Military Aircraft

The light jet trainer built for intermediate military instruction.

The Avro Vulcan entered service in the 1950s as part of the United Kingdom’s strategic bomber force. Featuring a distinctive delta wing, it was designed for high-altitude nuclear strike missions. The aircraft later adapted to conventional roles.

The advanced jet trainer built for military pilot development.

The maritime patrol aircraft built to replace aging fleets but canceled before service.

The heavy bomber built for high-altitude strategic bombing in World War II.

The B-52 Stratofortress explained: 8 engines, 70,000 lb payload, 8,800-mile range, why 76 remain in service, and the F130 re-engining to the B-52J.

The airborne warning aircraft built for wide-area radar surveillance.

The airborne command aircraft built for strategic communications.

The experimental fighter built to compete in the Joint Strike Fighter program.

The airborne laser aircraft built to test missile defense concepts.

The lightweight fighter built for export multirole capability.

The B-58 Hustler was the first Mach 2 bomber: 116 built, a fifth of them lost in crashes, retired after just ten years, and eight left today.

The twinjet trainer and light attack aircraft built for versatile service.

Strategic bomber introduced in 1956

The jet tactical bomber built for reconnaissance and electronic warfare missions.

The maritime patrol aircraft built to deliver modern anti-submarine capability.

The regional jet transformed into an airborne command center

Twin-engine piston power

Bomber trainer

The electronic warfare aircraft built to suppress enemy radar defenses.

The forward-swept wing demonstrator built to explore advanced aerodynamics.

The supersonic trainer built to prepare pilots for modern fighter aircraft.

The maritime patrol jet built for modern anti-submarine operations.

The EA-37B Compass Call is the US Air Force's Gulfstream G550 electronic-attack jet replacing the EC-130H. Specs, range, crew, cost and deployments.

The stealth attack aircraft built for precision night operations.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird flew at Mach 3.3 and 85,000 ft. Its specs explained, speed records, how many were built and lost, and why it retired.

The Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady flies above 70,000 ft on a 103 ft wing. Specs, Cold War history, why it is so hard to fly, and the fight to retire it.

The jet bomber built as an American adaptation of a British design.

The aeromedical transport built to support military medical evacuation missions.

The carrier-capable fighter built for naval operations.

The upgraded Fulcrum built for expanded multirole capability.

The multirole fighter built to modernize the Fulcrum family.

The experimental fighter built to explore Russia’s fifth-generation ambitions.

The jet trainer built for post-Soviet pilot training modernization.

XB-70 Valkyrie facts: the six-engine Mach 3.1 bomber prototype, why it was canceled, the 1966 mid-air crash, and where the last one is today.

The early jet bomber that introduced swept-wing performance to U.S. strike forces.

The Northrop B-2 Spirit is a flying-wing stealth bomber with a 172-foot wingspan, 6,000-nautical-mile range, and a price near $2 billion each.

The B-21 Raider is Northrop Grumman's sixth-generation stealth bomber. It first flew in 2023, costs about $692 million each, and reaches Ellsworth in 2027.

The battlefield surveillance aircraft built for wide-area ground tracking.

The EA-6B Prowler jammed enemy radar for the US Navy and Marines from 1971 to 2019. Its four-seat crew, 170 built, combat record, and what replaced it.

The twinjet trainer built for multi-engine and tanker pilot training.

The B-1 Lancer is a supersonic swing-wing heavy bomber with the largest conventional payload in the US Air Force: Mach 1.25, 75,000 lb, crew of 4.

The twin-boom aircraft built for observation and close support.

The two-seat fighter variant built for training and operational flexibility

Strategic bomber introduced in 1954

Tu-160 Blackjack specs, speed and fleet size: the 606,000 lb bomber that tops Mach 2, the records it holds, and how many Russia still flies today.

First among the V-bombers

The Xi'an H-20 is China's secretive stealth bomber, unconfirmed after a decade in development. What the Pentagon estimates, and what's still unknown.

The long-range bomber derived from early jet strategic designs.