The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program was born out of a 1993 requirement by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The requirement established the launch of Common Affordable Lightweight Fighter (CALF) program that put forth a proposition for DoD aircraft to unify airframes across all branches. This was hardly unprecedented,Continue Reading
It’s a typical pattern of evolution. Each generation recognizes something that was absurd or incredible in the past as ordinary in the present. As time passes, evolution takes hold again, and we are left in awe of something new and truly amazing once again. Mankind is full of such advancementsContinue Reading
Everyone is familiar with the concept of cause and effect. For every action, there is a reaction of the same or lesser magnitude. Sometimes the resulting reaction is just the first in a chain of events that leads up to something else. A chain reaction, that’s what one might callContinue Reading
Over the course of the Cold War, world powers found themselves constantly at odds with each other. Nuclear testing was rampant. Atomic research was unchecked. Safety procedures were limited. The name of the game was espionage, spying, and various other forms of information gathering. After all, this was the definitionContinue Reading
One would certainly hope that we have always had a lock down on nuclear weapons, right? After all, the most powerful nations in the world wield these destructive weapons. However, the nature of these weapons wasn’t exactly well understood on the birth of the technology. That’s evident enough in theContinue Reading
A couple of weeks ago, I ran a history blurb on the A-10A Thunderbolt II and it’s impressive GAU-8 Avenger gun system. The system was wildly successful, and provided a massive amount of damage to an enemy element with little cost (bullets are substantially cheaper than missiles and bombs). BothContinue Reading
Many Soldiers that have returned from the front lines will tell you of the importance of close-air-support (CAS). The A-1 Skyraider fulfilled this role in the Korean War, entering service a year too late for World War II. By the Vietnam War, the F-4 Phantom II had adopted this roleContinue Reading
XB-70 Ship Number 1 in her permanent home at the National Air and Space Museum in Dayton, Ohio. 8 June 1966, a day of horror depending on where you were sitting. Fireballs and explosions would have rained down from the heavens as an angel fell from the sky. Cast outContinue Reading
