Army Air Corps 1st Lt. Benjamin Kelsey makes the first flight of the Bell XFM-1 Airacuda multiplace fighter at Buffalo, N.Y. Both the airplane and the concept prove to be dismal failures. The Airacuda turns out to be a maintenance nightmare, and the multiplace fighter concept is just not practical.
Iran War Highlights the Value of Unmanned Aircraft
April 20, 2026
Combat video from MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) striking targets in Iran may have surprised those who thought the iconic unmanned aircraft were destined for retirement now that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are behind us. The Reapers are neither stealthy nor fast and therefore seen as unsurvivable against adversaries with sophisticated air defense systems....
