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Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/o-iTT80CTJY

Today we discuss the Geran-4, Russia's turbojet version of the Iranian Shahed one-way attack drone, after an overnight raid of 280 drones on Ukraine. Jet drone launches jumped from about 350 in June to about 2,800 in August, and F-16s are filling the gap.

Get the defense stories behind the headlines every week in The Lowdown: https://lowdownnews.us

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Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/VGoBPpVbPNo

Today we discuss the AIM-424 Malice, the US Navy's new long range air-to-air missile revealed in August 2026, credited with reaching targets beyond 250 nautical miles and shown fitting inside the internal weapons bay of the F-35C.

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Watch on Afterburn Defense Youtube: https://youtu.be/GGiXPeV1iJE

The incident occurred while aircraft from the 86th Air Base in Borsia were conducting routine patrols. We break down the details behind the drone interception of these two Russian drones, identified as Nugran-4s, and what this means for current regional stability.

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Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/TT-9woSmEu8

Saudi Arabia fields Patriot batteries and one of the most capable air forces in the Middle East, and a Houthi barrage still reached King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10, killing 13 people and wounding more than 300.

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Boeing won the Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier fighter on September 29, which means one company now builds both American sixth-gen fighters, the Navy’s F/A-XX and the Air Force’s F-47.

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Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/sJdOot0ti2E

Taiwan’s first two F-16 Block 70 fighters have landed at their new home, plus the US Air Force is weighing new-build F-16s for the first time since 2005. Today we discuss the Block 70, the proposed F-16G, Viper Shield, and the fighter shortfall driving it.

Sources:
The War Zone: https://www.twz.com/air/new-build-f-16s-for-the-usaf-is-an-idea-that-wont-go-away-for-good-reason
Air and Space Forces: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-eyes-new-build-f-16s-to-boost-fighter-force/

The first two of 66 F-16 Block 70s ordered by Taiwan in 2019 touched down at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung on October 2, 2026, after a ferry flight from Lockheed Martin’s Greenville, South Carolina line that stalled in Hawaii for more than a month. Today we discuss what that roughly $8 billion package actually contains, from the APG-83 AESA radar and Link 16 to smart bomb tail kits, towed decoys, and the integrated offensive and defensive electronic warfare suite that L3Harris Viper Shield answers.

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Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/4Er8ciSvT84

KC-135 battle damage repair: Air Mobility Command commander Lt Gen Daniel
Tulley revealed how maintainers saved a Stratotanker loaded with 200,000
pounds of fuel after an enemy attack during Operation Epic Fury.

Ogden Air Logistics Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUDBQ8fmr8Ek

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Watch on Afterburn Defense YouTube: https://youtu.be/F21BnqlbCow

Today we discuss the Air Force naming its first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the FQ-42A Vengeance from General Atomics and the FQ-44A Fury from Anduril, plus the plan for 1,000 drones by 2032.

On 14 September 2026, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink announced a target of roughly 1,000 autonomous combat aircraft by 2032: 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft and 500 Massed Modular Aircraft. The F in FQ-42 and FQ-44 is deliberate. These are being designated as fighters, not surveillance drones.

Vengeance has been delivered to Creech Air Force Base and has already flown in formation with the F-35 and the F-15E Strike Eagle. Fury fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM at a digital target in July with a human retaining oversight of the shot. Contract award to first flight ran about 18 months, a pace almost unheard of in defense acquisition.

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Today we discuss the SR-71 Blackbird that vanished from NASA Armstrong. Tail 844, the last Blackbird ever built and the last to fly, is gone from its display and NASA will not say where.

Aviation Week: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/nasa-quietly-removed-sr-71-storage-amid-x-plane-push
The Warzone: https://www.twz.com/air/a-sr-71-blackbird-has-vanished

Aviation Week defense editor Steve Trimble broke the story using satellite imagery showing the aircraft missing since at least 17 May 2026. Joseph Trevithick at The War Zone followed up, and NASA's response was that it has no additional information to share, while noting it continues to explore opportunities to build on that legacy.

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Brad Young spent six years in the Air Force as a Korean linguist, including time at the National Security Agency in Hawaii, before an inter-service transfer put him in Army warrant officer flight school. He flew the AH-64D and then the AH-64E for just shy of 17 years across four combat deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and retired in 2025 out of 5-17 Air Cavalry in Korea. His unit at Fort Lewis was the first to receive and combat deploy the Echo model.

Brad's book "Full Blooded Apache: An Attack Pilot’s True Story of Family, Faith and the Fight" https://amzn.to/4hOLb1j

0:00 The most feared helicopter in the world
0:48 From Air Force linguist to Apache pilot
4:37 9/11, a schoolteacher, and four recruiters
8:58 The DLAB: learning a made-up language
11:25 Korean linguist at DLI and NSA Hawaii
13:16 How a Google Earth search ended in a kill cam
16:51 Crossing over to Army aviation
22:45 Army aviation paths and flight school
24:38 The dunker and stress inoculation
30:01 TH-67 primary and the airframe selection board
34:09 Please bless daddy to get Apaches
34:47 AH-64D vs AH-64E: what the Echo changed
40:55 APKWS and the counter-drone fight
43:19 Drones hunting helicopters
44:34 The Apache 30mm and its new proximity fuze
48:30 FPV drones vs helicopters
49:40 Staying over the shoulder of ground forces
50:57 Hit twice near Jalalabad
53:18 The round that nearly brought him down
55:02 Counter tech and the 3 to 1 advantage
57:25 Two cockpits that can't see each other
59:52 Flying night combat through one eye
1:03:00 Front seat vs back seat sensors
1:04:48 Why he wrote Full Blooded Apache
1:07:20 Four Hellfires in eight minutes
1:12:55 Wrap-up

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During a close air support mission over Baghdad on 8 April 2003, Maj Gary "Wolfman" Wolf and his A-10 Warthog were struck by an SA-16 MANPADS while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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During a close air support mission over Baghdad on 8 April 2003, Maj Gary "Wolfman" Wolf and his A-10 Warthog were struck by an SA-16 MANPADS while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Battle Creek Bourbon: https://shop.winglorespirits.com/pages/commemorative

0:00 Intro "Lead's Been Hit"
1:29 The Close Air Support Mission
6:10 Hit by an SA-16
12:44 Jettison Everything
15:33 Escort and Rescue Join Up
16:41 Gear Down
18:55 Battle Creek Bourbon with Wing Lore Spirits
23:44 Mitchell Wolf on Tail Number 258

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Col Kevin "Flint" Hicok commanded the 20th Fighter Wing during Operation Midnight Hammer, leading the largest Air Force wing in CENTCOM since Desert Storm.

The three-part documentary series is on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. This is the full interview with Col. Kevin Hicok, a career F-16 fighter pilot who commanded the F-16 Wild Weasels that flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Before Iran, the wing fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Intro
0:56 Commanding the Largest F-16 Wing in the Air Force
3:49 From a Small Town in Iowa to Fighter Pilot
10:02 Deploying the Whole Wing for the First Time Since Desert Storm
15:23 Operation Rough Rider and the Houthi Drone Threat
17:27 Learning About Operation Midnight Hammer
19:22 Surging 100 More Aircraft and 220 Percent More People
20:20 The Logistics Nobody Sees: Fuel, Water, and 115 Degree Heat
23:17 Sending Airmen Across the Line Into Iran
29:18 When the Last Jet Landed

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel fighter pilots who flew into Iran. Ghost" Trembly and "Cash" Croghan were the wing and squadron weapons officers for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the F-16 Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

They planned the F-16 portion of the strike package. In this conversation, they explain why a fourth-generation fighter flew into Iran alongside the B-2s and F-35s, how the squadron reconfigured from the Yemen fight in a matter of hours, and why nobody in the squadron believed the mission was real until it was.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Preparing the Squadron for Deployment
5:16 New Equipment: AESA Radar and the F-16 Block 50
8:52 Operation Rough Rider: Counter-UAS Over Yemen
15:31 Mission Planning on a Folding Table
21:14 Five Days Out: Nobody Believed It Was Real
28:49 Reconfiguring the Jets From Rockets to HARMs
31:45 The Night "Glitch" Shot a SAM in 8 Seconds and saved "Cash"
41:21 Why the F-16 Was the Only Jet That Could Do It
46:38 The 15-Minute Brief Before Flying Into Iran
49:47 A 300 Mile Ingress Into Iranian Airspace
1:05:50 Is That a Missile Coming Off the Ground
1:12:41 How Tight the Fuel Really Was
1:20:40 Bunker Diving and Life on the Base

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Smalls" commanded the 55th Fighter Squadron, and "Scar" was one of the F-16 pilots who helped plan and execute the mission. They are the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

Both of them flew the mission. In this conversation, they talk about what it means to command a squadron and fly in the same formation, the moment a squadron commander has to let his wingmen push ahead of him, the mechanical failure one of them handled over hostile territory, and what they told their families before they left.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Taking Command of the 55th Fighter Squadron
3:25 The Deployment That Became Something Else
8:33 Shooting Rockets at Drones From an F-16
12:12 Commanding a Squadron in Combat
23:16 Realizing the Threat Was Real
29:34 The Weight of Sending People Out
40:04 From Rough Rider to Midnight Hammer
43:45 Letting My Wingmen Go In First
49:55 Learning About the Iran Mission
54:51 The Phone Call That Changed Everything
1:09:25 The Helmet Mix-Up on the Ramp
1:18:26 Tanker Frequencies and Marshal Delays
1:26:13 Employing Over Iranian Airspace
1:34:02 Compressor Stall Over Enemy Territory
1:39:19 Crossing the Line Back
1:42:22 What They Told Their Families

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Glitch" was one of the youngest F-16 pilots in the formation, flying his first combat deployment with the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

He was woken up at ten at night and told to pack a bag. In this conversation, he talks about the night over Yemen when a surface-to-air missile came off the ground at his formation and he had seconds to respond, why Rough Rider frightened him more than Iran did, the drive out to the jets before the strike, and the call he made to his girlfriend when he could not tell her where he was.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Becoming an F-16 Pilot
2:06 Preparing for the Spring Deployment
3:19 A Threat Environment Nobody Trained For
5:18 What the Outgoing Squadron Warned Them About
8:46 Flying the SEAD Mission in Combat
11:01 First Combat Sortie Over Yemen
12:32 A Missile Launch on My Scope
14:09 Watching a SAM Fired at My Formation
17:28 Getting the Call for Operation Midnight Hammer
21:17 Mission Planning for the Iran Strike
24:23 I Can't Tell You Where I Am
26:15 The Drive Out to the Jets
31:41 Why Yemen Scared Me More Than Iran
35:28 Employing Over Iranian Airspace
37:57 How Tight the Fuel Was

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Cuffs" was the deployed Director of Operations for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

He ran the squadron's operations from the main base while the strike launched from somewhere else. In this conversation, he talks about how young the pilots flying this mission actually were, what it took to run a squadron split across two locations, the last handshakes before they stepped, and the wait until he heard they were on their way back.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Spinning Up the Squadron for Deployment
1:43 A Threat Environment Unlike the Last 20 Years
4:09 Why the F-16 Still Matters in This Fight
6:28 Getting Out the Door
9:09 Most of These Pilots Were in Their Twenties
12:11 Learning a New Base and New Configurations
16:28 First Combat Sorties Over Yemen
20:24 Thinking About the Risk to Yourself
22:44 Learning About Operation Midnight Hammer
26:27 Trusting the Weapons Officers to Plan It
28:58 Running a Squadron Split Across Two Locations
32:48 The Night It Happened
36:50 The Last Handshakes Before They Stepped
39:38 Watching Them Come Home

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Glib" was the intelligence officer for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

His job was to know the threat better than anyone in the squadron. In this conversation, he talks about the night the reporting was bad enough that he told a pilot to be prepared, what it is like to brief men whose wives and children you know, how a squadron built its own targeting picture when the strategic intelligence was not enough, and what he did on the ground while they were over Iran.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Building the Threat Picture Before Deployment
2:38 A Contested Environment Again
7:15 The Night I Thought My Pilots Would Die
8:35 Finding Out About Operation Midnight Hammer
14:26 The Night of the Mission
20:21 What the Squadron Did That Nobody Sees

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. MSgt. Edge was the fuels NCOIC responsible for getting gas into every aircraft, supporting the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

Nothing flies without fuel. In this conversation, he explains how his team pumped 548,000 gallons in a single night, why one three-mile transfer line put a hard ceiling on the entire operation, how a project that normally takes years got done in a matter of days, and what it took to convince a host nation to change an order.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 A Deployment That Was Supposed to Be Routine
2:20 Planning for a Buildup Nobody Expected
4:03 Twenty-One Days of Work in Three Days
6:21 The Fuel Line That Capped the Whole Operation
12:09 548,000 Gallons on the Night of Midnight Hammer
15:00 Hot Refueling F-35s for the First Time
17:02 Find a Way to Yes

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Lt Col Tilton commanded the logistics readiness squadron at the deployed location, supplying the base the Wild Weasels flew from when they took Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

Everything the mission needed had to arrive first. In this conversation, he explains why the base ran out of food more than once, what it took to run a second fuel line through a wall and under roads in the two weeks before the strike, how the fleet grew from a few dozen vehicles to hundreds, and the plan for what happens to loaded aircraft if the base goes to alarm red.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Getting a Fighter Wing Out the Door
2:14 The Air Force Isn't Built for Agile Deployment
8:37 Running a Squadron With Half the Leadership Gone
10:52 A Ramp That Kept Shrinking as Jets Arrived
14:32 The Fuel Trucks That Kept Breaking
19:04 When the Base Ran Out of Food
23:27 Running a Second Fuel Line Before the Strike
32:15 What Happens When the Base Goes to Alarm Red

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. SrA Michalenko was an avionics journeyman for the 55th Fighter Squadron, working the computer and threat warning systems on the F-16s that flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

It was his first deployment. He was given four hours to pack a bag and told to watch the news. In this conversation he talks about the call to a girlfriend he could tell nothing to, arriving somewhere he could not name, and launching a fighter jet on his own for the first time in his career on the night of the Iran strike.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 What an Avionics Technician Works On
2:18 Bamboo Eagle and the First Deployment
5:16 Working Inside a Cockpit in Desert Heat
9:08 Four Hours to Pack a Bag
10:46 The Call I Couldn't Explain
13:10 Launching a Jet for the First Time
18:12 Waiting to See If They Came Back
20:25 A Big Ball of Fear

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. CMSgt. Hilliard was the senior enlisted leader for maintenance in the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

No jet flies without the people who fix it. In this conversation he talks about how the squadron decided which specific aircraft would fly the Iran mission, what it takes to generate a sortie that most people never think about, running a maintenance unit where many of the airmen had never deployed before, and the eighteen hours he waited after the jets taxied out.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 From a One-Stoplight Town to the Viper
5:18 What It Actually Takes to Launch One Sortie
8:16 Spinning Up a Maintenance Unit for Combat
11:42 Leading Airmen Who Had Never Deployed
17:22 Flying With Fewer Jets Than You Need
21:16 A Week Out From Operation Midnight Hammer
23:27 Eighteen Hours of Waiting
26:06 A Different Kind of Battlefield
33:59 The Empty Break Rooms
39:05 How We Chose Which Jets Would Go

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. SSgt Dray was a weapons technician responsible for the munitions and countermeasure systems on the F-16s, arming the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

He is one of the airmen who put the weapons on the jets. In this conversation he explains what it actually takes to reconfigure a fleet of F-16s from one mission to another, the failure he chased down that nobody could explain, what changed for him when he realized this was not training, and the night the loading told him something was about to happen.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 What a Weapons Technician Actually Does
2:10 Spinning Up Before the Deployment
8:30 Reconfiguring a Fleet of F-16s
12:35 Arriving in Theater During Rough Rider
14:42 The Failure Nobody Could Explain
19:24 This Wasn't Training Anymore
20:48 The Night Something Was About to Happen

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Capt. Grooms was the logistics director of operations at the deployed location, supporting the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

He was never read in on the mission. He worked it out from the math. In this conversation he explains how a base built for one squadron absorbed a hundred more aircraft, why transportation became the problem nobody anticipated, how tanker pilots ended up driving buses, and what the fuel numbers told him before anyone told him anything.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Bamboo Eagle and the Lesson Before Deployment
2:09 Becoming Logistics Director at the Deployed Location
6:53 Transportation Was the Problem Nobody Expected
10:01 Training Tanker Pilots to Drive Buses
10:50 Running Short on Fuel Contracts
14:23 The Math That Told Us Something Was Coming
16:31 After the Jets Came Back

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Capt. Williams and MSgt. Matos led F-16 maintenance for the 55th, keeping the jets flying for the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.

Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

This is the full interview.

Nobody told them what was coming. The configuration changes did. In this conversation, they explain what it actually takes to put one jet in the air, how a young maintenance team learned under pressure, why the flight hours downrange ran far past anything they see at home, and the airman who did not get to work the night of the strike.

Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.

These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.

0:00 Getting the Jets Out the Door
7:03 Maintainers Working Across Airframes
9:49 Rough Rider and a Young Maintenance Team
15:54 The Configuration Changes That Tipped Us Off
18:07 What It Takes to Generate One Sortie
20:36 Maintenance Roles During Midnight Hammer
25:09 The Airman We Benched on the Super Bowl

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/

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Today we sit down with an HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue (CSAR) pilot who flew through some of the worst fighting in Afghanistan, and the single mission that changed how he trains the mind for combat.

John "Rain" Waters talks with retired Lt. Col. John Mangan, a decorated CSAR pilot with more than 200 combat missions who commanded the 33rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron in Kandahar. They get into the leave-no-one-behind ethos, the honey-buns story that got a grounded rescue bird fueled in a combat zone, the command chaos of Operation Anaconda, why wounded troops died on runways waiting for approval to launch, and the Helmand rescue of two dying Marines that became the basis for his book, The Three Rings Mindset. Along the way, the science of why a trained pilot froze into his habits under fire, and how repetition and purpose beat fear.

John Mangan: www.JohnManganBooks.com

Subscribe to Afterburn Defense for combat aviation and defense breakdowns, grab The Three Rings Mindset, and subscribe to The Lowdown newsletter at lowdownnews.us.

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00:00 Intro
02:39 Growing up around gunships and A-10s
07:28 Pilot training and the barany chair
17:11 Why he chose combat rescue: leave no one behind
24:41 Iceland and the pre-9/11 "end of history" Air Force
33:59 Operation Anaconda and the honey buns fuel story
43:44 How Anaconda became a war-college lesson in failure
47:24 Wounded troops dying while the chain of command froze
49:28 The four motivations behind every warrior
55:35 Manda Bay: the rescue that never launched
1:01:47 Improvising under fire with a broken minigun
1:04:30 Army dust-off vs Air Force combat rescue
1:11:37 The Pave Hawk flying combat at 12,000 hours
1:14:13 Flying into a firefight for two dying Marines
1:36:21 Why a trained pilot flew over the enemy twice

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

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Today we break down why the US-Iran war reignited over the Strait of Hormuz, why the June ceasefire collapsed, and what a waterway a single drone can shut means for oil prices, escalation, and how this conflict actually ends.

Mike "FLASH" McVay sits down with Dr. Michael Bosack, founder of the Parley Policy Initiative and former Deputy Secretary of the UN Command Military Armistice Commission, to make sense of the current escalation. The conversation covers the five ways wars actually end, the difference between a negative and a positive peace, the good, bad, and ugly of the memorandum of understanding that was supposed to stop the fighting, why the Strait of Hormuz was the flaw nobody was talking about, and why negotiation at this level is a game of poker, not chess.

Dr. Mike Bosack: https://www.parleypolicy.com/

Subscribe to Afterburn Defense for tactical and technical breakdowns of the news that matters, and subscribe to The Lowdown newsletter at lowdownnews.us.

00:00 Intro
01:40 Bosack's path: maintenance, MQ-9s, and the Korean Armistice
06:36 What the Parley Policy Initiative actually does
10:10 Phases 4 and 5: the "now what" nobody plans for
14:39 The five ways every war ends
19:57 Negative peace vs positive peace
22:45 Inside the negotiating room: the war stories
31:09 The US-Iran ceasefire deal: good, bad, ugly
36:40 Why the Strait of Hormuz is the real crux
44:26 Why it's not really about the nukes
48:56 How allies complicate the deal
55:26 Negotiation is poker, not chess
01:05:41 How this ends: the range of outcomes

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This is a 3-part series. Best if viewed on Afterburn Defense Youtube. 
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel pilots who flew it. This is the firsthand account of the 55th Fighter Squadron and the 20th Fighter Wing. These are the pilots who fly Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, known as SEAD, the crews who went in first to suppress Iranian air defenses, and the ground support teams who made the mission possible. Part three covers the mission to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Recorded between December 2025 and January 2026, this series preserves the experiences of the people who were there, in their own words.

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/

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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel pilots who flew it. This is the firsthand account of the 55th Fighter Squadron and the 20th Fighter Wing. These are the pilots who fly Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, known as SEAD, the crews who went in first to suppress Iranian air defenses, and the ground support teams who made the mission possible. 

Part two covers the mission planning and the thoughts of the pilots and other squadron members when they thought of the upcoming mission to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Recorded between December 2025 and January 2026, this series preserves the experiences of the people who were there, in their own words.

 This is Part 2 of a 3-part series. Have a story? https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ Commonly used Acronyms: https://www.lowdownnews.us/p/operation-midnight-hammer

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/

🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫

Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off

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This episode was designed for video. Watch this episode for text and graphical explanations: https://youtu.be/EDnLrP_45fk

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel pilots who flew it. This is the firsthand account of the 55th Fighter Squadron and the 20th Fighter Wing. These are the pilots who fly Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, known as SEAD, the crews who went in first to suppress Iranian air defenses, and the ground support teams who made the mission possible. 

Part One covers Operation Rough Rider, the air campaign over Yemen in the spring of 2025 that put these pilots into combat months before Iran. What they learned there is the reason they were ready for what came next. Recorded between December 2025 and January 2026, this series preserves the experiences of the people who were there, in their own words. 

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series.

 Commonly used Acronyms: https://www.lowdownnews.us/p/operation-midnight-hammer 

The full one-on-one interview episodes are coming soon to  @afterburnpodcast 

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/

🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫

Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off

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YT: https://youtu.be/rvVVQ3n081I

This is the untold story of the F-16 pilots who flew deeper into Iran than any fourth-generation aircraft during Operation Midnight Hammer, the historic B-2 strike targeting Iran's nuclear sites with the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. These were the only non-stealth jets escorting the B-2 strike package, flying over 250 nautical miles into one of the most sophisticated integrated air defense networks on Earth, well beyond the range of any personnel recovery assets. These pilots provided Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) coverage for the B-2's. When air refueling assets fell out before they even left Saudi airspace, these crews didn't abort. They improvised, redirected tankers, and executed refueling at speeds the F-16 had never done before in combat conditions. This is the first-person account from the pilots themselves. What they saw over Iran, what they were thinking at bingo fuel, and what it actually took to bring every aircraft home. Operation Midnight Hammer | F-16 SEAD | Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses | Iran nuclear strikes | Twelve Day War | 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron | AGM-88 HARM | Wild Weasel 
 

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/

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Rob "Z-Man" Zettel is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, commercial airline captain, and author of American MiG Pilot who served as a top-secret Red Eagles instructor pilot flying Soviet MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighter jets during the Cold War program Constant Peg.

 

American MiG Pilot: Inside the Top Secret USAF “Red Eagles” MiG Squadron: https://amzn.to/4fLi2DA

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On May 20th, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment charging former Cuban head of state Raul Castro with the murder of American civilians. That same day, the USS Nimitz carrier strike group entered the Caribbean. We break down the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown, the GAESA military conglomerate controlling Cuba's economy, and what the Venezuela playbook tells us about where this is headed.

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Watch online: https://youtu.be/uvAyxlmpBdk

We spent two days in Waco, Texas, inside the L3Harris facility where the Sky Raider II International™ is built. From the beginning, where an 802 Air Tractor enters the production line until it rolls out as Air Force Special Operations Command's newest airplane, the OA-1K Sky Raider II. We dive into what it takes to turn a crop duster into a precision-strike and ISR platform capable of operating from austere environments with only a two-man crew and 6,000 pounds of ordnance. Exclusive access to the production line, the weapons systems, and the people who build and fly it.

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Video: https://youtu.be/L0D9c5nYO5E

China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation has more than doubled J-20 production efficiency using autonomous vehicles and AI-driven dark factories. With roughly 300 J-20s in service today and output estimated at 100-120 airframes annually, the PLAAF could field over 1,000 fifth-generation fighters by 2030. Today we discuss what that production capacity means, how it compares to F-35 output, and whether quantity changes the calculus regardless of quality.

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Watch this episode on YT: https://youtu.be/8X_ll2FrRIA

Beijing confirmed Chinese engineers were at Pakistani air bases supporting J-10CE operations during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. Today we discuss PL-15 & the J-10CE's combat performance data, what China just proved about its export hardware, and what the J-35 deal with Pakistan means now.

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Dos Gringos Concert: dosgringosdenver.com

James "Whacker" Reeman IG: @f16pilot

Whacker's Content: Fastjetfriday.com

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Roy "Deacon" Qualls went from zero flight hours to undergraduate pilot training six months later. From there — OV-10s, F-15s, the Louisiana Air National Guard, and a parallel career at American Airlines flying the 777.

In this episode Deacon walks through some of the defining moments of that career — receiving the 9/11 shoot down order on an unclassified fax, scrambling toward Air Force One on the morning of September 11th, flying a night CAP over Houston with a live weapons free ROE, and leading airmen through Hurricane Katrina rescue operations out of New Orleans.

 

Pilot's Edge: Think, Train, and Fly Like a Pro: https://www.amazon.com/Pilots-Edge-Think-Train-Like/dp/B0FY26ZJJM

Deacon Fini Flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4X8CIjCj9k

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When two brand new F-35s sustained catastrophic damage in separate accidents, the Air Force faced a decision most people don't know exists — write them off as total losses or call in one of the most specialized and least talked about teams in the United States Air Force. They called in the Aircraft Battle Damage Repair team. ABDR. 

In this episode, I sit down with General Sebren and Senior Master Sergeant Cross to break down exactly what aircraft battle damage repair is, how the decision gets made to repair or write off a damaged aircraft, and what it takes to put a $100 million fighter jet back together when the damage doesn't fit any technical order or regulation ever written. We dive into the "Frankenstein F-35" — two damaged airframes combined into one flyable jet — and what that process actually looks like from the people who did it.

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The Secretary of the Air Force just announced the A-10 Warthog will remain in service until at least 2030. For a platform that has been on the chopping block since Desert Storm — with depot maintenance shut down in February, training pipelines closing, and squadrons deactivating — this is a significant reversal

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Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Pentagon just submitted the largest defense budget request in American history — $1.5 trillion for fiscal year 2027 — and buried inside those numbers is a clear picture of exactly where the US military thinks the next war will be fought and how. In this video I break down what each service is actually buying, from the Air Force's $5 billion bet on the F-47 next generation fighter and $4.5 billion for the Sentinel ICBM, to the Navy doubling aircraft procurement to $34 billion, the Army quadrupling missile spending to $36 billion, and a $53 billion autonomous warfare program that signals the Pentagon is serious about drones at scale.

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Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In March 2026, somewhere between 12 and 15 drones overflew the flight line at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana — home to the B-52 bomber fleet, Global Strike Command, and the nuclear command and control communications systems that link the President to America's nuclear arsenal. These weren't hobbyist drones. According to reports they flew in close formation, spread out and conducted various maneuvers, and appeared to be jam resistant. Nobody stopped them.

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The J-35 is China's latest 5th generation fighter jets, and this video discusses its accelerated delivery timeline to Pakistan. We explore the implications of this advanced china fighter jet for military aircraft and the china air force.

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Maj. Gen. John "Trapper" Winters joins the Afterburn Podcast for a two-hour conversation covering one of the most unconventional paths to two stars in Air Force history — starting as an F-4 Electronic Warfare Officer and navigator, then beating 6% odds to earn a slot in pilot training, flying F-16s in the Aggressor program, commanding a fighter squadron, and ultimately rising to Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at the Pentagon.

 In this episode, we cover it all. Trapper talks about growing up in a military family, knowing since age three that he wanted to fly fast jets, and what it actually took to make that happen — including working his way through B-52 EWO school, flying with Vietnam veterans who defined squadron culture through "fear, ridicule and sarcasm," and earning a pilot training slot when almost nobody believed it was coming.

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Live Stream with Ward: https://www.youtube.com/live/5QSiJmqS6AQ?si=nT-Q09vbwpf3Wuow 

 

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Cinco's book: Unlocking the Last 20%: Rising to Greatness Through Discipline, Balance, and Resiliency https://amzn.to/48cisOP

Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton is an Air Force Colonel, experimental test pilot, and the inaugural Chief of AI Test and Operations for the Department of the Air Force. He flew 30+ aircraft, including all three variants of the F-35, logged 82 combat missions, commanded the largest flight test organization in modern aviation, and was in the cockpit the first time an AI agent took control of a high-performance drone in flight.

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President Trump's recent comments on a potential Iran ceasefire have sparked much discussion, as we explore the ongoing strikes in the region and the evolving iran war. This video also covers reports of Chechen units preparing for a possible US ground invasion and Iran's reveal of a new underground base for fighter jets, all contributing to the complex middle east conflict. Stay informed on this critical iran update and the latest developments shaping the us iran war.

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