Afterburn Defense

The Most Insane Low-Level Bombing Raid of WWII | The Ploiesti Raid

3.6K views · 5d ago · 30:56

Today we discuss Operation Tidal Wave, the 1 August 1943 low-level B-24 raid on the Ploesti oil refineries, with author Adam Makos, whose new book follows a rookie Liberator crew shot down over Romania. Adam Makos, out November 3rd Signed and personalized copies

Topics: "We're Going Down in Romania" · How Fred Smith Handed Him This Story · Why Most Books Never Become Movies · Summer 1943 · They Took the Norden Bombsights Out · Who Ernie Paulsen Was

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

Russia Just Sent 69 Jet-Powered Shahed Drones at Ukraine

17K views · 1w ago · 14:09

Today we discuss the Geran-4, Russia's turbojet version of the Iranian Shahed one-way attack drone, after an overnight raid of 280 drones on Ukraine. Jet drone launches jumped from about 350 in June to about 2,800 in August, and F-16s are filling the gap.

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

America's Answer to China's Best Missile, the PL-15

22K views · 1w ago · 6:11

Today we discuss the AIM-424 Malice, the US Navy's new long range air-to-air missile revealed in August 2026, credited with reaching targets beyond 250 nautical miles and shown fitting inside the internal weapons bay of the F-35C.

Topics: Unveiling the Navy's New Long-Range Missile · What the Navy Revealed About the AIM-24 · Lessons from Recent Air-to-Air Engagements · Integrating the Missile into Modern Fighters

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

Romania takes down two Russian drones with F-16s

13K views · 2w ago · 10:20

Romanian F-16 jets recently neutralized two hostile targets, marking a sharp escalation in regional air policing missions. The incident occurred while aircraft from the 86th Air Base in Borsia were conducting routine patrols. We break down the details behind the drone interception of these two Russian drones, identified as Nugran-4s, and what this means for current regional stability.

Topics: Romania's F-16s shoot down two drones · The intercept timeline · The first jet-powered Geran kill · Tankers hit near the Sulina Canal · Why this stretch of the Black Sea · What the Geran-4 can do

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

PAC-3 Edge vs Steelfin: Which Missile Wins?

25K views · 2w ago · 8:08

Today we discuss two rival interceptors for the Patriot air defense system: Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 Edge, a longer, more agile successor to the PAC-3 MSE, and Anduril's modular Steelfin family, pitched at a fraction of the cost for the Army's Future Interceptor program.

Topics: Two Paths to Missile Interception · The Technical Edge of PAC-3 Upgrades · Anduril's Disruptive Modular Strategy · Breaking Down the Cost of Modern Defense

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

How the Air Force Keeps Fighter Jets Flying for 40 years

4.6K views · 2w ago · 32:53

Today we discuss the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill AFB, Utah, with commander Brig. Gen. G. Hall Sebren Jr. and deputy director Sandra Fitzgerald: the F-16 SLEP, F-35 and T-7A sustainment, the T-38 parts crunch, tech data rights, and the civilian workforce behind readiness.

Topics: Inside the Ogden Air Logistics Complex · From Junior Engineer to Deputy Director · The Power of a Civilian Workforce · Building Bridges with Local Education · The Challenge of Part Supportability

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

▶️ Mentioned videos: Part I · Part II · Part III · Part IV

Saudi Arabia Has F-15s & Patriots. The Missiles Got Through Anyway

24K views · 3w ago · 9:19

Saudi Arabia fields Patriot batteries and one of the most capable air forces in the Middle East, and a Houthi barrage still reached King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10, killing 13 people and wounding more than 300.

Topics: Analyzing the Recent Airport Strike · The Difficulty of Detecting Small Drones · Escalating Tensions Across the Region · The Strategic Complexity of Drone Swarms

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

Boeing Now Builds Every 6th-Gen Fighter America

21K views · 3w ago · 9:29

Boeing won the Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier fighter on September 29, which means one company now builds both American sixth-gen fighters, the Navy’s F/A-XX and the Air Force’s F-47. Podcast Afterburn Podcast Apple

Topics: Boeing Secures Dominance in Next-Gen Fighters · Defining the FAXX Mission Requirements · Independent Development vs. Shared Design · Risks of Putting All Eggs in One Basket

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

Inside the Only Place That Can Take an F-16 Completely Apart

19K views · 3w ago · 14:24

Inside the F-16 line at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base, where a single work package can run from 60 days to well over a year, and where a civilian flight test team signs the release before any jet flies again.

Topics: The Anatomy of an F-16 Depot Overhaul · Meet the Flight Test Supervisor · Why F-16s Need Deep Depot Maintenance · The Art of the Possible: Planning the Visit · From Bare Metal Back to the Skies

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

▶️ Mentioned videos: Part I · Part II · Part III · Part IV

Taiwan’s First New F-16s Land After a Month Stuck in Hawaii

59K views · 4w ago · 13:44

Taiwan’s first two F-16 Block 70 fighters have landed at their new home, plus the US Air Force is weighing new-build F-16s for the first time since 2005. Today we discuss the Block 70, the proposed F-16G, Viper Shield, and the fighter shortfall driving it.

Topics: Taiwan's New F-16 Block 70 Arrival · The Long Journey to Taiwan · Inside the $8 Billion Upgrade Package · Could the US Air Force Buy New F-16s? · The Future of the F-16 Workhorse

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear

The Air Force Fixed a Shot-Up KC-135 While the Base Was Still Being Attacked

25K views · 1mo ago · 12:16

KC-135 battle damage repair: Air Mobility Command commander Lt Gen Daniel Tulley revealed how maintainers saved a Stratotanker loaded with 200,000 pounds of fuel after an enemy attack during Operation Epic Fury. Ogden Air Logistics Series

Topics: The Crew Was Strapped In · What Gen. Tulley Revealed · Tracking Down the Patched Tanker · ABDR: Aircraft Battle Damage and Repair · What's Behind the Sheet Metal · Alarm Red

📖 Mentioned book: Books DCS Gear