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  • Recipes from the Siege of Sarajevo

    During the siege of Sarajevo, people had to hand carry their water in plastic containers and find ways to cook warm meals. Since the Bosnian Serbs had cut off electric, gas and other fuel supplies, the people of Sarajevo adapted to the situation. They responded to the scarcity of wood and coal by

  • RB-47H Shot Down

    In the summer of 1960, the Soviet Union remained on high alert for overflights following the shoot down in May 1960 of a U-2 flown by Francis Gary Powers of the CIA. On July 1, 1960, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) RB-47H crew was flying in international airspace over the Arctic, north of the USSR,

  • Rubble to Runway: The Triumph of Tegel

    Air Force planners knew that the success of the Berlin Airlift depended upon rapidly expanding the capacity of Berlin airports. Potential at Tempelhof and Gatow for expansion was limited and difficult. A third, new airlift terminal facility was desperately needed. A site was selected at Tegel in the

  • Radioplane OQ-19D

    In response to the U.S. Army Air Forces' requirement for fast aerial targets with which to train anti-aircraft gunners, Radioplane (a division of Northrop Aircraft Co.) developed a 200 mph class airplane in 1945. Evolved from earlier designs, such as the OQ-2A, the OQ-19 was first flight tested in

  • Ryan BQM-34 Firebee

    The Firebee, originally designated the Q-2, was a high-speed target drone for both surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. It was used primarily for the testing of newly-developed missiles and for the training of fighter-interceptor pilots whose aircraft were armed with missiles.Capable of being

  • Ryan AQM-34N

    In the mid-1960s the U.S. Air Force needed a system to conduct reconnaissance and gather intelligence without putting aircrews in danger. Ryan's proven Model 147 Firebee unmanned target drone, built in more than 20 variants, filled the requirement. The Model 147H, designated AQM-34N by the USAF,

  • Republic RF-84K Thunderflash

    The RF-84K was a reconnaissance and nuclear strike fighter that was intended to be carried toward a target as a "parasite" underneath the GRB-36 bomber. At the time, jet aircraft possessed relatively short range and aerial refueling was not yet proven, so this provided a method to extend their

  • Republic F-84F Thunderstreak

    Evolved from the straight-wing F-84, the F-84F prototype first flew in June 1950. Deliveries began in 1954, with most of the aircraft going to the Tactical Air Command as a ground support fighter bomber. Republic built 2,112 F-84Fs while General Motors fabricated 599 more. Of these, 1,301 were

  • Rocket Engine Evolution

    The first American rocket engine to produce more thrust than the 56,000 pounds delivered by the German V-2 (A-4) engine was the Rocketdyne XLR43-NA-1. Initially, this engine developed 75,000 pounds static thrust, but later its power output was improved to 120,000 pounds. The XLR43 was originally

  • Rocket Propulsion

    Origins of Rocket Propulsion Although the precise history of the development of rocket propulsion is obscure, we know that the first rockets were developed in ancient China. Modern rocket engines that lift spacecraft into orbit operate on the very same principles as the first Chinese rockets. Both