That time the Air Force landed bombers on tank treads
During the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force experimented with a seemingly crazy idea for dispersing the weight of their heaviest bomber across the tarmac of airports and bases. They would fit the bombers with tank tread-inspired landing gear.
Mount Vesuvius near Naples, Italy, is best known for its eruption in 79 AD that destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. Over 1,000 people are believed… The biggest problem facing bomber pilots during the Cold War was the fact that they were dropping massive nuclear bombs, bombs that could easily engulf their planes in a ball… Allied aircraft making bombing runs ovr occupied Europe in World War II didn’t have to just worry about enemy fighters, the skies all around them were exploding, lit up in… The Manhattan Project, America’s nuclear bomb program, was one of the most expensive research and development undertakings of WWII. In total, the program cost about $2 billion, or nearly $30… The air war over Vietnam saw some incredible dog fights, but it still may surprise you to learn that the mighty B-52 heavy bomber successfully shot down not one but… The idea of putting weapons on aircraft to strike ground targets is not a new one. Although the concept has culminated in the deadly AC-130 gunship today, it was employed… When retelling stories of war, our focus tends to fall where the action was. Tales of battlefield bravery have been around for as long as there has been language and battlefields, but securing victory over a powerful foe requires more than the stren… The B-52 Stratofortress, also known as the Big Ugly Fat F*cker, or BUFF, first flew all the way back on April 15, 1952. Yeah, that’s right. Today, the B-52 is… The liberation of Sfax, Tunisia on April 10, 1943 was a joyous occasion for nearly everyone involved. The Allies gained an important Mediterranean port, the Tunisians in the city were liberated, and British Lt. Gen. Bernard Montgomery won a B-17 bo…The time Mount Vesuvius took out dozens of US bombers during WWII
The ‘Idiot’s Loop’ was a mid-air backflip done by nuclear bombers
What happened to all the flak fired at aircraft during World War II
This WWII program was more expensive than the Manhattan Project
How B-52 Bombers shot down enemy fighter jets in Vietnam
These WWII bombers were converted into gunships
How the Allies used math to save bomber crews during WWII
Today in military history: The B-52 BUFF makes its first test flight
That one time Eisenhower lost a B-17 bomber in a bet