Highway to the Danger Zone

British-born filmmaker Tony Scott died on Sunday. Although he had some two dozen directorial credits to his name, he is perhaps best remembered for the ’80s action film Top Gun. So in honor of the late Mr. Scott and his jingoistic Cold War masterpiece, Britannica offers a look at American air power.

 
Credit: David Baranek/Department of Defense


The U.S. Navy retired the F-14 Tomcat in 2006, after more than 35 years of service.

Credit: Master Sgt. Lance Cheung/U.S. Department of Defense

Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Tom Reynolds

In recent years, the U.S. Air Force has been phasing out its F-15s and F-16s in favor of next-generation air-superiority platforms such as the F-22 Raptor.

Credit: Derrick C. Goode/U.S. Air Force

The F-117 Nighthawk is a fighter in name only, as it is not equipped with air-to-air weaponry. The reason for the “F” (fighter) designation instead of a more accurate “B” (bomber) or “A” (ground attack) prefix has been the subject of much speculation, with the two most common theories being that the “F” was a counterintelligence effort (to imply air-to-air capabilities that did not exist) or a recruiting tool (so top pilots would not be dissuaded by a presumably less glamorous “B”-type plane).

Credit: Dave Cibley—214th Reconnaissance Group/U.S. Air Force

The MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle. Either autonomous or remotely piloted, UAVs offer increased range and virtually negligible risk to pilots when compared to manned aircraft, and they can loiter over a target area for hours at a time.

© George Hall/Corbis

The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter has been in service with the U.S. Army since the mid-1980s.


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