The ultra-secret spy plane already has an informal designation. It appeared in Top Gun: Maverick and has an impressive fan ...

In the Blackbird’s 24 years of active Air Force service, its operational capabilities positioned the plane at the forefront of surveillance during the height of the cold war. Dane Penland / NASM ...

In May 1960 an American U-2 spy plane flew over Russian missile sites. The US thought it was beyond the reach of Soviet air ...

Ever since the end of the Cold War, budget reductions have significantly eroded Air Force aircraft inventories. Fighters and bombers are down by over half and mobility forces are too small.

Countering the problem, Penney argues, will require adding new pilots to the Air Force, incentivizing current pilots to remain with the force, and adding new aircraft. During the Cold War ...