Category Archives: History

Know the past so you don’t repeat it in the future!

Posted on March 6, 2013 by aviationintel.com

THE AURORA MYTH & BEYOND: JOHN BATCHELOR INTERVIEW

JBS-AURORA & BEYOND John has the smartest material on talk radio today. I highly recommend you tune in to his show if it is syndicated in your area (if you live in NYC he is live on WABC) or download … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in History, Interview Alert!, Opinon | 1 Comment
Posted on January 4, 2013 by aviationintel.com

MYSTERY SOLVED!: THE UNIDENTIFIED PINT SIZED SUBMARINE IS…

                ORIGINAL POST: http://aviationintel.com/2013/01/02/identify-this-sub-small-mystery-submarine-spotted-at-naval-base-kitsap-in-bremerton-wa/ I have taken a couple week hiatus from posting regularly on the site, I needed a break. Often times when you are away from something you question the need … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in History, Opinon, Photo | 4 Comments
Posted on October 24, 2012 by aviationintel.com

IT COULD HAVE BEEN: THE RF-117 RECONNAISSANCE NIGHTHAWK

Shortly after the massive success of the F-117A Nighthawk during the Operation Desert Storm, Congress and Lockheed moved together to support buying 24 more F-117s that would be primarily configured as reconnaissance platforms. The jet would have additional cockpit interfaces … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in FAST HISTORY, History, It Could Have Been, Opinon | 6 Comments
Posted on October 22, 2012 by aviationintel.com

FAST HISTORY: LOCKHEED’S DIVERTERLESS SUPERSONIC INLET TESTBED F-16

                Before there was the mound like intake bulges and racked intake cowlings seen on the American F-35 and Chinese J-20, JF-17, J-10 and J-31, there was Lockheed’s Diverterless Supersonic Intake F-16 testbed. … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in China Rising, FAST HISTORY, History, Opinon, The F-35 Saga | Comment Now
Posted on October 15, 2012 by aviationintel.com

HISTORIC DAY FOR AVIATION!

First off, Felix Baumgartner and Team Redbull, completed the worlds first supersonic free fall by a human being. Jumping from a balloon at close to 130,000 feet in a pressure suit, Felix hit a top speed of an astounding mach … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in History, News, Opinon | 1 Comment
Posted on September 5, 2012 by aviationintel.com
Posted on August 21, 2012 by aviationintel.com

FAST HISTORY: A HANDFUL OF USAF & CIA U-2s WERE CAPABLE OF AERIAL REFUELING

Lockheed modified less than a dozen U-2s with aerial refueling capability. By doing so the Dragon Lady, as it is now fondly called, doubled its operational range from about 4,000 miles to 8,000 miles, and could stay aloft for over … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in FAST HISTORY, History, Photo, video | 4 Comments
Posted on August 14, 2012 by aviationintel.com

PREDATOR vs FOXBAT: THE FUTURE OF AIR TO AIR COMBAT VIA DRONE BEGAN ALMOST A DECADE AGO

One of the most frequently asked questions I get asked is “when will drones take on the air to air fighter role?” I have answered this with a constellation of pieces and will continue to do so with some upcoming … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in FAST HISTORY, History, Opinon, video | 1 Comment
Posted on June 10, 2012 by aviationintel.com

WHY IS THE STEALTHY F-117 NIGHTHAWK STILL FLYING?

I am trying to catch up with reader requests and one common strain of emails pertains to questions surrounding why the F-117 Nighthawk, America’s first stealth attack aircraft, is still flying around the Nellis Range Complex years after it’s official … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in Essays, FAST HISTORY, History, Opinon | 4 Comments
Posted on May 18, 2012 by aviationintel.com

IT COULD HAVE BEEN: THE GARGANTUAN CONVAIR XC-99

Everyone loves big planes. The bigger they are the more interesting they become. Famed mammoths like Howard Hughes’ HK-1 “Hercules,” otherwise known as the “Spruce Goose,” and Antanov’s gigantic An-225 “Dream” conger up feelings that man has somehow cheated nature … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in FAST HISTORY, History, It Could Have Been | Comment Now
Posted on May 2, 2012 by aviationintel.com

FAST HISTORY: THE STRAIGHT DOPE ON THE HUGHES HK-1 HERCULES, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “SPRUCE GOOSE,” BY THE MEN WHO DESIGNED & BUILT HER

Howard Hughes’s monstrous HK-1 Hercules got me interested in aviation at a very early age. Something about it, the size obviously, but also the time and the person behind it made it so special. When I was very young my … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in FAST HISTORY, History, video | 2 Comments
Posted on May 2, 2012 by aviationintel.com

INSEPARABLE TO THE END: TWO COLD WAR TREASURES, SEA SHADOW & THE HUGHES MINING BARGE, MAY FACE THE SCRAPPER’S TORCH

I am flabbergasted, stunned really, that an air and space museum, such as the USS Midway in San Diego, has not snapped up the legendary Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1) and the Lockheed Sea Shadow (IX-529) from the US Navy for … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in FAST HISTORY, History, News, Opinon, Photo, video | 4 Comments
Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviationintel.com

SEA BASING’S ANCESTOR: THE FORGOTTEN COMMERCIAL FREIGHTER “AIRCRAFT CARRIERS” OF THE FALKLANDS WAR

Many people know about the Harrier’s exploits during “Operation Corporate,” the UK’s offensive to reclaim the Falkland Islands in 1982. The two Royal Navy carriers that played a key role in countering Argentina’s air force, which outnumbered the Royal Navy’s … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in Essays, History, News | 2 Comments
Posted on January 28, 2012 by aviationintel.com

BACK TO THE FUTURE: USN & SOCOM MODIFY THE USS PONCE IN PREPERATION FOR “TANKER WARS II”

In breaking news it would appear that the US Navy, working with Special Operations Command (SOCOM), is rushing to deploy a floating sea base, tailored to support special forces and mine-sweeping operations. This floating outpost will come in the form … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in Essays, History, News, Opinon | 2 Comments
Posted on January 12, 2012 by aviationintel.com

RQ-170 SENTINEL ORIGINS PART II: THE GRANDSON OF “TACIT BLUE”

PLEASE READ RQ-170 ORIGINS PART I FOR FULL CONTEXT BEFORE CONTINUING ON: http://aviationintel.com/2011/12/28/rq-170-sentinel-origins-darkstar-has-grown-up/ My first piece on the ancestry of the RQ-170 Sentinel, America’s secret unmanned stealthy sensor truck of choice, got a lot of traffic and was the topic … Read the rest of this entry →

Filed in Essays, History, Iranian RQ-170 Incident, Opinon | 13 Comments