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Military aviation: questions and answers
Military aviation: the most searched Aviation questions, with a direct answer, an explanation and sources.
Military aviation
Why is the mig 29 called fulcrum?
“Fulcrum” is not the MiG-29’s Soviet name but a NATO reporting name assigned by the Air Standardization Coordinating Committee around 1979. Fighters received… more…
Military aviation
How much does the rafale weight?
A Rafale weighs about 10 t (22,000 lb) empty in the single-seat C version, roughly 10.6 t for the carrier-borne Rafale M with its strengthened landing gear… more…
Military aviation
Why are fighter jets flying over my house today?
Fighter jets over a home almost always mean routine training, a transit between bases, a flypast for a public event or, rarely, an air-defence scramble… more…
Military aviation
Why are fighter jets flying today?
Fighters fly on most weekdays because training never stops: squadrons must log sorties to stay qualified, and bases publish weekly flying schedules. Busier… more…
Military aviation
How much does the rafale cost?
A Rafale costs roughly €75–90 million flyaway for France, but export contracts run to €200–250 million per aircraft once weapons, spares, training and support… more…
Military aviation
How much the air force get paid?
Air Force pay follows the same table as every US service: it depends on rank and years served, not on the branch. In 2025 a brand-new airman (E-1) earned… more…
Military aviation
What is the b-21?
The B-21 Raider is the US Air Force's next stealth bomber, built by Northrop Grumman to replace the B-1B and B-2 from the late 2020s. A two-crew flying wing… more…
Military aviation
Why did fighter jets just fly over?
An unexpected fighter flyover is almost always one of four things: a ceremonial pass over a stadium, funeral or holiday event; a training or transit flight… more…
Military aviation
Why are military aircraft grey?
Military aircraft are grey because neutral grey blends best with the sky and haze at the distances where a pilot tries to spot them. Against a bright sky a… more…
Military aviation
How many b-21 will be built?
The US Air Force plans to buy at least 100 B-21 Raiders, the official programme of record since it was announced in 2015. Senior Air Force leaders have argued… more…
Military aviation
Why are fighter jets so loud?
Fighter jets are loud because their engines push a small mass of air out at very high speed, and jet noise rises with roughly the eighth power of exhaust… more…
Military aviation
Why was the sr 71 blackbird decommissioned?
The SR-71 was retired in 1990 because the Air Force judged it too expensive to keep flying, at hundreds of millions of dollars a year, when satellites and… more…
Military aviation
How high can the mig 29 fly?
The MiG-29 has a service ceiling of about 18,000 m (59,000 ft), higher than the F-16's roughly 15,000 m (50,000 ft). That figure is for a clean aircraft at… more…
Military aviation
What is the mig 29 equivalent to?
The MiG-29 is the Soviet counterpart of the American F-16 Fighting Falcon and, in size and twin-engine layout, of the F/A-18 Hornet: a light, agile… more…
Military aviation
How much does the mig 29 weight?
A MiG-29 weighs about 11,000 kg (24,250 lb) empty, around 15,000 kg (33,000 lb) at normal take-off weight with internal fuel and air-to-air missiles, and up… more…
Military aviation
Why was the mig 29 made?
The MiG-29 was built to give Soviet frontal aviation a light, agile fighter able to win air superiority over the battlefield against the American F-15 and… more…
Military aviation
How much the air force pay?
The US Air Force pays by rank and years of service under the common military pay table: a new airman (E-1) earns about $2,320 per month in basic pay and a… more…
Military aviation
Why do aircraft carriers float?
An aircraft carrier floats because its steel hull encloses a huge volume that is mostly air, so its average density is far below that of seawater. By… more…
Military aviation
Why is the rafale so good?
The Rafale's reputation rests on an 'omnirole' design: one airframe covering air defence, strike, reconnaissance, nuclear and carrier missions, often within a… more…
Military aviation
Why are military aircraft on flight radar?
Military aircraft appear on flight-tracking sites because many carry the same Mode S and ADS-B transponders as airliners and must broadcast their position… more…
Military aviation
Why is the rafale so slow?
The Rafale is not slow: it reaches Mach 1.8 (about 1,915 km/h, 1,035 kn) at altitude and can supercruise near Mach 1.4 with a light load. It does give up the… more…
Military aviation
Why is the rafale so expensive?
The Rafale is expensive because France developed it alone, without partners to share more than €40 billion of development cost, builds it at a low rate of two… more…
Military aviation
Why is the rafale so popular?
The Rafale sells because it is a proven, independent multirole fighter: one airframe handles air defence, strike, reconnaissance, carrier operations and… more…
Military aviation
Why do aircraft carriers have angled decks?
Angled flight decks let a carrier launch and recover aircraft at the same time and give a pilot who misses the arresting wires a clear path to go around. The… more…