Free Republic

Amid the raging conflict in the Middle East, the astonishing events at Barksdale Air Force Base earlier this month have attracted only limited media attention. It is reported that swarms of unidentified drones repeatedly loitered over Barksdale between March 9 and 15, drawing no publicly known effective response from the military or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Barksdale is the headquarters of the Air Force’s Global Strike Command, which is responsible for the nation’s nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic bomber forces, including B2, B1, and B52 aircraft. The base is home to the 2nd Bomb Wing B52s and...

The US Senate has voted to end a partial 40-day government shutdown, approving funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - but with immigration enforcement excluded. The almost six-week funding lapse has had a knock-on effect on air travel in the US. Airport security workers' salaries are paid by the DHS, and hundreds have quit since the shutdown began. Democrats had refused to agree a funding deal without reforms to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, but the Senate reached unanimous agreement in the early hours of Friday morning after stripping ICE and parts of border protection...

🚨 BREAKING: ICE agents just surged into ANOTHER airport, now spotted at Newark, New Jersey 🔥 TSA agents are VERY glad these heroes are coming to alleviate pressure while Democrats hold them hostage President Trump made the perfect call!

An Air Canada Flight 8646 was involved in an incident at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night, according to initial reports. Authorities say the aircraft, carrying more than 100 passengers from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, struck a fire truck while taxiing after landing. Emergency crews responded quickly to the scene. Initial reports indicated multiple injuries, though officials have not confirmed the extent or severity. The cause of the incident remains under investigation, and authorities have not released further details. SNIP

A U.S. Air Force Base that houses B-52 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons detected "multiple unauthorized drones" in its vicinity earlier this month, a base official confirmed to Fox News Digital. "Barksdale Air Force Base detected multiple unauthorized drones operating in our airspace during the week of March 9th," a Barksdale AFB spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday. The spokesperson added: "Flying a drone over a military installation is not only a safety issue, it is a criminal offense under federal law." Base officials are working closely with federal and local law enforcement agencies to investigate the drone...

Feds investigate alarming near miss between Alaska Airlines jet, FedEx plane at busy Newark airport Federal authorities are investigating after a "close call" was reported Tuesday night at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey involving a commercial jet and cargo aircraft. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials confirmed the "close call" happened when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 overflew a FedEx Boeing 777 while both jets were attempting to land on crossing runways. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that, at about 8:15 p.m., an air traffic controller instructed Alaska Airlines Flight 294 to perform a "go-around" because FedEx...

WASHINGTON — Starting this fall, all new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters delivered to the American military will come without radars, an issue that could stretch into the future and restrict the jets from participating in combat operations, Breaking Defense has learned.In the best case, a new, redesigned radar could be ready as soon as next year, meaning only a handful of jets may be impacted. But if delays for the sensor stretch on, over a hundred jets may be delivered with a ballast where the new radar is supposed to be.Any aircraft delivered without a radar are expected to remain...

🚨BREAKING: Unidentified drones detected over U.S. military base in Washington where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reside, according to The Washington Post

A flying taxi took a spin over San Francisco Thursday — and the Bay Area’s tech crowd was there to watch. The small electric aircraft from Joby Aviation flew across San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge during a demonstration flight that drew reporters and industry guests to the St. Francis Yacht Club. The flight is part of the company’s push to launch electric air taxis — small vertical takeoff planes designed to carry passengers on short trips of roughly 10 to 50 miles. Joby’s aircraft seats four passengers and uses six propellers. The company says rides could cost...

Sightings of an unmanned aerial system over Barksdale Air Force Base (BAFB) early on Monday morning resulted in a shelter-in-place order, prompting officials to temporarily raise the threat level at the facility. For a short period, the base’s Force Protection Condition level was temporarily raised to FPCON Charlie, indicating an incident potentially indicative of a form of terrorist activity targeting U.S. personnel or facilities. Text message alerts were sent out regarding the incident shortly before statements were shared on social media, directing base personnel at BAFB to take shelter. Postings on social media shortly thereafter indicated that the threat level...

Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN) has released new details on Saturday's IAF strike that destroyed the Quds Force's air transport network inside Iran.More than 16 transport aircraft were struck and destroyed, along with additional components located in the vicinity of Tehran's airport. The aircraft had been used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force to arm and finance Iranian-backed terror proxies across the Middle East. According to AMAN, Tehran's airport had been under close intelligence surveillance for years, with suspicious takeoffs and landings tracked and flagged through a broad collection and analysis effort spanning multiple intelligence units. In an...

U.S. and Israeli airstrikes alone are unlikely to result in the ouster of the Iranian government, according to an expert in air campaigns, who said that the risks are growing for a more drawn-out war that could spread beyond the Middle East. Robert Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago who has studied air power for three decades, told CBS News 24/7 that history does not support the idea that bombing alone can unseat a regime and install a more friendly leader. "The fact of the matter is, for over a century, states have been trying...

Israeli fighter jets carried out a major strike in the heart of Tehran early on Friday, targeting an underground bunker built beneath the leadership compound of Iran's supreme leader. The Israeli Air Force said approximately 50 jets took part in the operation, guided by precise intelligence from Israel's Military Intelligence and coordinated with Mossad. The target was the underground bunker constructed for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Israeli military described the bunker as serving as "a secure emergency asset" intended for Khamenei to manage fighting during a conflict. It was never used by Khamenei because he had already been eliminated in...

The Qatari MoD says the Qatar Emiri Air Force has shot down two Iranian Su-24s, as well as seven ballistic missiles and five drones. As the third day of combat operations against Iran draws to an end, the Qatari Ministry of Defense has announced that the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) has shot down two Iranian Su-24 Fencer tactical bombers on Mar. 2, 2026. These would be first two Iranian aircraft confirmed to have been shot down since the start of the conflict. Additionally, the MoD says the QEAF intercepted seven ballistic missiles through air defenses, while five drones were...

The U.S. military shot down a Customs and Homeland Security drone on Thursday evening, which led to the abrupt closure of airspace over Fort Hancock, Texas, lawmakers said. At 6:30 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace, citing “special security reasons.” The FAA’s official notice of the closure currently says the closure will remain in effect until June 24. As it turns out, the “special security reasons” involved a friendly fire incident in which the U.S. military shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a laser-based anti-drone system. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), the top Democrat...

A heroic battle, the longest dogfight in the history of US Naval aviation, was forgotten, buried among the closest held secrets of the cold war, for over sixty years.

President Donald Trump’s preferred paint colors will be applied to the new planes which will serve as Air Force One, an Air Force official tells CNN. The new heavily modified Boeing 747s, which the military designates VC-25B, will be painted red, white, gold and dark blue, a color scheme proposed during Trump’s first term in office but reversed by the Biden administration. “Air Force One is going to be incredible,” Trump said in 2018. “It’s going to be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it’s going to be red, white and blue, which I think...

The San Francisco Bay Area experienced a sharp spike in private jet departures in the immediate aftermath of Super Bowl LX. Hundreds of aircraft left regional airports within hours of the game ending at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The scale of the post-game exodus highlighted the intense travel demands created by the NFL’s biggest event. Flight tracking data showed roughly 600 private jets departing the Bay Area following Super Bowl LX. The surge represented an increase of more than 1,100 percent in departures across five regional airports compared to the previous Sunday. San Jose Mineta International Airport served as...

"New footage shows a Raytheon Coyote Block 3NK reusable interceptor taking down an entire drone swarm using its onboard non-kinetic electromagnetic (EM) weapon." Video at link.

WASHINGTON — The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday stemmed from the Pentagon's plans to test a laser for use in shooting down drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to three people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to share sensitive details. That caused friction with the Federal Aviation Administration, which wanted to ensure commercial air safety and the two agencies sought to coordinate, according to two of the people. Despite a meeting scheduled later this month to discuss the issue, the Pentagon wanted to go ahead and test the laser, prompting...