In this episode of @AfterburnPodcast host John “Rain” Waters sits down with Bob “Bags” Simeone, a former Navy F/A-18 Hornet pilot who flew combat missions during Operation Desert Storm. From low-level strikes over Iraq to night tanking in icing conditions, Bags shares a raw, often hilarious, and deeply personal account of what it was like to be part of America’s return to high-end warfare after Vietnam.

They dive into what deployment looked like aboard the USS America in the early ‘90s, the challenges of navigating pre-GPS cockpits, and the chaos of coordinating missions in a pre–Link 16 world. Bags recounts everything from near-diverts over Australia to accidentally bombing a Kuwaiti beach house to make Saddam think an amphibious assault was coming.

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Welcome to The Lowdown, your weekly briefing on global aviation and defense. In this episode, we cover the latest on the F-35 Block 4 program and its delays, downgrades, and the TR-3 foundation for future upgrades. We also dive into the next-generation “doomsday plane,” the E-4C Nightwatch, set to replace the Cold War–era E-4B, and explore how Sierra Nevada Corporation is driving the future of airborne command and control.

We break down massive U.S. Army missile contracts, from Patriot PAC-3 interceptors to AMRAAM production, and highlight the rise of low-cost precision weapons like the laser-guided APKWS rockets now used by the F-15E Strike Eagle. From Venezuelan F-16s buzzing U.S. Navy destroyers, to China-linked cyberattacks, to the Air Force’s first pilotless cargo flight across the Pacific, the headlines point to a rapidly changing defense landscape. You’ll also hear updates on the next-generation bunker buster bomb to replace the GBU-57, SpaceX’s global Starlink military applications, and why precision-guided rockets are shaping future conflicts. If you’re passionate about aviation, military tactics, and defense technology, subscribe now for weekly analysis and insight into the future of airpower and national security.

🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫

🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺

✈ Your Pilot Destination E3 Aviation Association: https://bit.ly/E3Aviation

Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast

🥷 Scrub Your Info from Data Brokers & Protect Yourself | https://aura.com/afterburn 14-day free trial

🎯 Lowdown Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/

🔺 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast

🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫

🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺

✈ Your Pilot Destination E3 Aviation Association: https://bit.ly/E3Aviation

Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast

🥷 Scrub Your Info from Data Brokers & Protect Yourself | https://aura.com/afterburn 14-day free trial