Summary and Key Points: China’s official military news site recently showcased photos of the Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” in an “elephant walk” formation, a display often used to show force. -China’s first fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-20, was built in 1990 as part of Beijing’s J-XX program and entered service in 2017. It has sophisticated stealth … Read more
Summary and Key Points: Russia’s Soviet-era main battle tanks, such as the T-55s, T-62s, T-72s, T-80s, and T-90s, have been decimated by Western-supplied anti-tank weaponry during the Ukraine invasion. The deployment of the latest T-14 Armata tanks was short-lived in Ukraine, with claims they were too valuable for continued use. -Recent sources indicate that improved versions … Read more
Humanity has always been fascinated by flight, so when the Wright Brothers developed their Wright Flyer and successfully completed powered flight on December 17, 1903, humanity was finally able to take to the skies. The variety of designs was staggering among the millions of aircraft produced over the following decades, with more than 68,000 of … Read more
Although the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane are perhaps more famous, the aircraft that most embodies the Royal Air Force (RAF) in World War II may be the de Havilland Mosquito. As the Nazi war machine grew rapidly in Germany, the British Air Ministry was looking for a short to medium range bomber. Although the … Read more
Founded in 1912, the Lougheed Aircraft Manufacturing Company took advantage of the burgeoning aviation industry that emerged shortly after the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk. Shortly before the Great Depression forced the firm into bankruptcy in 1926, the name was changed to Lockheed Aircraft Firm. After some time, the business was taken over … Read more
Quick Links Ever since the release of the first Star Wars trilogy, fans have wanted to board a ship and take part in a massive space battle. The X-Wing Starfighter is the most famous of all spaceships. Given how often the famous ship appeared in the film, almost any fan of the franchise should be … Read more
The first operational fighter aircraft of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, eventually designated the F-80. Although German aircraft are frequently highlighted in conversations about aviation technology during World War II, the P-80 had a major impact and shaped aviation technology going forward. Development of jet technology during … Read more
On July 19, 1918, at 11:00 a.m., an explosion occurred on the port side of the Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser USS San Diego (ACR-6), formerly known as USS California. The ship sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in less than half an hour. Since no one took credit for the attack, historians had to … Read more
Summary and Key Points: On July 19, 1957, the U.S. Air Force tested the MB-1 Genie, a nuclear air-to-air rocket, by launching it from an F-89J Scorpion over Yucca Flats, Nevada. -Part of the Plumbob John series, this test demonstrated that Genie could shoot down approaching bombers. -Although it was never used in combat, the genie … Read more
The DC-7, a variant of the DC-6 produced by Douglas Aircraft Company between 1953 and 1958, was designed to fly the entire length of the United States in eight hours. Unlike the successful DC-3 and DC-6, the DC-7 was Douglas’ final piston-engine aircraft, and none of them are still in service today. Douglas was initially … Read more
