So, you got a UPT slot and earned your wings. Now what? There is still a bunch of school left to complete between wings and MQT. One of those schools is SERE, or survival school. Here you will learn to survive an ejection, on the ground, evade, and get rescued. You will also learn what to do if you’re NOT rescued.…

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Aside from the gun, the AIM-9 is the most ubiquitous (and well-loved) of all the air-to-air tools. Sure AMRAAM goes further, but it’s also too smart for its own good. For almost 70 years now, the AIM-9 has held down the fort for all red-blooded, “heaters and guns” only fighter pilots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY1nRMQ0m18

BD Crew,

Here is a great example of what squadrons are trying to discern in potential candidates. They are looking for someone who has the aptitude and mental fortitude to handle weird situations like this. This Strike Eagle crew flew approx 9 hours across the Indian Ocean and SCS, then executed a landing WITHOUT a main landing…

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defensenews.com

Kadena to inspect F-15Es after fighter landed without wheel

An F-15E Strike Eagle that took off from Diego Garcia on Monday discovered mid-flight that one of its wheels was missing.

Wild stuff still coming out of Ukraine. Recently, Ukrainian SOF infiltrated almost 250 miles into Russia and destroyed 4x Su-34s on the ground. As a primary strike platform, the Su-34 is Russia’s most advanced ground attack platform and has likely been responsible for many standoff attacks on Kiev. Coupled with the recent drone attack, Ukraine…

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kyivpost.com

Ukrainian Special Forces Destroy 4 Enemy Warplanes Deep in Russia’s Volgograd

Ukraine’s Special Operation Forces report that four Su-34 bombers were destroyed. The attack follows Ukraine’s recent success in targeting enemy aviation deep inside Russia.

Next year may look significantly different than expected for the USAF. The divestment of the A-10 looks to be accelerated by about 2 years, but the F-15EX still looks to be moving forward. Fewer F-35s will likely be procured (sure to hinder the ANG conversion efforts) with F-47 continuing to inch closer to IOC.

The biggest data point here,…

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defensenews.com

US Air Force to retire all A-10s, cancel E-7 under 2026 spending plan

The Air Force wants to retire hundreds of older aircraft, including the entire Warthog fleet, to free up money for future planes.

Some video coming out of Israel in the last few days. Possible hypersonics, Iron Dome, exoatmospheric intercepts and more unfolding live on the internet.

https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/6/15/second-wave-of-iranian-missiles-hits-israel

aljazeera.com

Second wave of Iranian missiles hits Israel

Video shows a barrage of Iranian missiles making impact in Tel Aviv and other sites in Israel.

In the same vein as Sharky, the Iran-Israel conflict has a few silver linings; especially for the folks of BogiDope. This will likely turn into a modern case study on localized and temporal air superiority. The lessons of which will pay dividends for future tactical aviators. Make no mistake: this is the tactical environment you will step…

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voanews.com

What Are Hypersonic Weapons and Who Has Them?

Hypersonic weapons fly at speeds of at least Mach 5 and are highly maneuverable and able to change course during flight