Archives: Today in History

The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934.[2] It was also the first mass-produced bomber whose performance was superior to that of the Army’s pursuit aircraft of the time.[3] The B-10 began a revolution in bomber design. Its all-metal monoplane airframe, along with its features of closed cockpits, […]

On June 11, 1974, the Northrop YF-17 A 72-01569 became the first American fighter to break the sound barrier in level flight when not in afterburner. In the early 1970s, the ‘Pentagon came up with the concept of a smaller and less expensive Lightweight Fighter Program. Eventually, the nod was given to General Dynamics to

4 June 1983 – At Hill Air Force Base, Utah, the 419th Tactical Fighter Wing, the last U.S. Air Force unit flying the Republic F-105 Thunderchief supersonic fighter bomber, flew a Diamond of Diamonds 24-ship formation as the “Thud” was withdrawn from service after 25 years to be replaced by the General Dynamics F-16. Of