Lockheed D-21: Cold War Spy Drone

In October 1962, the C.I.A. and the U.S.A.F. requested that Lockheed study a high-speed, high-altitude drone concept for reconnaissance flights over particularly hostile territories to avoid endangering aircrews. Created during the height of the Cold War and following the shootdown of a U-2 spy p...

By Friedrich Seiltgen

USS Hornet (CV-12): Carrier that Stung Japan

The USS Hornet (CV-12) stands as one of the most storied aircraft carriers in United States naval history, playing a decisive role in World War II as part of the Essex-class fleet. From its origins as a replacement for the lost USS Hornet (CV-8) to its participa...

By Peter Suciu

The Ultimate .25-Caliber Shootout: Newcomers vs The Classics

I conducted a good old-fashioned shootout to see how the 25 Creedmoor and 25 Weatherby RPM stack up against quarter-bore classics like the .25/06 Remington, .257 Roberts, and .257 Weatherby Magnum The post The Ultimate .25-Caliber Shootout: Newcomers vs The Classics appeared first on Outdoor Life.

By John B. Snow

Triumph and Tragedy: The USS Indianapolis

No one on board the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) knew anything about the cargo they were carrying. What they did know was that the veteran cruiser (launched in 1931) made the trip from San Francisco to the island of Tinian in the Marianas in just ten days. The crew was proud of the “Indy”, and fo...

By Tom Laemlein

Mikoyan MiG-29: The Reactive Fulcrum?

Military aircraft design of the Cold War era could be described as akin to physics, or, more specifically, to Newton’s Third Law of motion, which states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” From lessons learned in the Vietnam War, the United States Air Force determi...

By Peter Suciu

Curtiss P-36 Hawk: Hero Plane of Pearl Harbor?

At the National Museum of the United States Air Force, many visitors will see an unfamiliar aircraft at the entrance to the WWII gallery. The museum’s display of the gleaming silver fighter coded “86” on the fuselage, features a pilot boarding the plane in his pajamas, with an M1911 pistol ...

By Tom Laemlein

The Davy Crockett Tactical Nuke

The M28 and M29 Davy Crockett Weapon System emerged during one of the most volatile phases of the Cold War, a period when the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in a global contest of ideology, influence, and military capability. In the early 1950s, as tensions escalated in Europe, th...

By Eugene Nielsen

Luger History: World’s Most Recognizable Pistol

Modularity is the holy gospel in military circles these days. Distilled to its essence, a modular weapon system uses a single basic chassis that can then be customized to perform specific missions. Think of it like Barbie dolls for gun guys. By mixing and matching accessories, you can be ready fo...

By Will Dabbs, MD

Evolution of the Flying Wing

From its earliest experimental roots to today’s cutting-edge stealth bombers, the flying wing has remained one of aviation’s most radical and enduring ideas. Stripped of traditional fuselage and tail structures, this design prioritizes aerodynamic efficiency above all else. The design reduces...

By Friedrich Seiltgen

Work Tuff Gear’s Latest EDC – The Lightfoot

Work Tuff Gear has a well-established reputation for knives that are pretty much bombproof. Most of their offerings are large and in charge sorts of designs. The Atayal is a great example of that sort of blade. However, when I stopped by their booth at the 2026 SHOT Show, I got a peek at a [&#823...

By Jim Cobb
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