1st Aces of Vietnam

May 10, 1972

Navy Lt. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (pilot) and Lt. (j.g.) Willie Driscoll (radar intercept officer), flying McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom IIs from the USS Constellation, shoot down three MiG- 17s. This, combined with their aerial victories on Jan. 19 and May 8, make Cunningham and Driscoll the first U.S. aces of the Vietnam War.

Related

Pentagon Bets Big on Drone-Killing APKWS Laser-Guided Rockets

Oct. 22, 2026
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.

NORTHCOM Wraps Radar Test to Boost Arctic Early Warning

Oct. 22, 2026
U.S. Northern Command and multiple research organizations just wrapped up a joint, three-year experiment to test new radar technology that could enable the Northern Warning System to detect incoming threats at longer ranges across Alaska and northern Canada.

Pentagon, Lockheed Agree on 10-Year Framework for Buying F-35s

Oct. 22, 2026
The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin on Oct. 22 announced a framework agreement to buy F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for the next 10 years. But the deal, touted by the Pentagon as “landmark” and a first of its kind, depends on Congress granting the military authority to enter into such a…

Michael Wynne, Fired as SECAF Alongside CSAF Moseley, Dead at 82 

Oct. 22, 2026
Michael Wynne, the 21st Secretary of the Air Force died Oct. 17. He was 82 years old. Wynne was Secretary from 2005 to 2008, a stretch of time when the U.S. military was struggling to quell insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Army was struggling to simultaneously man occupation…

What a Russian Satellite Stalking a Commercial Spacecraft Means for the Space Force

Oct. 21, 2026
Over a two-week period beginning in late September and culminating in mid-October, a Russian satellite maneuvered dangerously close to a commercial Finnish satellite currently providing intelligence to the Ukrainian military. The apparent provocation has experts wondering why Russia made the move—testing new capabilities, collecting intelligence, or trying to intimidate the…

Stealthy F-117 Nighthawk Goes on Display at Smithsonian

Oct. 21, 2026
A historic Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is now on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The exhibit debuted Oct. 21, showcasing the first operational stealth aircraft at one of the most visited aircraft museums in the world.