Is This SA-11 'Buk' SAM Missing 2 Missiles The One That Shot Down MH17?

A video has surfaced that supposedly shows an SA-11 “Buk” SAM system being flat-bedded out of Eastern Ukraine and into Russia. Regardless of its destination, what’s interesting is that two of its missiles are missing. It is entirely common to fire two missiles in quick succession at a single target...

Apr 20, 2025

This Enormous Freak Of A Plane Was Designed To Carry A Space Shuttle

The Cold War was absolutely horrible for people, but totally awesome for ideas. Defense budgets were wildly inflated, and so, accordingly, were space budgets. That means designers and engineers could dream big. Bigger, in fact, than any plane has ever flown, anywhere. Back in the 1970s, NASA was looking for...

Apr 20, 2025

Why Boeing's Design For A 747 Full Of Cruise Missiles Makes Total Sense

After the Carter Administration's cancellation of the due to fiscal concerns, the rise of air-launched cruise missiles and the possibility of developing a stealth bomber, Boeing put forward a low-risk, relatively cheap, cruise missile delivery vehicle alternative based on the . It was called the Cruise Missile Carrier Aircraft, or...

Apr 20, 2025

The US Navy Finally Retires The C-9B Skytrain II After 41 Years

After some 41 years and over 1.3M mishap free flight hours, the the US Navy has retired its last C-9 Skytrain II. To many who flew it or loved watching it from the ground, it will be sorely missed. Based directly on the hardy McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airliner, the aircraft...

Apr 20, 2025

Armed Ukraine Rebels Seize Control Of Bodies At MH17 Crash Site

Though rebels in eastern Ukraine were warned not to tamper with the evidence at the crash site, U.S. officials report the rebels have seized control of the bodies recovered from the downed plane. The reports that the question of who is controlling the evidence at the site is becoming a...

Apr 20, 2025

Friendly Chopper Pilot Plucks R/C Aircraft From Tree, Gives Back To Kid

Tension has been rising. With the consumer "drone" market exploding in recent years, even the FAA is having trouble figuring out So it is nice to see that some pilots still remember what it is like wishing you could fly while still standing on the ground. ...

Apr 20, 2025

Battle For Tripoli's International Airport Rages On, A330 In Flames

The nearly week-long battle for Tripoli's International Airport continues on, and sadly, a very new $225M Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330 has been the latest aircraft victim of the shelling. The fighting is between an Islamist Militia and a more moderate one that originates from the western city of Zintan that...

Apr 20, 2025

Watch This Guy Haul Off One Of MH17's Black Boxes

It's amazing we are getting out of a rebel controlled rural war zone in Eastern Ukraine. In the video below, we see a guy cart off one of MH17s Black Boxes. This video, shot on Friday, is welcomed by many as some have claimed that MH17's black boxed were expressed...

Apr 20, 2025

Squadron Cars: The Amazingly Liveried Rides Of Air Combat Units

The modern requirements for a squadron vehicle are simple: it has to be gaudy, relatively expendable and a continuous work in progress. Most importantly it has to capture the culture and lore of the flying squadron it belongs to, no matter how outrageous. This image courtesy of Steven Rice Although...

Apr 20, 2025

Who Is Lying About The Buk Missiles That Took Down MH17 Over Ukraine?

The only thing we know for sure is that somebody pressed a button. Here's what Russia, Ukraine and America are saying about the radar-guided surface to air missiles that killed 298 civilians. Someone is lying. Let's follow a chronological order here, using the best source I could find thanks to...

Apr 20, 2025

Gaza Rockets & Missile Countermeasures: Warzone Flying Is Dangerous

After a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, US Airways, Delta and United have all cancelled flights into Israel, with one aircraft diverting mid-flight to Paris. have reminded carriers just how deadly flying even high above an embattled areas can be. Update 6pm EST:...

Apr 20, 2025

This Is What Its Like To Power Through Descent Into The Atmosphere

Elon Musk's humanity-altering company, SpaceX (no, not Tesla), is trying its darndest to create a re-useable rocket booster. But they're not trying to do it with parachutes, followed by a big splashdown. They're trying to do it with more rocket fuel, and this video is proof of a big step...

Apr 20, 2025

How Raw Data Can Explain A Big Part Of The Current Gaza Conflict

War is still raging in Gaza and Israel, and right now, it looks like it can only get worse as each attempted ceasefire begins and is promptly discarded. Scores are dying, many of them civilians. But how many are civilians? How can we find out? The answer we found is...

Apr 20, 2025

Two Ukrainian Attack Jets Reportedly Shot Down Over Rebel-Held Area

Two Ukrainian Su-25 attack jets were reportedly shot down over a rebel-controlled area in Eastern Ukraine early today, according to the . The jets were returning from a mission near the town of Dmytrivka when they were struck by anti-aircraft missiles. The pilots fired flares before being hit, and managed...

Apr 20, 2025

Watch An Active Protection System Destroy An RPG Fired At Israeli Tank

We have discussed Active Protection Systems many times before, but it is another thing seeing one work operationally. The video below depicts a being fired on in Gaza by an RPG, with Trophy intercepting and destroying the explosive projectile before it could plow through the tank's side armor. Operation Protective...

Apr 20, 2025