Military Aviation History

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The F-117 Nighthawk is one of the most iconic aircraft in aviation history. It was the world's first true stealth plane, created through the secret Project Have Blue by the Lockheed Skunk Works team. Its unique faceted shape was designed to deflect radar signals, and it made its mark by leading the first strikes in Desert Storm. The "Black Jet" showed that stealth technology could defeat even the most advanced defense systems. Although it officially left frontline service in 2008, the Nighthawk has made a comeback, flying over the Mojave Desert and other test ranges for important new missions. Today, this Cold War legend is used as a research testbed for new stealth coatings and as an "aggressor" aircraft to mimic foreign stealth threats. The U.S. Air Force plans to keep it flying until at least 2034. In this video, we'll look at the full story of the F-117, from its secret beginnings and combat achievements to its surprising new roles.

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South Korea's KF-21 Boramae has moved from concept to production in just a decade—an unusually fast timeline for a modern fighter program. As a follow-on from our previous video on the KF-21 • KF-21: Korea's New Fighter we break down how Korea achieved it: a modular, upgrade-driven design philosophy, a dual-path procurement strategy, and tight control over requirements. The result is a highly adaptable 4.5-generation platform with a clear pathway to fifth-generation capability. We also touch on what this approach means for countries like Australia—and whether this model could shape the future of domestic defence industry.

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We look at the history and development of the Mark 80 series bombs, a key part of modern aerial warfare. Starting in the 1950s with new aerodynamic designs, these bombs proved themselves in the Vietnam War with versions like the Snakeeye. Over time, they became even more effective with the addition of Paveway laser-guided bombs (GBU-12, GBU-16, GBU-24) and JDAM GPS-guided munitions (GBU-31 and GBU-38). The Mark 80 family, which includes the Mark 81, 82, 83, and 84, has played a major role in missions from Desert Storm to today. Find out why this dependable and affordable bomb is still essential for the US Air Force and Navy after all these years.

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In the late 1970s, Northrop proposed the F-18L — a land-based variant of the F/A-18, stripped of naval constraints and optimised for speed, agility, and cost. Lighter, simpler, and potentially more capable in several key areas, it was designed to compete directly with aircraft such as the F-16 in the global export market. On paper, the F-18L offered significant advantages: improved thrust-to-weight ratio, greater payload flexibility, lower operating costs, and the same multirole capability that would make the Hornet famous. Some projections even suggested it would outperform its carrier-based counterpart in turn rate and range. So why was it never built?

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In January 1942, the Australian outpost at Rabaul stood directly in the path of Japan's advance across the Pacific. Poorly defended, under-equipped, and relying on outdated aircraft, the men of the RAAF and Lark Force faced overwhelming odds as Japanese air raids intensified and invasion loomed. Drawing on firsthand accounts from pilots, anti-aircraft gunners, and soldiers who were there, this documentary tells the dramatic story of the fall of Rabaul — from desperate reconnaissance missions and doomed Wirraway interceptions to the final evacuation attempts before the Japanese landing on 23 January 1942. Featuring rare historical detail, eyewitness testimony, and the legendary "Morituri vos salutamus" signal sent by Squadron Leader John Lerew, this is the story of courage, sacrifice, and one of Australia's darkest early defeats in the Pacific War. Interviewees in this documentary are from The Australians At War Film Archive, and include Peter White, Norman Furness, David Bloomfield, Gordon Abel, and Lewis Harte. This is an Australian Military Aviation History Association production, undertaken with the kind assistance of the Department of Veterans' Affairs' Saluting Their Service Commemorations grant.

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The Yak-28 occupies a strange place in Cold War aviation history—mass produced, widely used, yet almost completely forgotten. On paper it promised speed, range, and versatility; in reality, it became known for difficult handling, questionable design compromises, and a reputation that made flying it anything but comfortable. Yet despite its flaws, the aircraft would evolve into what could be argued as one of the Soviet Union's most adaptable platforms, serving as everything from a tactical bomber to interceptor and eventually pioneering electronic warfare roles. We take a look at the ambitious jet that tried to do everything—but at the end of the day was superseded by more reliable platforms.

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The North American F-100 Super Sabre was America's first operational supersonic fighter, but its journey from cutting-edge air-superiority aircraft to one of the most important strike fighters of the Vietnam War was anything but straightforward. Plagued by dangerous handling characteristics and early design flaws, the "Hun" evolved into a remarkably capable fighter-bomber, pioneering missions ranging from close air support to the first Wild Weasel SEAD operations and the legendary Misty Forward Air Controller program. We examine the F-100's turbulent development, its transformation into a versatile combat aircraft, and how it went on to fly more combat sorties than any other USAF fighter during the Vietnam War.

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The AGM-65 Maverick transformed air-to-ground warfare. Developed during the Vietnam War to replace the flawed AGM-12 Bullpup, it became one of the world's first truly effective fire-and-forget precision-guided missiles. We explore the Maverick's origins, its revolutionary electro-optical guidance system, every major variant from the AGM-65A through to the AGM-65L, and its combat performance from Vietnam and the Yom Kippur War to Desert Storm and beyond. More than 75,000 Mavericks have been produced, serving with over 35 air forces—including the RAAF—and after more than five decades it remains one of the most successful precision-guided weapons ever built.

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The A-7D Corsair II was never intended to become one of the U.S. Air Force's greatest strike aircraft. Originally acquired as a stopgap solution during the Vietnam War, it evolved into arguably the most accurate conventional attack aircraft of the conflict. Equipped with new digital avionics, an advanced HUD, inertial navigation, CCIP and CCRP bombing modes, and a powerful new engine, the A-7D could deliver unguided bombs with a level of precision that was unprecedented for its time. We explore the remarkable development of the A-7D Corsair II, from its origins as a modified Navy aircraft through its combat debut over Vietnam. We look at the cutting-edge technology that transformed the aircraft, its outstanding combat performance during Operation Linebacker II, combat search and rescue missions, and why it achieved such high bombing accuracy during the war. Finally, we follow its later service with the Air National Guard before its retirement in 1993, and examine how its pioneering digital systems laid the foundation for the precision-strike aircraft that followed.

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