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Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/DZTWj7NfOgc Today we discuss the SR-71 Blackbird that vanished from NASA Armstrong. Tail 844, the last Blackbird ever built and the last to fly, is gone from its display and NASA will not say where. Aviation Week: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/nasa-quietly-removed-sr-71-storage-amid-x-plane-pushThe Warzone: https://www.twz.com/air/a-sr-71-blackbird-has-vanished Aviation Week defense editor Steve Trimble broke the story using satellite imagery showing the aircraft missing since at least 17 May 2026. Joseph Trevithick at The War Zone followed up, and NASA's response was that it has no additional information to share, while noting it continues to explore opportunities to build on that legacy. Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brad Young spent six years in the Air Force as a Korean linguist, including time at the National Security Agency in Hawaii, before an inter-service transfer put him in Army warrant officer flight school. He flew the AH-64D and then the AH-64E for just shy of 17 years across four combat deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and retired in 2025 out of 5-17 Air Cavalry in Korea. His unit at Fort Lewis was the first to receive and combat deploy the Echo model. Brad's book "Full Blooded Apache: An Attack Pilot’s True Story of Family, Faith and the Fight" https://amzn.to/4hOLb1j 0:00 The most feared helicopter in the world0:48 From Air Force linguist to Apache pilot4:37 9/11, a schoolteacher, and four recruiters8:58 The DLAB: learning a made-up language11:25 Korean linguist at DLI and NSA Hawaii13:16 How a Google Earth search ended in a kill cam16:51 Crossing over to Army aviation22:45 Army aviation paths and flight school24:38 The dunker and stress inoculation30:01 TH-67 primary and the airframe selection board34:09 Please bless daddy to get Apaches34:47 AH-64D vs AH-64E: what the Echo changed40:55 APKWS and the counter-drone fight43:19 Drones hunting helicopters44:34 The Apache 30mm and its new proximity fuze48:30 FPV drones vs helicopters49:40 Staying over the shoulder of ground forces50:57 Hit twice near Jalalabad53:18 The round that nearly brought him down55:02 Counter tech and the 3 to 1 advantage57:25 Two cockpits that can't see each other59:52 Flying night combat through one eye1:03:00 Front seat vs back seat sensors1:04:48 Why he wrote Full Blooded Apache1:07:20 Four Hellfires in eight minutes1:12:55 Wrap-up Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Brad Young shares a harrowing expereince from his AH-64 Apache days. He shares a mission where he took damage from an anti-helicopter mine in western Afghanistan, and the no-computer landing that followed. Supporting an allied force near Herat with no American troops, no translator, and no medevac within hours, his crew watched a complex ambush kill 29. Then a command-detonated mine launched right in front of the aircraft and knocked out the flight maintenance computer. Brad had to bring a 20,000-pound helicopter into a tight compound on mechanical controls alone, relying on one piece of instructor pilot advice: don't move the flight controls, think about moving them.

During a close air support mission over Baghdad on 8 April 2003, Maj Gary "Wolfman" Wolf and his A-10 Warthog were struck by an SA-16 MANPADS while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Battle Creek Bourbon: https://shop.winglorespirits.com/pages/commemorative Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

During a close air support mission over Baghdad on 8 April 2003, Maj Gary "Wolfman" Wolf and his A-10 Warthog were struck by an SA-16 MANPADS while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Battle Creek Bourbon: https://shop.winglorespirits.com/pages/commemorative 0:00 Intro "Lead's Been Hit"1:29 The Close Air Support Mission6:10 Hit by an SA-1612:44 Jettison Everything15:33 Escort and Rescue Join Up16:41 Gear Down18:55 Battle Creek Bourbon with Wing Lore Spirits23:44 Mitchell Wolf on Tail Number 258 Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Col Kevin "Flint" Hicok commanded the 20th Fighter Wing during Operation Midnight Hammer, leading the largest Air Force wing in CENTCOM since Desert Storm. The three-part documentary series is on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. This is the full interview with Col. Kevin Hicok, a career F-16 fighter pilot who commanded the F-16 Wild Weasels that flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Before Iran, the wing fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 Intro 0:56 Commanding the Largest F-16 Wing in the Air Force 3:49 From a Small Town in Iowa to Fighter Pilot 10:02 Deploying the Whole Wing for the First Time Since Desert Storm 15:23 Operation Rough Rider and the Houthi Drone Threat 17:27 Learning About Operation Midnight Hammer 19:22 Surging 100 More Aircraft and 220 Percent More People 20:20 The Logistics Nobody Sees: Fuel, Water, and 115 Degree Heat 23:17 Sending Airmen Across the Line Into Iran 29:18 When the Last Jet Landed Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel fighter pilots who flew into Iran. Ghost" Trembly and "Cash" Croghan were the wing and squadron weapons officers for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the F-16 Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY They planned the F-16 portion of the strike package. In this conversation, they explain why a fourth-generation fighter flew into Iran alongside the B-2s and F-35s, how the squadron reconfigured from the Yemen fight in a matter of hours, and why nobody in the squadron believed the mission was real until it was. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 Preparing the Squadron for Deployment 5:16 New Equipment: AESA Radar and the F-16 Block 50 8:52 Operation Rough Rider: Counter-UAS Over Yemen 15:31 Mission Planning on a Folding Table 21:14 Five Days Out: Nobody Believed It Was Real 28:49 Reconfiguring the Jets From Rockets to HARMs 31:45 The Night "Glitch" Shot a SAM in 8 Seconds and saved "Cash" 41:21 Why the F-16 Was the Only Jet That Could Do It 46:38 The 15-Minute Brief Before Flying Into Iran 49:47 A 300 Mile Ingress Into Iranian Airspace 1:05:50 Is That a Missile Coming Off the Ground 1:12:41 How Tight the Fuel Really Was 1:20:40 Bunker Diving and Life on the Base Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts: Apple - https://apple.co/3dLradT Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3SAeSUr Afterburn Podcast Links: Website – https://www.theafterburnpodcast.com Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/theafterburnpodcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rainwaters27/?hl=en Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Smalls" commanded the 55th Fighter Squadron, and "Scar" was one of the F-16 pilots who helped plan and execute the mission. They are the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY This is the full interview. Both of them flew the mission. In this conversation, they talk about what it means to command a squadron and fly in the same formation, the moment a squadron commander has to let his wingmen push ahead of him, the mechanical failure one of them handled over hostile territory, and what they told their families before they left. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 Taking Command of the 55th Fighter Squadron 3:25 The Deployment That Became Something Else 8:33 Shooting Rockets at Drones From an F-16 12:12 Commanding a Squadron in Combat 23:16 Realizing the Threat Was Real 29:34 The Weight of Sending People Out 40:04 From Rough Rider to Midnight Hammer 43:45 Letting My Wingmen Go In First 49:55 Learning About the Iran Mission 54:51 The Phone Call That Changed Everything 1:09:25 The Helmet Mix-Up on the Ramp 1:18:26 Tanker Frequencies and Marshal Delays 1:26:13 Employing Over Iranian Airspace 1:34:02 Compressor Stall Over Enemy Territory 1:39:19 Crossing the Line Back 1:42:22 What They Told Their Families Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Glitch" was one of the youngest F-16 pilots in the formation, flying his first combat deployment with the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY This is the full interview. He was woken up at ten at night and told to pack a bag. In this conversation, he talks about the night over Yemen when a surface-to-air missile came off the ground at his formation and he had seconds to respond, why Rough Rider frightened him more than Iran did, the drive out to the jets before the strike, and the call he made to his girlfriend when he could not tell her where he was. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 Becoming an F-16 Pilot 2:06 Preparing for the Spring Deployment 3:19 A Threat Environment Nobody Trained For 5:18 What the Outgoing Squadron Warned Them About 8:46 Flying the SEAD Mission in Combat 11:01 First Combat Sortie Over Yemen 12:32 A Missile Launch on My Scope 14:09 Watching a SAM Fired at My Formation 17:28 Getting the Call for Operation Midnight Hammer 21:17 Mission Planning for the Iran Strike 24:23 I Can't Tell You Where I Am 26:15 The Drive Out to the Jets 31:41 Why Yemen Scared Me More Than Iran 35:28 Employing Over Iranian Airspace 37:57 How Tight the Fuel Was Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Cuffs" was the deployed Director of Operations for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY This is the full interview. He ran the squadron's operations from the main base while the strike launched from somewhere else. In this conversation, he talks about how young the pilots flying this mission actually were, what it took to run a squadron split across two locations, the last handshakes before they stepped, and the wait until he heard they were on their way back. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 Spinning Up the Squadron for Deployment 1:43 A Threat Environment Unlike the Last 20 Years 4:09 Why the F-16 Still Matters in This Fight 6:28 Getting Out the Door 9:09 Most of These Pilots Were in Their Twenties 12:11 Learning a New Base and New Configurations 16:28 First Combat Sorties Over Yemen 20:24 Thinking About the Risk to Yourself 22:44 Learning About Operation Midnight Hammer 26:27 Trusting the Weapons Officers to Plan It 28:58 Running a Squadron Split Across Two Locations 32:48 The Night It Happened 36:50 The Last Handshakes Before They Stepped 39:38 Watching Them Come Home Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Glib" was the intelligence officer for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY This is the full interview. His job was to know the threat better than anyone in the squadron. In this conversation, he talks about the night the reporting was bad enough that he told a pilot to be prepared, what it is like to brief men whose wives and children you know, how a squadron built its own targeting picture when the strategic intelligence was not enough, and what he did on the ground while they were over Iran. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 Building the Threat Picture Before Deployment 2:38 A Contested Environment Again 7:15 The Night I Thought My Pilots Would Die 8:35 Finding Out About Operation Midnight Hammer 14:26 The Night of the Mission 20:21 What the Squadron Did That Nobody Sees Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. MSgt. Edge was the fuels NCOIC responsible for getting gas into every aircraft, supporting the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY This is the full interview. Nothing flies without fuel. In this conversation, he explains how his team pumped 548,000 gallons in a single night, why one three-mile transfer line put a hard ceiling on the entire operation, how a project that normally takes years got done in a matter of days, and what it took to convince a host nation to change an order. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 A Deployment That Was Supposed to Be Routine 2:20 Planning for a Buildup Nobody Expected 4:03 Twenty-One Days of Work in Three Days 6:21 The Fuel Line That Capped the Whole Operation 12:09 548,000 Gallons on the Night of Midnight Hammer 15:00 Hot Refueling F-35s for the First Time 17:02 Find a Way to Yes Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Lt Col Tilton commanded the logistics readiness squadron at the deployed location, supplying the base the Wild Weasels flew from when they took Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY This is the full interview. Everything the mission needed had to arrive first. In this conversation, he explains why the base ran out of food more than once, what it took to run a second fuel line through a wall and under roads in the two weeks before the strike, how the fleet grew from a few dozen vehicles to hundreds, and the plan for what happens to loaded aircraft if the base goes to alarm red. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 Getting a Fighter Wing Out the Door 2:14 The Air Force Isn't Built for Agile Deployment 8:37 Running a Squadron With Half the Leadership Gone 10:52 A Ramp That Kept Shrinking as Jets Arrived 14:32 The Fuel Trucks That Kept Breaking 19:04 When the Base Ran Out of Food 23:27 Running a Second Fuel Line Before the Strike 32:15 What Happens When the Base Goes to Alarm Red Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. SrA Michalenko was an avionics journeyman for the 55th Fighter Squadron, working the computer and threat warning systems on the F-16s that flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY This is the full interview. It was his first deployment. He was given four hours to pack a bag and told to watch the news. In this conversation he talks about the call to a girlfriend he could tell nothing to, arriving somewhere he could not name, and launching a fighter jet on his own for the first time in his career on the night of the Iran strike. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 What an Avionics Technician Works On 2:18 Bamboo Eagle and the First Deployment 5:16 Working Inside a Cockpit in Desert Heat 9:08 Four Hours to Pack a Bag 10:46 The Call I Couldn't Explain 13:10 Launching a Jet for the First Time 18:12 Waiting to See If They Came Back 20:25 A Big Ball of Fear Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. CMSgt. Hilliard was the senior enlisted leader for maintenance in the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran. Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense: Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY This is the full interview. No jet flies without the people who fix it. In this conversation he talks about how the squadron decided which specific aircraft would fly the Iran mission, what it takes to generate a sortie that most people never think about, running a maintenance unit where many of the airmen had never deployed before, and the eighteen hours he waited after the jets taxied out. Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025. These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there. 0:00 From a One-Stoplight Town to the Viper 5:18 What It Actually Takes to Launch One Sortie 8:16 Spinning Up a Maintenance Unit for Combat 11:42 Leading Airmen Who Had Never Deployed 17:22 Flying With Fewer Jets Than You Need 21:16 A Week Out From Operation Midnight Hammer 23:27 Eighteen Hours of Waiting 26:06 A Different Kind of Battlefield 33:59 The Empty Break Rooms 39:05 How We Chose Which Jets Would Go Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ 🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off 🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺 Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.