Why Hypersonics? Why Now?
Nicole PetrucciDisruptive TechnologyComments are off for this post
Nicole Petrucci
Nicole Petrucci
Editor-in-Chief at Angle of Attack
Space cadet, combat knitter, kitty lover.
Nicole Petrucci
Latest posts by Nicole Petrucci (see all)

With the recent push for hypersonics, and the associated “breakthroughs” in their development, one could be forgiven for thinking hypersonics is something new.  It isn’t.  The United States had boost-glide hypersonic aircraft in the mid-60s. The USAF made a conscious decision to NOT field hypersonic aircraft decades ago.  So why bring it back now? What […]

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Veterans Day Speech
Christopher BuckleyHistoryComments are off for this post
Christopher Buckley
Christopher Buckley
Content and Production Editor at Angle of Attack
Bomb dropper, High Desert dweller, baller.
Christopher Buckley
Latest posts by Christopher Buckley (see all)

I was honored this past weekend to be invited by VFW Post 3000 to speak at their Veterans Day event.  The Antelope Valley of Southern California is chock full of Veterans, and they’re all amazing people with amazing stories.  While it doesn’t have anything to do with airpower, here’s the transcript of the speech:   […]

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Commentary Continued: The Korean Missile Crisis
Christopher BuckleyStrategyComments are off for this post
Christopher Buckley
Christopher Buckley
Content and Production Editor at Angle of Attack
Bomb dropper, High Desert dweller, baller.
Christopher Buckley
Latest posts by Christopher Buckley (see all)

The United States’ goals in North Korea sometimes confuse the international audience. However, the current objective is clear: remove all nuclear weapons and proliferation capability from North Korea. It’s that simple.  Secretary Tillerson provided what was sorely missing, clarity of purpose. North Korea can continue to be international pariahs, so long as they do not […]

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Commentary: Establishing and Re-Establishing Modern Deterrence
Christopher BuckleyStrategyComments are off for this post
Christopher Buckley
Christopher Buckley
Content and Production Editor at Angle of Attack
Bomb dropper, High Desert dweller, baller.
Christopher Buckley
Latest posts by Christopher Buckley (see all)

Deterrence exists in the mind, not necessarily the battlefield. Nations posture against each other attempting to influence actions and perceptions. For many years, airpower has been a powerful tool of deterrence strategies. But what happens when it doesn’t work.  What happens when deterrence fails? Deterrence is the art of influencing adversary actions before they occur, […]

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Space-Mindedness: The Application of Space Power
Ryan SanfordStrategyComments are off for this post
Ryan Sanford
Ryan Sanford
Contributing Author at Angle of Attack
Ryan Sanford is an active duty officer in the United States Air Force. He is a Fighter Pilot and an Experimental Test Pilot.A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, and USAF Test Pilot School and a published author in the fields of Mathematics, Aeronautical Engineering, Developmental Flight Test, and Tactical Employment, he recently completed a Master of Philosophy thesis analyzing the need for a USAF astronaut corps to support national objectives in space.He is currently performing duties as an Operations Officer.
Ryan Sanford
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The United States Air Force has struggled lately in resourcing its National Command Authority assigned missions.[1]  While the immediate focus tends toward material and equipment, a potentially more troubling problem facing the Air Force may be the ever-increasing gap caused by poor pilot retention across multiple platform specialties.[2]  Under-resourced and losing talent, the Air Force […]

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Reflections on Operation BURNT FROST
Nicole PetrucciHistory, StrategyComments are off for this post
Nicole Petrucci
Nicole Petrucci
Editor-in-Chief at Angle of Attack
Space cadet, combat knitter, kitty lover.
Nicole Petrucci
Latest posts by Nicole Petrucci (see all)

More than nine years since have passed since Operation BURNT FROST. I hadn’t thought about the event in a long time. While it was the highlight of my newly-minted weapons officer career at Cavalier AFS, ND, after it was over there was little more said about the event. However, the strategic implications from BURNT FROST […]

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Too Many Dollars, Not Enough Sense: Acquisition Case Studies (PART 2)
Nicole PetrucciAcquisitionsComments are off for this post
Nicole Petrucci
Nicole Petrucci
Editor-in-Chief at Angle of Attack
Space cadet, combat knitter, kitty lover.
Nicole Petrucci
Latest posts by Nicole Petrucci (see all)

Tactical Fighter Experimental The Air Force and the Department of Defense were created amid a time of massive military drawdowns and shrinking budgets. However, nuclear weapons, nuclear strategy, and their associated systems were impervious to this drawdown. In the 1950s and 1960s, nuclear strategy permeated every area of the military, as the services must train, […]

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Too Many Dollars, Not Enough Sense: Acquisition Case Studies (PART 1)
Christopher BuckleyStrategyComments are off for this post
Christopher Buckley
Christopher Buckley
Content and Production Editor at Angle of Attack
Bomb dropper, High Desert dweller, baller.
Christopher Buckley
Latest posts by Christopher Buckley (see all)

“Seldom in the course of military development have opinions been so conflicting as in the acquisition of this revolutionary aircraft.”[1] This is a quote from Congress. If you have been following big dollar military acquisition programs, particularly the F‑35, this quote should not surprise you. F‑35 has been controversial to say the least. There have […]

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Old Dog, New Engines: The Truth about a B-52 Re-Engine
Christopher BuckleyAcquisitionsComments are off for this post
Christopher Buckley
Christopher Buckley
Content and Production Editor at Angle of Attack
Bomb dropper, High Desert dweller, baller.
Christopher Buckley
Latest posts by Christopher Buckley (see all)

It seems that the USAF cannot get through a year without being inundated with calls to replace the engines on the B-52. Recent calls from Air Force Global Strike Command,[1] Boeing, General Electric[2] and Pratt & Whitney[3] have renewed the vigor of the program despite the general lack of funding and enthusiasm for large dollar […]

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Ad Inexporata: The Strategic Impact of Flight Test
Christopher BuckleyStrategyComments are off for this post
Christopher Buckley
Christopher Buckley
Content and Production Editor at Angle of Attack
Bomb dropper, High Desert dweller, baller.
Christopher Buckley
Latest posts by Christopher Buckley (see all)

Developmental Flight Testing is all about the data. That’s it. Period. Engineers, scientists, and operators conduct tests to get data. Data is the exact opposite of politics, especially today’s politics represented by a comical and debilitating election season. Data is truth. The impact of the data on the world is much larger than the impact on […]

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