A military avgeek X-ing for military avgeeks
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When they say S-400 in the news…this is what they actually mean. Indian Army's L-70, the mislabelled hero of Operation Sindoor.
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A cool graphic comparing the size of a WWII B-17 bomber (green) with a modern F-15C fighter (red). It’s amazing how today’s fighters are almost as big and heavy as four-engine heavy bombers of the past.
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⚠️ Warning: This photo might make you feel very old. Time really flies, doesn't it?
ALT An F-35C, an F-14D, and an F4U Corsair coming in for a landing on an aircraft carrier.
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Crazy footage of #Ukrainian Su-25s flying ultra-low over a highway. The pair is attempting to stay below #Russian radar coverage and avoid being silhouetted against the sky. Low and fast, in and out, ballzy flying! #avgeeks #aviation #UkraineWar #UkraineRussiaWar
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A little jealous, are we? An F-35A in Su-57's sights at Aero India 2025. Contrasting stealth designs and colour schemes.
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The F/A-18 Hornet entered USNavy service in 1984, with the aim of replacing the F-4 and eventually, the F-14. But, interestingly, in raw fleet defence terms, the F/A-18 was a downgrade from the F-14. The Tomcat was a purpose-built, long-range interceptor. The Hornet was a multirole compromise. Let's compare. 1/4
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That don't call it a supercarrier for nothing. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), ladies and gentlemen.
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If this turns out to be true, it would be the Pakistani version of the Serbs taking down the F-117 stealth in 1999. We'll never hear the end of it 😀
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S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier?Nah, that's the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) sailing into San Diego through morning fog (Dec 20, 2024). The Nimitz-class carrier's back from a five-month deployment in the Indo-Pacific.
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Ain't nothing like watching a Tornado GR4 ripple fire MBDA Brimstone fire-and-forget AGMs. Multiple missiles, multiple targets, single aircraft. Fantastic! #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #RAF
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The legendry IJN Yamato, the biggest battleship of WWII, in fact, the biggest battleship ever built. Displacing a colossal 72,000 tons fully loaded, with 16 inches of armour and 18-inch guns that could hurl shells the size of small cars, she was a floating fortress of steel, designed solely to dominate the seas. 1/3
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Pilot: How close do you want me to get?
Photographer: Close enough that ATC thinks we're dating!
An F-22 from the 90th FS, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, moving in for its close-up.
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April 18, 1943. Guadalcanal. Sixteen P-38 Lightnings from the 339th FS rolled onto the runway before first light. Stripped to maximize range and performance, the P-38s were going after a flight of Japanese aircraft—its exact route and timing decrypted and relayed by ULTRA. Soon, they launched into hostile airspace in total radio silence. No backup. No margin for error. The 339th was about to make history…or die trying. The mission was codenamed Vengeance. 1/3
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The Fairchild A-10 Warthog was born out of a Cold War problem: NATO faced thousands of Warsaw Pact tanks in Central Europe, but had no dedicated aircraft to stop them. Fighters were too fast, bombers too costly, and close support was left to outdated types. Something new was needed. So here's a 🧵 on the wondrous Warthog. 1/7
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Did you know the F‑16, the world’s premier multirole fighter, was never meant to be a do-it-all fighter? It was born from “Mad Major” Boyd and the Fighter Mafia’s vision of a low-cost, lightweight, day-only fighter built for one thing, and one thing only: winning dogfights. 1/5
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This badass A-10 has "killed" everything and everyone, including an F-16 AND an F-22 👀 Must have been an epic dogfight! #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #USAF
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Dive! Dive! Dive! A Los Angeles-class submarine caught at periscope depth by a P-3 Orion.
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A Lockheed F-16E Block 60 alongside a Mitsubishi F-2B. Despite its obvious resemblance to the F-16, the F-2 incorporates enough structural chances and Japanese features to be considered an entirely different aircraft. Plus, that avian blue colour scheme 😍
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The first F-117 moving down the assembly line at Lockheed's Burbank facility (Circa 1980). Interestingly, despite its utterly unconventional appearance, the Nighthawk was built using entirely conventional methods.
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"Sorry, Goose, but it's time to buzz the tower..."
The iconic photo of Capt. Dale "Snort" Snodgrass, performing an aggressive, ultra-low, "banana pass" along the deck of USS America (CV-66) during the 1988 Dependents' Day Cruise.
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A slow-mo montage of Raytheon Coyote taking down drones! Coyote 2 is #USArmy's interim counter-UAV system... cheap, simple, and effective! #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #UAV
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The inner workings of turbojet, ramjet, and scramjet engines. Simplified but interesting. Enjoy #avgeeks. #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #USAF
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In 1944, Japan faced a new kind of war: the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Flying at 30,000 ft, doing 350 mph, bristling with remote-controlled .50 cal guns, and carrying 20,000 lbs of bombs, it was a fortress in the sky. And now hundreds were coming for Japan’s cities. 1/5
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#Breaking: A flurry of reports suggest that a Ukrainian F-16AM shot down a Russian Su-35 with an AMRAAM this morning. If confirmed, it would mark the first air-to-air kill by a Ukrainian Viper. More significantly, it would mean that Russia’s top-tier Flanker was brought down by an ex-Dutch F-16AM, a variant many had considered past its prime.
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Milliseconds from disaster! Incredible footage of a #NATO E-3 Sentry "almost" crashing into a KC-135 during refuelling.
One-word review: Sheesh!!! #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #USAF
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#News: Japan will be receiving its first F-35B V/STOL jet in 2025. Japan is F-35's biggest export customer, with plans to acquire 147 aircraft (105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs). #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #Japan
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A short look inside how the AIM-9 Sidewinder, the GOAT of air to air missiles, actually works. Enjoy!
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Before Top Gun made the F‑14 famous, Iran saved it. Yup, Iran’s money not only saved the F‑14, but also kept the AIM-54 AAM program going. Here’s a thread on how the Shah rescued America’s most advanced naval fighter. 1/6
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Ho 229: the first stealth? Well, not quite - but WWII Germany’s experimental flying-wing came eerily close. Designed by Reimar Horten, it featured radical ideas, including radar-absorbing paint made from coal and sawdust and top-mounted engines that reduced its IR signature. Stealth and IR masking weren’t even concepts in the 1940s - yet the Ho 229 had all the right instincts. It had tech decades ahead of its time.
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The ultimate pylon upgrade: Ukrainian F-16 equipped with the advanced PIDS+ pylon, carrying four Small Diameter Bombs. Notice the integrated early warning and countermeasure systems built directly into the pylon design? Way of the future!
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A blast from the past: Swiss Mirage IIIs nestled in their subterranean hangar. Today, Meiringen AB remains the only Swiss base with a fully operational caverne.
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Classified gun camera footage captures an other side Su-57 locked in the sights of an F-14, piloted by Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, and Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (RIO). 1/2
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“Hello, old friend.” Luftwaffe ace Hans Meyer is reunited with a Bf 109G, the fighter he flew during WWII. He's standing silent and still, but you can almost feel that in his mind, the past has taken flight once more. A deeply moving photograph.
Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach Airport, 2015.
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The USAF is rethinking its air base defence strategy. Advanced Chinese missiles such as the DF-26 and DF-17 can strike US airfields in the opening minutes of a conflict. The old strategy of projecting power from secure, rearward bases won’t hold in a contested Pacific. 1/2
ALT USAF B-1B bombers taxi to be parked at Andersen AFB in Guam (Jan. 17, 2025). Bases like Anderson (Guam), and Kadena (Japan) will be specially venerable to surprise attacks.
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Now that's just low! Ghostrider flyby, Royal Navy Sea Harrier style. Did you know the Sea Harrier boasts one of the best kill-to-loss ratios in military aviation history? During the 1982 Falklands War, it achieved an incredible 23:0 record against Argentine aircraft.
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Did you know that the North American XB-70 Valkyrie was the largest and fastest bomber ever built by the United States? Here's how the behemoth compares in size to "active" service bombers/strikers in the #USAF inventory. #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers
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Did you know that during the 1965 Indo-Pak War, the Pakistan Air Force operated a single, ultra-specialised RB-57F for strategic reconnaissance and electronic warfare? Supplied secretly by the United States to spy on Soviet ICBMs, this high-flying spyplane instead became one of Pakistan’s most valuable assets against India. 1/5
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No American bomb since the B-29 era has carried this much weight - literally and politically - than the 30,000 lb GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). Delivered by a B-2 stealth bomber, it's touted as the ONLY bomb capable of punching through hundreds of feet of concrete and rock to take out hardened Iranian nuclear sites. Only a MOP can mop Fordo off the map.
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A B-10 with several tones of freedom flying over Nellis. Captured by the brilliant Santos Caceres. (santos_caceres.lv on IG). #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #USAF #Warthog
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November 1, 1944: A single USAAF B-29 Superfortress, named Tokyo Rose, lifted off from Saipan, heading for Japan. No escort. No bombs. Just four cameras and a crew with nerves of steel. Its mission: to photograph Tokyo from 32,000 ft - the first Allied overflight since the Doolittle Raid in 1942. If the Japanese thought distance made them safe, they were about to find out. 1/3
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A B-10 with several tones of freedom over Nellis. Captured by the amazing Santos_Caceres.lv on IG.
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The legendary John Farley, Harrier's chief test pilot, demonstrating his unique "Farley Climb" at Farnborough '82. Slightly grainy, but great video. #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #RAF
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Did you know that b/w Oct and Nov 1963, a C-130 piloted by Lt. James Flatley conducted 21 "unarrested" landings and 21 "unassisted" take offs from the USS Forrestal (CV-59)? Don't believe me? Here's videographic proof of one of the landings! Not the easiest thing to do, btw.
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I got the power! The P&W F119 engine: 22% more thrust, 40% fewer parts! This powerhouse of an engine lets the Raptor reach Mach 1.8 without even breaking a sweat. #avgeeks it is the most powerful fighter engine ever developed!
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This badass A-10 has "killed" everything and everyone, including an F-16 AND an F-22 👀 Must have been an epic dogfight! #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #USAF
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Bombs away! With a dive that steep and an altitude that low, I hope the Warthog pilot managed to pull up in time 😳
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How it started, how it's going - From prop to stealth, the evolution of the American flying wing!
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Did you know that in 1967, the North Vietnamese put a bounty of $25,000 on Col. Robin Olds' head? That's $230,000 in today's money! Due to such risks, the Pentagon decided to relieve Olds as soon as he got his fifth MiG kill (he had four at the time). 1/2
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Charlie: Well, if you were directly above him, how could you see him?
Maverick: …
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The B-21 Raider may look like a smaller cousin of the B-2 Spirit, but that’s by design - shaped by 30 years of stealth bomber operations. It's leaner, meaner, and built for a new era of stealth and sustainment.
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Ain't nothing prettier: a JASDF F-15J in Mount Fuji livery. The jet belongs to the 305th FS, stationed at Hyakuri AFB, where the majestic Fuji graces the horizon.
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The Bofors 40mm L/60 wasn’t just a gun - it was THE anti-aircraft gun of WWII. Mounted on everything from battleships to PT boats, over 60,000 of these guns were produced in the U.S. alone. During the brutal kamikaze campaign of late 1944 and early 1945, this weapon system was credited with downing nearly half of all Japanese aircraft lost in the Pacific. You can say that the L/60 kept Allied fleet afloat. Here's an overview of the simple yet magnificent system.
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A rare view of B-52's open nose. In 2023, Boeing initiated a major radar upgrade program for the B-52. The Radar Modernization Program (RMP) will equip the venerable B-52H with new, fighter-like radar capabilities. This upgrade will enhance navigation accuracy, targeting, tracking, and high-resolution mapping abilities. The new radar will also be able to engage multiple targets simultaneously. 😗
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Time Magazine's famous Gulf War Map illustrating all the weapons used in the conflict. Click to enlarge and enjoy!
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Did you know that the USAF lost a staggering 334 F-105 Thunderchiefs (40% of the total production) in combat over North Vietnam? An F-105 pilot was shot down once every 65 missions. 1/2
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Intimidating 😗 AGM-114 missiles looking for targets. The 100 lb, 11 km ranged Hellfire can make short work of most (if not all) MBTs on the battlefield.
Btw I feel AGM-114s have killed more terrorists than any other missile!🤔 #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #USArmy
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Composition of typical USNavy's Carrier Air Wing (CVW). It is astonishing to see that a single CVW possesses more aircraft and greater airpower projection capabilities than many of the world's air forces.
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Did you know that the Air Force and Lockheed managed to design, build, and fly the F-117 in just 31 months? Even more fascinating, they kept it a secret for 10+ years! It was the very first Black Jet.
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An F-35B from VX-23 "Salty Dogs" doing a loop-de-loop over NAS Patuxent Rivers, Maryland (March 10, 2025). On paper, the F-35B is the least capable F-35: heavier, less fuel, shorter range, and unlike others, limited to 7Gs — all for STOVL capability. 1/2
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Watching India’s current air campaign, you have to wonder: are they baiting the Pakistani air defenses? Forcing them to switch on, reveal positions, so they can be hunted? It wouldn’t be the first time this tactic was used. 1/2
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Slightly outdated but still very, very relevant. A combat comparison of F-35A and F-15EX, two of #USAF's latest fighters. #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers
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Producing an ear-splitting 95 dB, the Tupolev Tu-95 is among the world's loudest aircraft. In fact, Cold War lore claims the US Navy monitored Tu-95 flights using the SOSUS network, the same undersea listening system used to track enemy submarines! Yup. You could hear it!
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Humongous! 62 ft 8 inches long, and with an unswept wingspan of 64 ft 1 inches, the F-14 was the largest (and heaviest) naval fighter ever built. No wonder they called it the 'flying tennis court!'... just look at it!
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Everyone knows Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. But fewer remember the bomber and crew who carried out the second, and last, atomic strike in history. Here's a short thread on Bockscar. 1/6
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On this day: 36 years ago, a Soviet MiG-23 took off from Bagicz AB, Poland, on a routine training mission (July 4, 1989). Seconds after liftoff, the MiG's engine faltered, and the aircraft started to descend. At 500 ft, the pilot, Col. Nikolai Skuridin, believing the jet was about to crash, ejected! BUT... 1/4
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The famous gun camera shot of Joe "Hoser" Satrapa, flying an F-14, catching an F-15 dead during the AIMVAL/ACEVAL exercises. This single HUD photo hit so hard it reportedly shook Japan’s confidence in their F-15 purchase decision 😗
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When the job calls for finesse, not firepower! Cpl. Ross Raper, an M1A1 Abrams tank gunner from 2d Marines, practising with his M9 sidearm during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Yes, I know it has nothing to do with aviation, but I just love this photo, so I'm sharing it. Enjoy!
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds!" A B-52 pilot from #USAF's 96th Bomb Squadron wearing the EEU-2A/P goggles during training. The Vader style helmet is designed to protect the pilot's eyes from nuclear flash blindness.#avgeeks #aviation #ColdWar #Oppenheimer
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An F-16B performing an unrestricted climb to 20,000ft. Wanna clock it? 😉 It's a rockettt! #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers
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An F/A-18E buzzing the carrier Maverick style - just faster 😉 Low-level flying at its best!
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If the F-47 doesn’t absolutely roast the YF-23 in the looks department, I want my money back!
ALT A fantastic view of the two Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Black Widow prototypes.
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The F-14 Tomcat was, is, and forever will be the sexiest naval fighter in the world. Change my mind!
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FPV GoPro footage of an A-10 Warthog absolutely pummeling the range with just about everything. Enjoy 😀
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Everyone thinks TopGun fixed Vietnam air combat, and the USNavy outclassed the Air Force. But the USAF’s Red Baron Report, a classified analysis of every dogfight in Vietnam, told a different story. Once declassified, it flipped the Vietnam air war narrative on its head. 🧵 1/7
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Did you know that during its service life the SR-71 had over 4,000 surface-to-air missiles fired at it? All the SR-71 had to do to escape those missiles was accelerate 😉 No Blackbird was ever lost or damaged due to hostile action. #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #USAF
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To put this into perspective, a single B-1 can carry more AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles than either a B-2 or B-52 or as many as 12 single seat fighters. Bone can pack a 75,000 lb punch 👊🏽
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The MiG-29 was the first modern Soviet fighter designed to prioritise manoeuvrability over straight line speed and pilot initiative over rigid GCI control. In other words, it embraced Western design philosophy to beat the West at its own game.
#avgeeks, did the Soviets succeed?
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After 42 years and 20,000 trained pilots, the final F-16 assigned to USAF fighter pilot training left Luke AFB on March 24, 2025. The mission now transitions to the F-35.
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Size matters. #USAF C-17s, C-5 and C-130s on the tarmac. #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #photooftheday
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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.
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A lineup of 42 F-35As during a routine readiness exercise at Eielson AFB, Alaska (Circa March 2022). The USAF plans to acquire 1,763 F-35As, of which more than 500 have already been delivered and are in service.
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At the height of WWII in 1944, the U.S. was rolling out a brand-new B-24 Liberator every 51 minutes! Yes, faster than most people make dinner. Often overshadowed by the B-17, the B-24 actually holds the record as the most-produced American aircraft of the entire war (18,482). A massive, complex bomber built at assembly-line speed - now, that's how you win wars.
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Chase Tail! Hesja's close-up of a B-1B Lancer's tail, packed with all sorts of bells, whistles, and crazy gizmos! Btw, scrolling without my glasses, I totally thought this was an Me 262—the nose and those underwing engines. Very Schwalbe 😀
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Helicopters of the 1st Cavalry Division at Camp Radcliff, central Vietnam (Circa 1965). Btw, for those who don’t know, the 1st Cavalry fought the Battle of Ia Drang, the first major clash b/w U.S. and North Vietnamese forces. The action was famously recounted in the book "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young," and inspired Mel Gibson' 2002 movie "We Were Soldiers."
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