Here's How You Use a Backpack Nuke
The Special Atomic Demolition Munition, AKA the SADM, AKA “a backpack nuke,” is what it sounds like. It’s a nuke that…
The Time the U.S. Government Prepared for a Red Dawn-Style Invasion of Alaska
If the Cold War turned hot, it wasn’t entirely going to be fought with tanks and nuclear weapons. If it got to Alaska,…
The Soviets May Have Once Built a Secret Nuclear-Powered Land-Submarine to Attack America
You know the scene at the end of The Incredibles—and the start of The Incredibles 2—that has the troglodyte…
Here's Some Rare Footage Of The SR-71 Blackbird Testing
On May 1, 1960, as the Cold War was heating up, CIA pilot Gary Powers was shot down flying a U-2C spy plane over Soviet…
Why Killing The Open Skies Treaty Would Be A Mistake For The Trump Administration
The Trump administration has moved to place a new series of restrictions on authorized Russian military spy flights…
Remember When A U.S. And A Soviet Nuclear Submarine Accidentally Crashed Into Each Other?
In the thick of the Cold War, the nuclear submarine USS James Madison crashed into a Soviet nuclear sub off the coast…
Congressmen Already Want To Strip Donald Trump's Nuclear Strike Power
On the campaign trail, then-candidate Donald Trump showed an alarming lack of understanding about U.S. nuclear weapon…
The CIA Built Special Trench-Digging Volkswagen Beetles To Spy On The Soviets
As you may know, the CIA just recently made over 12 million pages of de-classified documents available online. As you…
Nobody Knows What To Do With America's Secret Nuclear Ice Base
Back in the early years of the Cold War, America started construction of a secret underground base in Greenland to…
Bombers Used To Drop Nuclear Bombs Upside Down
Following World War II, America’s nuclear capability rested with the Boeing B-47 Stratojet—a high-speed precursor to…
That Time An SR-71 Made An Emergency Landing In Norway After Spying On The Soviets
On August 13, 1981, Jay Reid and I made the first SR-71 landing in Continental Europe. It was virtually unannounced—and…
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Target List From The Cold War Declassified For The First Time
The National Security Archive has published what is said to be the most comprehensive and detailed list of nuclear…
Cold War 2.0 As Russian Bears Buzz Carrier, Subs Snoop Around Seabed Cables
On Tuesday, a pair of Tu-142 Bears made their way toward the USS Ronald Reagan while the carrier was undertaking drills…
What It's Like Driving This Military-Only Forward Control Land Rover 101
While I might not know what color the boathouse is at Hereford, I sure as hell drove the only Land Rover that was good…
Watch These MiGs Operate From A Grass Field Like It's No Big Deal
You have probably seen videos of fighter jets operating from long stretches of highway before, but check out these…
How One Man Once Prevented Nuclear Armageddon
Last weekend we learned that a four megaton nuclear bomb nearly exploded over North Carolina back in 1961. That would…
This Weird Plane Was Made By Cold War Britain
Only 86 Handley Page Victors were made from 1952 to 1963. Originally designed to be part of the United Kingdom’s…
An SR-71 Blackbird Tail Fin Is For Sale On eBay For $1 Million
A tail rudder from the fastest airplane in the world could be yours — for a cool $1 million. The seller didn't say if…
Area 51 Secrets: The US Military Used Fake Cardboard Cutouts of Planes to Fool the Russians
A lot of Cold War-era Area 51 documents have been declassified and National Geographic has discovered a rather low-tech…
Berlin's eerie Cold War aircraft cemetery
Warplanes from both sides of the Cold War stand guard under a blanket of snow outside Berlin's Bundeswehr Air Force…