'Sandy' A-10s the Air Force says it no longer needs flew 'close-in gunfights' in high-risk Iran rescues

Tech Insider : Business, Style
A-10 Warthog flying behind a refueling aircraft in the skies above Iran.
A task force including A-10s protected the rescue aircraft flying to pick up the downed F-15E pilot in Iran.

US Air Force photo

Why the US military risks so much to save downed airmen stuck behind enemy lines

Tech Insider : Business
A special mission aviator looks out of an HH-60W Jolly Green II after a personnel recovery exercise.
A special mission aviator looks out of an HH-60W Jolly Green II after a personnel recovery exercise.

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Melany Bermudez

Here's how US combat search-and-rescue crews save downed fighter pilots in the middle of a war

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
A HH-60W Jolly Green II, the Air Force's specialized search and rescue Black Hawk, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Feb. 25, 2026.
A HH-60W Jolly Green II, the Air Force's specialized search-and-rescue Black Hawk, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Feb. 25, 2026.

Airman Bre Lewis/US Air Force

B-52 Stratofortress bombers enter the war with Iran

Tech Insider : Business, Style

US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers are now flying combat missions in Iran. After a month at war, the US says it has established air superiority over Iran.

I visited the National Air and Space Museum's lesser-known second location. One exhibit stopped me in my tracks.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
The space shuttle Discovery at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
The space shuttle Discovery at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Shield AI says its Hivemind AI pilot just flew a drone vying to become a future Air Force uncrewed wingman

Tech Insider : Business
A grey and blue aircraft flies against a clear blue sky.
Hivemind flew Anduril's YFQ-44A aircraft for the first time in a test over the Mojave Desert.

Shield AI

A US Air Force F-22 Raptor just showed off how it might work with a loyal wingman-type drone in a future air war

Tech Insider : Business, Style
A large, grey aircraft sits on a runway in the desert.
The F-22 Raptor is the first Air Force aircraft that will be linked with CCAs.

US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tabatha Arellano

How the Air Force trains for crashes in enemy territory

Tech Insider : Business, Style

Air Force Survival School at Fairchild Air Force Base trains aircrew for the moment they could become isolated behind enemy lines or stranded in hostile environments after a crash.

Troops are mocking Air Force gate guards over a new rule: 'You sound like a Walmart greeter'

Tech Insider : Business
An Air Force Security Forces airman greets a driver.
Gate guards welcome people onto US military installations and also ensure security. The Air Force recently adopted a new approach to entry point greetings, and not everyone is loving it.

Senior Airman Elora J. Martinez/US Air Force

The US Air Force needs to buy hundreds of sixth-gen fighters and bombers to be ready for a China fight, airpower experts say

Tech Insider : Business
A B-21 Raider bomber flies above a mountainous terrain with clouds and a clear blue sky in the background.
The US plans to acquire at least 185 F-47s and 100 B-21s.

Courtesy of the US Air Force

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