August 21, 1953

Aug. 21, 1953
Flying the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket, Marine Lt. Col. Marion Carl sets an altitude record of 83,235 feet after being dropped from a Boeing P2B (B-29) flying at 34,000 feet over Edwards AFB, Calif.

Related Content

B-21 Raider First Flight Now Postponed to 2023

May 20, 2022
The Air Force says the B-21 Raider won't make its first flight until 2023; about a six-month delay from the last official estimates. No reason was given for the delay. While other programs have recently chalked up schedule slips to supply chain and labor shortages, the Air Force has said…

Leaked Air Force Memo: Bigger Mustaches Are Coming

May 20, 2022
The Air Force mustache you a question—Are you ready for bigger mustaches? That’s according to a draft of a new memo posted to social media this week, revealing that the Air Force is on the verge of allowing men to grow their mustaches up to a quarter of an inch…

Air National Guard Leaders: Time is Running Short for a Space Guard

May 20, 2022
If Congress doesn’t act to establish a Space National Guard soon, leaders in Air National Guard units with space missions will need to start having some difficult conversations with their Airmen. That’s the warning from multiple commanders during a virtual event hosted by the National Guard Association of the United…

Ukraine War Shows Congress that Arming Taiwan Now Can Deter China

May 20, 2022
Lawmakers studying the lessons learned from the Ukraine war believe that speeding delivery of F-16s and Stingers among other kit to Taiwan, and forming a clear defensive coalition in the Pacific, could deter China from a mid-decade invasion. “I hope we've learned our lesson from Ukraine that pre-invasion arms, military…

New Air Force One Will be 2-3 Years Late; Battle Brewing Over KC-Y

May 19, 2022
The "Air Force One" replacement will be two to three years late due to pandemic issues, testing, and the loss of a subcontractor on the interior, USAF officials reported at a House Armed Services Committee hearing. They were also warned that some HASC members will insist on a competition for…

Space Force Prepares for Decision on Indo-Pacific Command Service Component

May 19, 2022
The Space Force is nearing a Secretary of Defense decision that would create a component command at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, a move that would strengthen space integration in the combatant command responsible for defending the U.S. against threats from China, said Space Force Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, deputy chief…

Congress Approves $40B in Ukraine Aid, Just as Previous Funding Runs Out

May 19, 2022
The Defense Department authorized another $100 million in security assistance for Ukraine on May 19, reaching the limits of President Joe Biden’s existing drawdown authorities—just as the Senate passed a massive $40 billion aid package to extend them. All told, the DOD has now given Ukraine $4.6 billion in security…

Cost of B-52 Re-Engining Jumps By Half in New Estimate of Refit

May 19, 2022
The cost of the B-52 re-engining program has increased 50 percent because of integration issues, according to revelations in a House Armed Services panel hearing. The B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program has been conducted as a middle-tier acquisition program to get underway rapidly and develop a prototype system but is…