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“Worst” can mean many things: a jet that killed too many of its own pilots, missed its moment technologically, or never matched the mission it was bought to fly. Context matters—some of these aircraft taught valuable lessons or worked better in one air force than another. But taken on the whole—design intent vs. delivered performance, safety, combat effectiveness, and sustainment—these five stand out for the wrong reasons.

Five aviation companies are under contract to develop armed, unmanned aircraft and control systems for use on the Navy’s fleet of 11 aircraft carriers, USNI News has learned.General Atomics, Boeing, Anduril and Northrop Grumman are on contract for the conceptual design of the so-called collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA, according to a Navy presentation reviewed by USNI News. Lockheed Martin is under contract to build the common control system.The Navy wants “uncrewed, modular, interoperable, interchangeable and versatile platforms” that it can field from an aircraft carrier, reads the slide from Naval Air Systems Command’s program executive office for unmanned aviation...

Models for reconnaissance, rescue, interception and attack are changing the way both sides operate“It’s more exhausting,” says Afer, a deputy commander of the “Da Vinci Wolves”, describing how one of the best-known battalions in Ukraine has to defend against constant Russian attacks. Where once the invaders might have tried small group assaults with armoured vehicles, now the tactic is to try and sneak through on foot one by one, evading frontline Ukrainian drones, and find somewhere to hide. Under what little cover remains, survivors then try to gather a group of 10 or so and attack Ukrainian positions. It is...

The U.S. Space Force’s secretive X-37B is a reusable, unmanned spaceplane whose true mission remains a mystery. Its eighth mission, launched August 21, 2025, has reignited speculation, with Russia and China claiming it is a space bomber. While not a “Death Star,” the X-37B is an invaluable and record-breaking testbed for advanced satellite technologies, enabling the U.S. to conduct experiments in space and bring the results back home for analysis.

Back during the first Trump administration I , with others, provided some background research into Transgenders in the Military. The purpose was to provide think-tank style considerations to high ranking leadership to then provide to political leadership for President Trump in his eventual decision to restrict Transgendered people from military service. He ultimately decided to do so for solid reasons. President Biden reversed it as a matter of doing so because anything Trump did was to be reversed and no amount of sound reasoning would sway him. Trumps second administration has definitively changed that and I am confident it will...

The U.S. Air Force’s secretive F-47 sixth-generation fighter is a technological marvel designed to counter the growing threat from China. Expected to fly faster than Mach 2, the F-47 will likely be the stealthiest aircraft ever built, featuring a tailless, horizontal design. More than just a fighter, it will act as a “quarterback” for a swarm of AI-enabled drone wingmen. Its advanced sensors and computing will shorten the “sensor-to-shooter” timeline to milliseconds, and it may even be armed with revolutionary laser weapons, ensuring American air dominance for decades to come.

Legendary fighter pilot and first US ace of the Vietnam War Randy “Duke” Cunningham passed away the afternoon of Aug. 27, 2025 at the age of 83 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was born 8 Dec 1941 in Los Angeles. Cunningham has been in and out of the hospital for the eight months with heart problems and other issues. Cunningham was a retired US Navy commander and former F-4 Phantom pilot in VF-96, who along with his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Willy “Irish” Driscoll was the first US ace of the Vietnam War. He was an officer and pilot in...

Ever since the Europeans signed on to the F-35 program, it has been clouded by one persistent fear: that in some future geopolitical crisis, Washington might seek to exercise leverage by denying software updates or spare parts, thereby rendering the European fleet inoperable. But where does this geopolitical anxiety come from? Is it grounded in historical fact (i.e., have there been precedents in which the United States weaponized its control over advanced weapon systems against its allies)?

In a future conflict with China, technological superiority alone will not be enough; “mass matters.” The vast distances of the Indo-Pacific and the limitations of sea-launched airpower create a critical need for a large, land-based fleet of long-range, 6th-generation F-47 fighters. A substantial number of F-47s would be essential to overwhelm enemy defenses, deliver the necessary volume of ordnance, and create a resilient, networked force capable of shortening the sensor-to-shooter timeline. Without a large F-47 fleet, the U.S. risks being unable to effectively project power and prevail in a great-power conflict.

n his book Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Doolittle Raid pilot Ted Lawson recalls the moment his B-25 bomber reached the coast of Japan – the first land he had seen, he tells us, after being at sea on the USS Hornet for nearly three weeks. "It looked very pretty," he writes:"Everything seemed as well kept as a big rock garden. The little farms were fitted in with almost mathematical precision. The fresh spring grass was brilliantly green. There were fruit trees in bloom, and farmers working in their fields waved to us as we pounded just over their heads. A...

For the first time, Cirrus and Garmin engineers have integrated autonomous flight and landing safety features in piston-engine airplanes in case of pilot incapacitation. Flight schools are clamoring for orders. =============================================================== A 95°F Los Angeles is much more palatable at 4,500 feet—a 20-minute flight in a sleek new Cirrus Aircraft piston engine four-seater, from the Burbank to Camarillo airports, above a smog-laden urban sprawl that would otherwise take us an hour to drive. Cozy bucket seats, large windows, and large touchscreen control monitors give a modern vibe. It’s a beautiful day to fly—until calamity strikes and the pilot can no...

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation after the wing flap on a Delta Air Lines aircraft partially broke during a flight. Delta Air Lines Flight 1893, a Boeing 737, was flying from Orlando International Airport to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport when passengers noticed something had partially broken away from the back of the wing. “After landing it was observed that a portion of the left wing’s flap was not in place. The aircraft has been taken out of service for maintenance. We apologize to our customers for their experience as nothing is more important than the safety of our...

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F/A-XX Handout Photo from Northrop Grumman.F/A-XX Handout Photo from Northrop Grumman. ===================================================================== Key Points and Summary: Northrop Grumman’s new concept art for the Navy’s F/A-XX landed with a message: the program isn’t dead yet. ===================================================================== -The design’s clear echo of the YF-23 “Black Widow” signals maturity and continuity, not nostalgia—convergent engineering toward range, stealth, and survivability at sea. -Unlike past winner-take-all fights, F/A-XX isn’t directly competing with the Air Force’s sixth-gen jet, but parallel programs strain budgets and the defense industrial base. -The art is a bid to steady skittish lawmakers and show the Navy has a credible path if...

Francis Gary Powers was on a CIA spying mission over Soviet Russia when his U-2 plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile. "I looked up, looked out, and just everything was orange, everywhere," Powers recalled. "I don't know whether it was the reflection in the canopy itself or just the whole sky. And I can remember saying to myself, 'By God, I've had it now.'" In fact, Powers managed to parachute to safety, but his troubles were far from over. Having been arrested and interrogated by the KGB, he was put on trial in Moscow, where his family could only...

Almost everyone remembers that fighting in World War II ended on Aug. 15, 1945, and that a formal surrender ceremony was signed aboard the battleship USS Missouri (BB 63) in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2. But between those two dates, an unexpected air action took place. Involved were a well-known Japanese air ace, a little-known four-engine American heavy bomber, and U.S. Army photographer Sgt. Anthony J. Marchione.

The devices dropped explosives on members of Colombia's navy and army, who were manning a checkpoint on the Naya River. Four other members of the security forces were injured in the attack. Drone attacks have become increasingly common in recent years in Colombia: in 2024, 115 such attacks were recorded in the country, most of them carried out by illegal armed groups. In January, the government said it was putting a plan into place to prevent such attacks by beefing up its anti-drone technology, in order to better detect and "neutralise" drones. Off-shoots of the Farc rebel group, which refused...

A United Airlines flight was cancelled after a female passenger suffered an explosive bout of diarrhoea and vomiting that destroyed the aircraft's tiny bathroom. Writer and actor Meghan Reinertsen freely admitted she was to blame for the mid-air disaster, revealing she spent an hour and a half locked inside the lavatory during the July 2024 flight from Newark to Indianapolis. Reinertsen said the nightmare began moments before boarding her connecting flight home from Portugal, when she suddenly felt the first waves of what she later discovered was severe food poisoning.

What was intended as a fundraising mission for cancer research has become a nightmare for American teen influencer Ethan Guo, who has been stuck since June in a remote location in Chilean territory in Antarctica. Authorities say Guo landed his small plane illegally after providing false flight plan information to officials who opened an investigation. Guo made headlines last year when the then-19-year-old teen began a trip in an attempt to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents and, at the same time, collect donations for research into childhood cancer. As part of his trip, the...

Key Points The airline issued a going-concern warning in its quarterly filing, months after emerging from bankruptcy, The budget airline icon has tried to attract bookings by marketing more upscale products like premium economy. The carrier has been challenged by an oversupply of domestic flights, changing consumer tastes and an engine grounding. ============================================================== Spirit Airlines has warned it might not be able to survive as a going concern if it doesn’t raise more cash, five months after the budget-travel icon emerged from bankruptcy. After cutting its debt during restructuring, Spirit has tried to attract bookings by marketing more upscale products...