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 twentieth‑century conflict, from both World Wars through the Cold War and Vietnam, as well as the ways these histories inform contemporary security and technology.
385 Articles

Flight Test Files: Northrop HL-10 – Solving the Aerodynamics of Reentry

How NASA’s HL-10 lifting body proved wingless reentry and runway landings were possible, shaping future…

Aces of the Great War: Wilfred Beaver – Mastering the Bristol Fighter’s Sting

Profile of Wilfred Beaver, a British-born ace with 19 World War I victories who later…

Grounded Dreams: The Ilyushin Il-102 and the Last Stand of the Shturmovik

Why the Soviet Il-102 attack jet lost to the Su-25 despite strong test flights, heavy…

Flight Test Files: Schweizer SGS 1-36 Sailplane – Evaluating the Leap to T-Tail Aerodynamics

How NASA used a modified Schweizer SGS 1-36 sailplane in the 1980s to study deep-stall…

France’s Indestructible Ace: The Legendary War of Charles Nungesser

Profile of French ace Charles Nungesser, a 43-victory World War I pilot whose daring career…

Grounded Dreams: The Lockheed CL-760 – The Starlifter That Almost Conquered the Cargo World

Why Lockheed’s CL-760 lost the LARA competition to North American’s NA-300, despite being faster and…

Flight Test Files: XB-70 Valkyrie – Riding the Shockwave at Mach 3

How NASA used the XB-70 Valkyrie bomber to advance supersonic transport research, study sonic booms…

Vasili Yanchenko: The Imperial Russian Air Service and the War on the Eastern Front

A profile of Vasili Yanchenko, a 16-victory Russian World War I flying ace whose bold…

Grounded Dreams: Supermarine Type 545 – The Mach 1.3 Interceptor Frozen in Time

The Supermarine Type 545 was designed as a Mach 1.3 crescent-wing interceptor, but political fallout…

Flight Test Files: Northrop X-4 Bantam-Navigating the Limits of the Tailless Wing

How the Northrop X-4 Bantam tested semi-tailless flight near Mach 1 and revealed stability limits…