Fighter Sweep

US Pilots: “Our Hands Are Tied.”

June 8, 2015

Against an enemy hell-bent on the destruction of the United States and her western allies, one might think the number of sorties flown by our guys and gals employing ordnance View More ›

From The Cockpit: NASA F-15D Refueling

June 6, 2015

While it may look easy to the casual observer, air-to-air refueling is an endeavor that can be wrought with peril. Even so, it is a capability developed over decades that View More ›

Slapshot: A Tail Flash Is Born

June 5, 2015

All of us, at some point or other, have started a conversation with the question, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…-” Here at FighterSweep, we found ourselves in that exact scenario approximately View More ›

There I Was: A Bird in Hand

June 3, 2015

“The weather is clear; you are executing a formation takeoff on Runway One-Seven-Right. At rotation, you hear a loud pop, bang, and buzz and the number two engine RPM rolls View More ›

HSC-84/85 and the USSOCOM Helicopter Deficit

June 2, 2015

A recent article by the Washington Examiner begins to peel back the onion regarding the impact of decommissioning HSC-84 and 85. I would like to add some depth and put the View More ›

From The Cockpit: Fulcrum vs Viper

June 1, 2015

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania–all former members of the Cold War-era Soviet Union–joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in March of 2004. In doing so, the task of maintaining air sovereignty View More ›

Hornet vs Viper (Part Four)

May 31, 2015

As I previously mentioned in the Hornet vs Viper discussion, both of these legacy fighters are multirole. They’re designed to fight their way in to a target area using an View More ›

Hungarian Gripen Crash (UPDATE)

May 30, 2015

According to the Czech Republic’s Defense Minister, the crash of a Hungarian Air Force Saab JAS39D Gripen was not caused by a technical fault. Though no official cause has been View More ›

Photo Gallery: Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle

May 30, 2015

Strike Eagle. Mud Hen. Dark Gray. SLAM Eagle. The names vary, but the beauty and whoopass remain the same. The Boeing F-15E, originally designed by McDonnell Douglas, is an absolutely incredible View More ›

South Carolina ANG F-16s Deploy to Poland

May 29, 2015

Just before 4AM on May 28th, the skies over the Palmetto State were torn apart, thanks to the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 motor in charge of the moving the Block View More ›