Kapil Kajal

Kapil is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience. Reported across a wide range of beats with a particular focus on air warfare and military affairs, his work is shaped by a deep interest in twentiethโ€‘century conflict, from both World Wars through the Cold War and Vietnam, as well as the ways these histories inform contemporary security and technology.
419 Articles

Flight Test Files: KC-135 Stratotanker – Microgravity Research and the “Vomit Comet” Legacy

The KC-135 Stratotanker, in service since 1956, remains a key US refueling aircraft and supported…

Boneyard Files: Grumman HU-16 Albatross – The Abandoned Flying Boats of the Pacific Rim

The HU-16 Albatross was a versatile amphibious rescue aircraft used by US forces, later retired…

Flight Test Files: B-29 Mothership – The Aircraft That Launched Supersonic Flight

NASAโ€™s modified B-29 Mothership launched the X-1 and D-558, enabling the first Mach 1 and…

Aces of the Great War: Geoffrey Hilton Bowman – The 32 Victories of S.E.5 Master

WWI ace Geoffrey Hilton Bowman scored 32 victories and later served again in WWII, combining…

Grounded Dreams: ATG Javelin – The Mach 0.8 Dream That Ran Out of Fuel

ATG Javelin MK-10 aimed to bring fighter-like performance to personal jets, but funding failure and…

Grounded Dreams: Yakovlev Yak-36 – The Soviet Jump Jet That Defied Gravity

Yak-36 was the Soviet Unionโ€™s first VTOL jet, proving vertical flight concepts but cancelled due…

Boneyard Files: Grumman S-2 Tracker – From Carrier Deck to the Desert Floor

Grumman S-2 Tracker, the US Navyโ€™s first single-aircraft anti-submarine hunter-killer platform, served globally before retirement…

Flight Test Files: Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird – Managing the Expansion of the Titanium Skin

NASA used the SR-71 Blackbird in the 1990s to study high-speed flight, propulsion, sonic booms…

Aces of the Great War: Bruno Loerzer: The Fokker D.VII Master of 1918

WWI ace Bruno Loerzer scored 44 victories and later rose to Generaloberst in WWII, linking…

Grounded Dreams: Ryan XV-5 Vertifan: The High Speed Hovercraft That Time Forgot

Ryan XV-5 Vertifan tested ducted-fan VTOL flight in the 1960s, proving key concepts but failing…