Air Power

Range report: grouping so good it made the instructor pause. Not bad for a day out 😉 Btw that's a CZ TS 2.

It may not look the part, but in the right hands, the Mirage 2000 can be a crazy knife-fighter. Instantaneous turn rate of up to 30°/sec, roll rate of 270°/sec, and the ability to override limits to pull 13.5g in a pinch. It may bleed speed, but it will out-turn you while doing…

#News: Poland just leased AIM-9P AAMs from South Korea for its FA-50 jets. Yes, "leased!" 😀 Why? Because the sale of new AIM-9Xs to Poland is still pending Washington's approval. The country is literally renting 1970s-era AAMs to arm its jets while the paperwork crawls along.

A Viper driver from the 480th FS "Warhawks" conducting pre-flight checks. 480th is the only USAF unit in Europe to fly F-16CJs, specializing in SEAD missions.

The AC-130’s 105mm howitzer is the biggest gun ever mounted on an aircraft - but do you know who had the second biggest? The WWII-era B-25G Mitchell carried a 75mm M4 cannon, nearly identical to the one carried by the Sherman tank. Designed for anti-ship and ground attack roles,…

The Avro Lancaster and Avro Vulcan, two generations of legendary British bombers flying together. Did you know their first flights were just 11 years apart? From piston engines to nuclear-capable jets in barely a decade - a gigantic leap in capability.

Pacific Update! A pair of Eagle IIs from the 85th TES have arrived at Kadena AB for integration and familiarization training. The USAF plans to deploy 36 F-15EXs to Japan by spring 2026, replacing the F-15Cs that departed Kadena in January 2025.

An F-14A from VF-142 "Ghostriders" arriving at RAF Greenham Common for IAT 76. VF-142 transitioned to the Tomcat in 1975 and flew it until the squadron stood down in 1995.

When equipped with Sidewinders, the Nimrod was the world's largest fighter! It is not known if they were ever carried operationally.

A Green Jersey screwing a Tomcat 😀 The F-14 was notoriously maintenance-hungry, requiring 40 to 60 hours of upkeep per flight hour. This was largely due to its complex design and, of course, the harsh conditions of carrier ops.

Lightweight and heavyweight in the same frame. Pakistani JF-17 and USAF B-1B at RIAT 2025.

Ukrainian Mi-8s don’t just haul troops or cargo - they haul ass and let it rip. Check that altitude? 😶‍🌫️

A SAAF Mirage F1AZ with extra lift…in all the right places 😚

Scouting the field! A Nimrod Mk2 flies over the submarines USS Spadefish and HMS Trenchant after they surfaced at the North Pole during exercise ICEX 92. The two submarine crews reportedly played a game of cricket on the ice. 🏏

Eat right and stick to the gym long enough, and you’ll bulk up. Same story with the MiG-29 - started lean, and look at it now. All 💪

Eagle hauling ass! The F-15 can climb at over 254 meters per second - that’s like reaching the height of Mount Everest in just 35 seconds. For comparison, most airliners take 2 to 5 minutes just to get to 3,000 meters 🫠

BUFFs and Hornets, sharing a cemetery. Only one of them will fly again, and let's be honest, it won't be the Hornets 😀 Btw did you know that the 309th AMARG facility, aka “The Boneyard”, covers 2,600 acres and holds a collection of 4,400+ retired U.S. aircraft? It’s the…

Pakistani JF-17 lookin' fly for RIAT 2025, in its white lightning-themed livery. This is the JF-17’s first visit to the UK. Photo via alpha_lima_ on IG.

Long before Green Goblin’s glider or Marty McFly’s hoverboard, there was the Hiller's VZ-1 Pawnee, a USArmy "flying platform" first flown in 1956. Pitched as a mobile sniper perch (well, sort of), this ducted fan hovercraft never found a real purpose. By 1960, it was quietly…

Warpaint! An F-16C from the 55th FS "Fightin' Fifty Fifth" showing off its work resume. How many bomb decals do you see?