The Afterburn Podcast

300 Combat Missions in the F-4 Over Vietnam | Ron Cooper

Today we discuss 300 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom with Ron Cooper, who flew with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron out of Udorn in 1971 and 1972, including the fli

Russia Just Sent 69 Jet-Powered Drones at Ukraine

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 ove

America's Answer to China's Best Missile, the PL-15

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, cr

Romania takes down two Russian drones with F-16s

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. W

Did Houthi's use Drones as a Decoy

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 ba

The Navy's Secret Fighter Is Back and Boeing Has It

Watch on Afterburn Defense YouTube: https://youtu.be/XNjurMWMPlg Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/ Boeing won the Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation ca

Taiwan’s First New F-16s Land After a Month Stuck in Hawaii

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-b

The Air Force Fixed a Shot-Up KC-135 While the Base Was Still Being Attacked

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

US Air Force Just Named Its First Two Robot Fighters

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

NASA Pulled Its Last SR-71 Into a Hangar and Won't Say Why

Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/DZTWj7NfOgc Today we discuss the SR-71 Blackbird that vanished from NASA Armstrong. Tail 844, the last Blackbird ever built

His Apache Was Hit Twice Over Jalalabad. He Went Back Up | Brad Young

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 Ar

Gary "Wolfman" Wolf | A-10 Fighter Pilot

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 I

A-10 Hit over Baghdad: The Story of 8 April 2003

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 I

Commanding the Wing That Flew Into Iran | Operation Midnight Hammer | Col Kevin "Flint" Hicok

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-par

Why the F-16 Flew Into Iran | Operation Midnight Hammer | Weapons Officers "Cash" and "Ghost"

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

F-16 Compressor Stall Over Iran | Operation Midnight Hammer | "Smalls" & "Scar"

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

8 Seconds to Save my Wingman | Operation Midnight Hammer | F-16 Wild Weasel "Glitch"

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 wi

We'll See You in a Couple of Days" | Operation Midnight Hammer | Director of Ops "Cuffs" Kimber

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

I Thought Our Pilots Were Not Coming Home | Operation Midnight Hammer | Intel Officer "Glib" Richard

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 Suppres

548,000 Gallons in One Night | Operation Midnight Hammer | Fuels NCOIC MSgt. Edge

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