighter pilot with the 120th Fighter Squadron. Lobo has…
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