Nearly 20 years later, ‘Command & Conquer: Generals’ is as prophetic as it is playable
As video games become increasingly dumbed-down in the age of so-called “pay-to-win” and “freemium gaming” schemes, many gamers -especially those itching for real-time-strategy - have been looking to the past to scratch their strategic itch. This topic has come up several times over the years in the War is... Read more
Tally! Red Flag exercise kicks off in Alaska
Contributor:Senior Airman Beaux Hebert354th FW Public Affairs RED FLAG-Alaska 20-3, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment, began today and is slated to run until Aug. 14. The 18th Aggressor Squadron and its F-16 Fighting Falcons will be playing the bad... Read more
Collision Course: China claims F-22 and Rafale have “No Chance” against the J-20
Chinese state-run media is challenging the United States and India, claiming that the J-20 “stealth fighter” is more than a match for American F-22 Raptor and India’s newly-acquired Rafale. Two articles regarding the J-20’s capabilities -posted on the same day- were featured in the South China Morning Post and... Read more
Seventy-Eight Years of Jet Fighters
On Aug. 27, 1939, a stubby-winged airplane made of unpainted steel alloy took off over Germany and soared into history. Instead of a pointy propeller hub in the nose, the Heinkel 178 had an open-mouthed turbojet intake, making it the first operational jet-powered aircraft. The He 178 could only... Read more
F-22s Act as Flying Scouts Over Syria
Three years ago, four F-22 Raptors taking part in the second-wave of the U.S.-led coalition’s opening air strikes on Islamic State in Syria dropped their bombs. It was the first time the stealthy fifth-generation fighters had ever engaged in combat. The coalition’s war planners also used the F-22s to... Read more
F-22s Will Soon Be Able to Kill Enemy Fighters From 50-Percent Farther
Developmental testers at Edwards Air Force Base in California have completed testing on the F-22 Raptor’s Increment 3.2B upgrade. The new configuration will significantly boost the stealthy fifth-generation air superiority fighter’s already fearsome air-to-air capabilities. As part of the final hurdle, F-22 Raptors assigned to the 411th Flight Test... Read more
When Russian Bombers Probed, U.S. Air Defenses Took No Chances
For two days in a row starting on April 17, 2017, Russian air force Tu-95 Bear bombers flew near Alaska’s air space. On April 17, the U.S. Air Force scrambled two F-22 Raptor stealth jets, one E-3 Sentry Airborne Early Warning aircraft and a KC-135 tanker to intercept two... Read more
Four F-22s and four F-15s ‘Killed’ 41 Enemy Fighters During Mock Combat
In January 2017, around 250 airmen and nine F-15 Eagles from the U.S. Air Force’s 104th Fighter Wing — part of the Massachusetts Air National Guard based at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport — deployed to Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida for the Weapons Systems Evaluation Program. As part of... Read more
Too Much Secrecy Could Kill the U.S. Air Force’s Next Bomber
The U.S. Air Force faces three major modernization programs — replacing fighter and attack airplanes with the F-35, phasing out the KC-135 tanker for the KC-46A, and developing a stealth bomber replacement for the B-52 and B-1 with the B-21. Unfortunately, Congress has not appropriated enough funds to purchase... Read more
How to Detect a Stealth Fighter
State-run Chinese media is claiming that the People’s Liberation Army has been able to track the U.S. Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighters over the East China Sea. While the Chinese report might be easily dismissed as propaganda — it is not beyond the realm of possibility.... Read more