Bristol Beaufighter – Warbird Wednesday Episode #136
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting another night fighter, the Bristol Beaufighter. This multi-role aircraft was introduced in 1940 as a heavy fighter, having the ability to carry a torpedo, six machine guns and four cannons! The Beaufighter saw immediate success, leading to 5,928 models built and having 59 total squadrons. This effective aircraft was retired in 1960, leaving […]
Boulton Paul Defiant – Warbird Wednesday Episode #133
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting our third night fighter, the British built Boulton Paul Defiant. With its first flight in 1937, the Defiant was best at approaching and attacking other aircrafts from underneath. Their success during the night was obvious, as they would be able to sneak up without the enemies knowledge, […]
Messerschmitt Bf 110 – Warbird Wednesday Episode #132
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting another night fighter, the Messerschmitt Bf 110, developed in Nazi Germany during WWII. Introduced in 1937, this fighter quickly became popular because it was heavier, had quicker speeds reaching up to 295 mph and could carry a large amount of weaponry. Later in WWII, it was developed into […]
Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit – Warbird Wednesday Episode #129
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting an intriguing heavy strategic bomber, the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber. The B-2 is a flying wing design with only a crew of two. Designed during the Cold War, this subsonic bomber was built to deploy conventional and thermonuclear weapons, including eighty […]
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark – Warbird Wednesday Episode #128
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting another strategic bomber aircraft, the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. The F-111 was produced in the 1960s, pioneering several technologies, including variable swept wings, afterburning turbofan engines and automated terrain-following radar. It was able to carry several bombs, as well as one nuclear weapon. In fact, it dropped […]
Rockwell B-1B Lancer – Warbird Wednesday Episode #127
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are paying a visit to one of the three strategic bombers serving in the US Air Force, the Rockwell B-1B Lancer. This supersonic bomber features a variable-sweep wing, the ability to fly low near terrain and can reach up to Mach 1.25. This aircraft was a result of the […]
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress – Warbird Wednesday #126
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting an aircraft that is still in use today, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. This subsonic, jet-powered strategic/nuclear bomber was first produced in 1952 and was just approved to continue to fly until 2050. Some key features that make this aircraft stand out are its ability to carry 70,000 […]
Convair B-58 Hustler – Warbird Wednesday Episode #125
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting the first operational bomber that was capable of Mach 2 flight, the Convair B-58 Hustler. This American aircraft entered service in 1960 carrying one nuclear bomb, it was later upgraded to carry 5 nuclear weapons. As a strategic bomber, it was designed to fly at high altitudes […]
Boeing B-47 Stratojet – Warbird Wednesday Episode #124
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are switching gears and visiting a nuclear bomber, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, also known as the Model 450. The sleek-looking B-27 Stratojet showcased newly developed jet propulsion and 35-degree swept wings, which helped with its high speeds. The Model 450 took its first flight in 1947. This jet gained […]
Boeing B-47 Stratojet – Warbird Wednesday Episode #124
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are switching gears and visiting a nuclear bomber, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, also known as the Model 450. The sleek-looking B-27 Stratojet showcased newly developed jet propulsion and 35-degree swept wings, which helped with its high speeds. The Model 450 took its first flight in 1947. This jet gained […]
Grumman X-29 – Warbird Wednesday Episode #123
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are paying a special visit to an experimental aircraft with a very unique look, the Grumman X-29. This aircraft was designed to test aerodynamics; most will notice the forward-swept wings, canard control surfaces, amongst other distinctive features. Composite materials, such as graphite epoxy and carbon-fiber, were used to control […]
North American X-15 – Warbird Wednesday Episode #122
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft, the North American X-15. This aircraft was part of the X-plane series and was a complete test bed. Dropping from a B-52, the X-15’s engine put out a total of 57,000 pounds-force of thrust, reaching the highest speed ever recorded, 4,520 miles per […]
XB-70 Valkyrie – Warbird Wednesday Episode #121
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting one of the most futuristic airplanes that the U.S. has ever built, the XB-70 Valkyrie. This supersonic aircraft was initially designed to be a high-speed bomber which was spawned from Boeing’s MX-2145 concept. The XB-70 was proposed to use zip fuel, which increased combustion of the fuel and […]
SR-72 Darkstar – Warbird Wednesday Episode #120
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting the Lockheed Martin concept plane SR-72 used in “Top Gun: Maverick” as Darkstar. The SR-72 is a successor of the retired SR-71 Blackbird and is a Hypersonic optionally manned aircraft with the purpose of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Lockheed Martin expects that the SR-72, which can reach speeds […]
F-20 Tigershark – Warbird Wednesday Episode #118
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting what could be considered the best fighter designed but never built, the F-20 Tigershark. Development of the F-20 began in 1975 to combat the latest Soviet fighter aircraft. Evolving from the F-5E Tiger II, the Tigershark was faster, had better avionics, and had capability beyond visual range air-to-air. […]
EA-18 Growler – Warbird Wednesday Episode #117
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re joined by two special guests from the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake as we visit the EA-18G Growler. The EA-18 Growler is a carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft and one of the newest aircraft in the Navy Fleet. This Airborne Electronic Attack aircraft combines the latest electronic attack […]
F-35 Lightning II – Warbird Wednesday Episode #116
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting a multi-role combat aircraft, the F-35 Lightning II. The F-35 is the apex of American advanced fighter design right now and is the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world. Intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions, the F-35 provides electronic warfare and […]
Northrop YF-23 – Warbird Wednesday Episode #115
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting an advanced tactical fighter, the Northrop YF-23. In the 1980s, the USAF sent out a request for a proposal for a fighter aircraft to counter the Sukhoi Su-27.Built for survivability, supercruise, stealth and ease of maintenance, the YF-23 was one of two finalists for this proposal. Ultimately, it […]
F-22 Raptor – Warbird Wednesday Episode #114
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting one of the most dominant fighters in the world, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. This airplane is the follow-on to the F-117, combining stealth, aerodynamic performance, and mission systems to develop a more lethal airplane on the battlefield. The F-22 Raptor is a 5th generation fighter with a […]
F-117 Nighthawk – Warbird Wednesday Episode #113
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting one of the most groundbreaking designs in the history of man flight, the F-117 Nighthawk. Based on the proof of concept design of the Have Blue, the F-117 was introduced in 1983 as a deep strike penetrator against high-value Soviet targets. Learn more about the top-secret stealth technology […]
Lockheed Have Blue – Warbird Wednesday Episode #112
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting the first-fixed wing aircraft designed to avoid radar detection, the Lockheed Have Blue. The shape of Have Blue was based on, the Soviet Physicist and Mathematician, Petr Ufimtsev published work on the deflection of electromagnetic waves. This, proof-of-concept test stealth aircraft, was requested by DARPA and would later […]
NB-36 Nuclear Powered Bomber – Warbird Wednesday Episode #111
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting the NB-36 a Nuclear Powered Bomber. This experimental airplane had a nuclear reactor inside the bomb bay and used nuclear fusion to power the aircraft. The NB-36 completed 47 test flights over New Mexico and Texas. It was determined that the nuclear reactor was safe for flight, but […]
XB-42 Mixmaster – Warbird Wednesday Episode #110
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting an experimental bomber, the Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster. This airplane was designed solely by Douglas and it was an unsolicited design. The XB-42 was an alternative to the B-29 that could carry the same payload but was a smaller and faster aircraft. The XB-42 was unique in its design […]
Northrop XB-35 – Warbird Wednesday Episode #109
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting an experimental heavy bomber, the Northrop XB-35. The flying wing’s development started in 1941 with the purpose to go very fast and high while carrying a payload. Although only prototypes were built of the XB-35, its efficient wing design spawned various airplanes designs including the RQ-170 Sentinel and […]
XF-103 Thunderwarrior – Warbird Wednesday Episode #108
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting an exotic interceptor, the Republic XF-103 Thunderwarrior. This was an experimental aircraft that was only built as a prototype. It was designed to go after Soviet bombers and could reach speeds above Mach 3. The XF-103 had a unique propulsion system that included two engines, a standard turbojet […]
Fisher P-75 Eagle – Warbird Wednesday Episode #107
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting an American fighter, the Fisher P-75 Eagle. The P-75 design came from the need for a heavy fighter that was fast with a great rate of climb during the middle of WWII. Very few production versions of the Eagle were built before manufacturing was canceled when the aircraft […]
Kh-47M2 Kinzhal – Warbird Wednesday Episode #106
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today, we’re visiting a hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile, the Kh-47M2. The “dagger” as it is also known as, is highly maneuverable, has Mach 12 speed, and can be launched from Tu-22m3 bombers or MIG31K. The Kinzhal was first introduced by Russia in 2017 and is currently being used by the Russian […]
A-10 Thunderbolt II – Warbird Wednesday Episode #105
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today, we are visiting the premier close air support (CAS) aircraft of the US Air Force, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. Also known as the “Warthog” or “Hog”, the A-10 is built around a 30 mm rotary cannon gun. The aircraft has superior loiter capabilities and maintains excellent maneuverability at […]
Su-25 Frogfoot – Warbird Wednesday Episode #104
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today, we are visiting an aircraft currently being used by both sides in the conflict in Ukraine, the Su-25 Frogfoot. The Su-25 is a close air support aircraft developed by the Soviet Union and was first introduced in 1978. This twin-engine, subsonic aircraft is very heavy, tough, easy to operate, can […]