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Lancaster Bomber Over Holland

When Britain’s F-35B Lightning II streaks into view - low, lean and stealthy - you might sometimes see a bright handful of pyrotechnic flares ejecting from the aircraft. Those streaks aren’t for show: they are one element of a layered defensive system designed to protect the jet and its pilot from heat-seeking threats, and in some situations they act as an immediate deterrent to hostile systems. This post explains what those flares are, how they fit into the F-35’s broader defensive toolbox,...

The Eternal Watch As the autumn sun sets across Britain’s countryside, fields of scarlet poppies sway gently in the cool November breeze....