Every U.S. military aviation enthusiast has a favorite aircraft, whether they know it or not. Is it the ever-agile F-16 Fighting Falcon? The aggressively belligerent A-10 Thunderbolt II? The uber-expensive F-35 Lightning II? Or how about the hulking C-130 Hercules, or the workhorse C-17 Globemaster III?

You may spend time arguing over the various capabilities of each of these mighty airframes, but there's one thing most people will agree on: No aircraft is more adorable than those that make up the Air Force's patchwork fleet of miniature aircraft.

Seriously, just look at these things. Aren't they just freaking adorable? They may not fly, but what they lack in airworthiness, they almost certainly make up for in preciousness -- and, we hope, in recruiting value, as that's how they're most often deployed around the United States.

Let's take a look at these dainty-ass aircraft, shall we?

Mini C-130

The Air Force has had not one, but three mini C-130 Hercules aircraft in its inventory (at least) at certain times in the last 25 years or so.

The first mini C-130, built by the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi in 1999 and nicknamed "Lil' Bill," was constructed "to enhance community relations and outreach to the public," according to the 403 WG, much to the delight of local children. Technically a replica of the C-130J, the aircraft has participated in Veterans Day parades and other armed forces-themed events for years before the specialized trailer that hauled it around the Gulf Coast broke down permanently, making transportation prohibitively complicated. In 2021, Lil' Bill was sent to his final home at the Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum in Gulfport, where he still delights children to this day.

The second mini C-130, operated by the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Airlift Wing, was built by airmen from the unit's 123rd Maintenance Squadron nearly 20 years ago, making its debut at the 2004 Kentucky Derby Festival parade, according to the 123 AW. Built "from scratch" from the chassis of a three-wheeled Cushman utility cart, the mini C-130 can hit speeds of up to 120 mph and features a working cargo door, a UHF radio, working propellers and a stereo system to entertain the dozen passengers it can carry. While the vehicle cannot fly, it's apparently been a big hit among children across Kentucky and Indiana for years.

The third mini C-130 is operated by the North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing and has been since at least 2008, when it first appeared during an annual 5K run at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, according to the NC ANG. It apparently took the 145th Maintenance Squadron some five years to get the so-called "Mini" up and running, and according to airmen, the time was well worth it. "To be able to give our time to kids and educate them about the Air Force is far more valuable than anything else," as then-Master Sgt. Marty Jones put it back in 2013. "The look on their faces and [the] happiness they exude when in and around the mini C-130 is reward enough!"

Mini C-17

The Air Force's mini C-17 Globemaster III, named "the Spirit of Hope, Liberty and Freedom," was built over the span of four years by members of the 315th and 437th Airlift Wings, Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina, based on a John Deere "Gator" multipurpose vehicle donated by the 315th Recruiting Service, according to a fact sheet from the 315th AW. Completed and dedicated to the citizens of South Carolina in 2004, the 32-foot-long "true to life" replica features flight station panels, operational ramp and cargo doors, and even real-life engine sounds, per the wing, and the aircraft has made numerous appearance at parade and air shows in the region and even appeared in the Pentagon courtyard.

Mini F-16

The Air Force apparently has several mini F-16s floating around in its inventory. A pair apparently belonging to the Encino, California-based 369th Recruiting Squadron were photographed back in 2007 participating in an Armed Forces Day parade in Torrance, California; another made an appearance at a Veterans Day parade in Milwaukee in 2021, this one operated by the Civil Air Patrol's Wisconsin Timmerman Composite Squadron, an auxiliary component of the Air Force. But the best version of the mini F-16 may be the one belonging to the Indiana Air National Guard's 122nd Fighter Wing, which even features its own (hopefully inert) AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

Mini F-22

Details surrounding the Air Force's mini F-22 are understandably elusive, as they should be for the highly maneuverable stealth fighter. While the earliest photographic evidence of the aircraft comes from the same Torrance Armed Forces Day parade that also saw a pair of mini F-16s in attendance, the same mini F-22 also appeared at a 2015 Veterans Day parade in Dallas, according to a photo from the 344th Recruiting Squadron. There's also evidence of a second mini F-22, built on a golf cart frame by the 314th Recruiting Squadron, getting refurbished by airmen at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey in 2017. Hopefully these mini F-22s did a better job driving recruiting than their big brother did in the first "Iron Man" movie.

Bonus: The BD-5J Small Manned Aerial Radar Target-1

While technically the product of aerospace contractor Bishop's Aerial Productions, this jet-powered version of the tiny-as-hell Jim Bede-designed BD-5, the world's smallest jet, has been occasionally used by the Defense Department as a cruise missile surrogate since 2012 under the moniker Small Manned Aerial Radar Target-1, or SMART-1. If the BD-5J looks familiar, that's understandable: most of the world was introduced to the delightfully diminutive aircraft in the 1983 James Bond film "Octopussy," in which Roger Moore ostensibly pilots one through an open hanger. And while not officially part of the Air Force's fleet, we'll give this little airframe a pass as it's the only one on our list that actually flies.

-- Jared Keller can be reached at jared.keller@military.com.

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For more than 40 years, the F-16 Fighting Falcon has served as the backbone of the U.S. Air Force’s fighter fleet, but one year before the first F-16 entered service, the team behind its development had already developed a better F-16, in the F-16XL.

The fighter was so capable, in fact, that it went from being nothing more than a technology demonstrator to serving as legitimate competition for the venerable F-15E in the Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter program. Ultimately, it would lose out to the F-15E based on production cost and redundancy of systems, but many still contend that the F-16XL was actually the better platform.

While that assertion may be subject to debate, there’s little debate as to whether the F-16XL could have been one of the most capable fourth-generation fighters on the planet.

SCAMP: The Supersonic Cruise And Maneuver Prototype

In 1977, some three years after the first F-16 took to the skies and one year before it would enter service, its designer began work on what would come to be called the F-16 SCAMP, or the Supersonic Cruise And Maneuver Prototype.

The effort wasn’t about fielding another production fighter – General Dynamics had no intention of trying to sell SCAMP once it was complete. Instead, the entire premise behind the program was to quickly (and cheaply) field a platform they could use to test the concept behind supersonic cruising, or as we’ve come to call it today, “supercruising.”

While that may sound like a capability found only on Transformers or Harleys so expensive only lawyers can buy them, the idea behind supercruising was simple, even if its execution was complex. Modern fighters like the F-16 all come equipped with afterburners they can use to dramatically increase the amount of thrust their engine produces, but it comes at a serious cost.

Using the afterburner to break the sound barrier and then sustain that speed depletes an aircraft’s fuel very quickly, but if a jet could kill the afterburner at supersonic speeds and still maintain them, it would mean covering more ground at high speed, while still having enough fuel left over for a fight and the return trip home.

“I remember flying in an F-16 in afterburner while supersonic over the Yellow Sea and looking down to see a fuel-flow rate of over 50,000 lbs per hour,” F-16 and F-35 pilot Justin “Hasard” Lee explained in a piece for Sandboxx News.

“To put that into perspective, that’s similar to a fire-hose operating fully open — and that’s just a single engine. A twin-engine jet such as the F-15 or F-22 can double that. The problem is, topped off, I could only carry 7,000 pounds of fuel, which was enough for me to fly at that fuel-setting for less than 10 minutes.”

In order to accomplish their goal, the F-16 design would require a pretty thorough revamp. First, the wings were modified to incorporate a cranked-arrow wing shape, creating 25% more lift while allowing for effective control at both high and low speeds.

Working in conjunction with NASA (and using the company’s own funds), engineer Harry Hillaker, the same man responsible for the original F-16 design, experimented repeatedly with slightly different iterations of the wings until they came to a version they referred to as Model 400.

This new wing design, which saw a 50-degree angle near the root of the wing for supersonic performance and a 70-degree angle where the wings extended for subsonic handling, offered more than double the surface area of the F-16’s wings.

Incredibly, Hillaker and his team were able to manage that without any increase in drag on the airframe, thanks to more than 3,600 hours of wind-tunnel testing.

This new design wasn’t necessarily practical, with all-moving wingtips and an all-moving vertical tail meant for control that performed poorly at low speeds. The wing design also didn’t allow for any hardpoints to mount bombs or missiles.

However, impractical as it may have been for a tactical fighter, the new wing design led to a significant increase in fuel range – and that increase could be further bolstered by leveraging the massive amount of internal space these new wings offered.

The F-16 SCAMP Becomes the F-16XL

Citing the promising results of the F-16 SCAMP effort, the U.S. Air Force chose to buy into the idea of an even-more capable version of the F-16. They provided Hillaker with two early F-16 airframes for conversion into a SCAMP-like design they dubbed the F-16XL.

Although this new jet would be largely based on the existing F-16, the changes were dramatic, including two fuselage sections added near the front and back of the aircraft, increasing its length by some 56 inches.

The cranked-arrow wings that had proven so effective in SCAMP were also added, along with a new form of wing skin made using carbon fiber that saved some 600 pounds in the design.

Those massive wings, now fully realized, gave the F-16XL a nearly doubled fuel capacity, and the additional lift coupled with 633 square feet of underwing space to leverage allowed for the addition of an astonishing 27 hardpoints for ordnance.

Remarkably, the F-16XL seemed to outperform its smaller predecessor in nearly every way, prompting the Air Force to take an interest in the idea of actually building this new iteration fighter.

“To say that Hillaker’s design team achieved its objectives is an understatement,” wrote F. Clifton Berry Jr. in 1983. Berry was an Air Force veteran and the editor-in-chief of Air Force Magazine at the time.

As Berry pointed out, an F-16XL conducting an air-to-surface mission could carry twice the payload of the standard F-16 and still fly as much as 44% farther – all without external fuel tanks and while carrying a full suite of air-to-air weapons (four AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders) for the fighter to defend itself.

If you were to equip the F-16XL with the exact same payload as an F-16A on such a mission, the F-16XL could fly nearly twice as far as its predecessor.

But it wasn’t just about extended range and added payload. The F-16XL was capable of supersonic speeds at high or low altitudes, all while carrying its mighty payload, and had no trouble climbing quickly with bombs underwing.

And even despite the added wing, fuel and ordnance loads, the aircraft still somehow managed to fly 83 knots faster than the F-16 using military power at sea level, and more than 300 knots faster on afterburner at high altitudes, even while carrying a full bomb load.

“With the heavy bomb load aboard, the F-16XL is cleared for maneuvers up to +7.2 Gs, compared with 5.58 Gs in the F-16A,” Berry wrote. “This demonstrates how the designers were able to increase the aircraft weight while maintaining structural integrity and mission performance.”

All that time in the wind tunnel clearly paid off for the F-16XL design.

The F-16XL Takes on the F-15E

General Dynamics ultimately built two prototype F-16XLs for testing, but as testing progressed, it was clear that this new iteration of the F-16 design was worth more than simply demonstrating technology. In search of a useful place to put the new jet’s capabilities, the Air Force decided to enter it into the Enhanced Tactical Fighter (ETF) competition, which aimed to field a capable replacement for the F-111 Aardvark.

“The F-16XL flight-test program has conclusively demonstrated that the XL performs as predicted. This performance level represents a significant increase in mission capability for USAF,” D. Randall Kent, vice president and program director for the General Dynamics F-16XL program, said at the time.

“Coupling this with the affordability and low risk of the F-16XL presents USAF with a viable way to increase mission capability while simultaneously growing to a forty-wing TAC force structure.”

Soon, the ETF program changed names to the Dual-Role Fighter program – but despite the shift in titles, the goal was the same: To field an aircraft capable of penetrating deep into enemy airspace for interdiction missions without the need for fighter escorts.

The F-16XL, with its significant fuel range, good performance and hardpoints for 27 weapons, seemed like a perfect fit for the job … But it wasn’t the only aircraft competing for the contract. Standing between the F-16XL and operational service was another highly capable platform: The F-15E Strike Eagle.

Like the F-16XL, the Strike Eagle was a modified version of an existing fighter: The F-15 Eagle. The Eagle represented America’s top-of-the-line air superiority fighter, boasting an undefeated record in dogfights that holds to this very day. Unlike the F-16XL, however, the F-15E shared the vast majority of its design with the two-seater F-15D that was already in production.

There was no doubt that the F-16XL would likely be the more expensive option, thanks to its significant design departure from the F-16 it was based on. But it also offered a great deal of capability. Its massive wings made it more stable than the F-16 it was based on, while its wind-tunnel-tested design made all that wing area serve no detriment to the fighter’s handling.

“We climbed at more than 20,000 feet per minute, leaping from 4,000 to 27,000 feet in sixty-seven seconds. Jim eased the power back while turning into the supersonic corridor and getting cleared by Edwards Control to begin a supersonic run,” F. Clifton Berry wrote after riding in the F-16XL.

“Jim applied [the] afterburner and the aircraft accelerated smoothly from Mach 0.95 through 1.0 and to 1.2 in seconds. Even with the heavy bomb load aboard, the aircraft went supersonic without a tremble. Handling characteristics at mach 1.2 with the heavy ordnance load were remarkably similar to those of the standard F-16 without bombs.”

The F-15E, on the other hand, offered only 15 hardpoints -- which it’s important to note, is still a lot. The F-15E also delivered a higher top speed (Mach 2.5 versus 2.05) and a higher service ceiling at 60,000 feet (compared to the F-16XL’s 50,000).

Most importantly, however, the F-15E leveraged not one, but two engines. Because these aircraft were intended to fly deep into enemy airspace without much support, the Air Force believed it was likely that these planes would see a great deal of anti-aircraft fire. Having two engines meant one could be damaged by enemy fire, but the aircraft could still limp home on the other.

The F-16XL May Have Been One of the Most Capable Fighters to Never Make It into Production

It was likely the perceived survivability of two engines, in conjunction with the lower cost of development, that saw the F-15E win the contract. But many within the Air Force saw the F-15Es win as bittersweet.

The Strike Eagle was indeed an incredibly capable platform, but the F-16XL’s fans felt as though the fighter wasn’t meant to compete with the Strike Eagle, so much as support it – much like the F-16 and F-15 support one another today. Like the YF-23 that lost to Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor, the F-16XL has since been remembered as an aircraft that might have been better than the jet we ultimately got … with concerns about dollars and cents making the decision, rather than maximum capability.

Of course, that may not be an entirely fair assessment. The F-16XL was indeed a capable aircraft, but the F-15E has since proven itself in combat time and time again. The Strike Eagle was clearly not a bad choice, but with the F-16XL’s incredible chops in mind, there could be little doubt that the Air Force would have been better off with both of these capable fighters in their stable … if only money truly were no object.

Instead of fighting alongside the Strike Eagle as many hoped, the F-16XL program found its way to NASA, where both prototypes participated in a number of aeronautical research projects. In fact, some of the tests conducted using the F-16XL would go on to play a role in developing the supercruise capability for America’s top-tier air superiority fighter of today, the F-22 Raptor.

Read the original article on Sandboxx.

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PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- It is not every day where a Reserve airman is re-enlisted by her parent. It's especially rare when that parent was once a prisoner of war.

Master Sgt. Kari Eubanks, 302nd Force Support Squadron, received the oath of enlistment from her father, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier, during her re-enlistment ceremony, Aug. 5.

Mechenbier, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, served 40 years as active-duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Ohio National Guard. He began his Air Force journey as an F-4C Phantom II pilot. In June of 1967 during his 80th mission, he was shot down over North Vietnam, captured and was a prisoner of war for approximately six years.

"I love it. This is the third time now. I say this is my last time but we will see. If not I'll have to ask 'Dad, one more time!" said Eubanks.

Eubanks came to the 302nd Force Support Squadron within the last year. With this enlistment, she hopes to not only share her experiences, but to learn from the airmen as well.

Her father, has not only re-enlisted his daughter over the years, but also several others in his family.

"It's fantastic. It is father pride from ear lobe to ear lobe," said Mechenbier.

After the ceremony, Mechenbier spoke with the attending reservists about his Air Force experiences and left them with a message about unity through selfless motivation.

"There are so many things in this world that seem to be disruptive, 'me first' and inward focused. This is about 'we' and 'us.'"

Air Force veteran Stacey Pavenski, 46, of Palm Bay, Florida, has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but she didn't get it from serving in combat. It came from her husband's combat struggles that drove him to take his own life in their bedroom, Sept. 18, 2017, while she was in the kitchen. He was 45.

That fateful day has led her on a journey to bring awareness to PTSD and traumatic brain injury disorders that lead 22 veterans a day to take their own lives. Joining forces with Mission 22, a non-profit organization, she has put together a PTSD 3K walk-run on Florida's Space Coast during PTSD Awareness Month.

Wearing shorts and a T-shirt with the words 'Not All Wounds are Visible' broadcasting her new mantra, she shares glimpses into her life as a military spouse and living with PTSD.

She met her husband, Master Sgt. Pete Pavenski, at Moron Air Base, Spain, where she was stationed in 2002. They fell in love and she left the service to be with him. They were married in 2010.

"He was such a good man," said Stacey describing her husband as her best friend and a selfless service member.

With 10 years serving on active duty and another 10 serving in the Air Force Reserve as an aerial gunner, Pete saw a lot of action. He performed duties in the back of a combat-search-and-rescue helicopter where he took part in dangerous rescue missions on the battlefield, saving the lives of an untold amount of injured service members. But the missions got to him.

He was plagued with PTSD and sought help. Stacey even went with him to counseling to try to understand his plight.

That dark September night after a seemingly normal argument, Pete calmly walked past Stacey. A few minutes later he yelled to Stacey, "This is going to be loud!" He then pulled the trigger and shot himself.

"What I heard, what I saw and what I continue to relive in my head daily is why I have PTSD. It never goes away."

"Pete got rid of his pain, but now everyone has pain," said Stacey, referring to the couple's entire family.

"I don't want anyone else to have to die."

Pete's death also came as a shock to his squadron members, a very tight-knit group of helicopter aircrew. Known as the squadron jokester, no one saw Pete's suicide coming. "We had no idea and that's what was unnerving for us," said Chief Master Sgt. Randolph Wells, 301st RQS Chief Enlisted Manager.

The chief recalls one particular mission that really got to Pete when he and his crew were flying in the "hotly contested" Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Oct. 31, 2011. "While on the ground performing casualty evacuations, bullets from an enemy sniper entered the cabin area narrowly missing him."

Stacey hails her husband as a hero, but as a veteran herself, she describes being an Air Force spouse as "way more difficult" than serving.

"When you have to function in everyday life and worry about your spouse; when they call from a far you have to be upbeat. You have to put that face on for them."

Now Stacey's mission is to get the resources out about PTSD and to "talk about it."

For Stacey, PTSD came with myriad symptoms, one of them being nightmares that continued to haunt her until relief finally came in the form of a 67-pound service dog named Memphis Belle who rests at her feet while she talks nervously in a soft voice that reveals her fragility.

Midnight Sun Service Dogs in Alaska learned about Stacey's difficulties through Pete's squadron, the 301st Rescue Squadron, and gifted her the jet black Labradoodle two months ago. They train and place service dogs with wounded military members and veterans and pride themselves on specializing in PTSD therapy dogs.

Now when Stacey experiences nightmares, Memphis Belle's training kicks in and Stacey finds herself face-to-face with a wet nose and tongue nudging her awake. Memphis Belle is trained to detect when her handler is struggling with difficult emotions that erupt unforeseen.

Stacey explains that Memphis Belle can also detect her uneasiness with crowds, another one of her symptoms, and shields Stacey by leaning against her legs to let her know 'she's got this.'

Not only does Memphis Belle protect her from potentially stressful situations, but she soothes her when she detects Stacey's emotions heightening by placing her velvety smooth football-sized head on Stacey's lap.

"Suicide does not discriminate," said Stacey pointing to the recent news of celebrity suicides, Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade.

"PTSD sucks. Suicide is real."

She explained that you have to have a support system. When she gets to a tipping point, she has a list of loved ones she calls.

"I called my mom to tell her I didn't want to be here anymore. We talk through it. I'm still here. If my mom doesn't answer the phone, I call someone else."

Stacey says her life is not about that one single moment.

"When you feel like life is so hard and you're ready to end your pain, realize that there are a lot of people who love you and you are putting it all on the people who love and care about you."

"If I can talk about it (suicide) and get other people on board, they might have the knowledge, the know how to get themselves out of it."

She explains how the color teal is for PTSD awareness; and the color purple represents suicide.

"Not all wounds are visible," she emphasizes, but the colors help make them more visible.

"As difficult as it is to talk about it, we have to deal with it."

She said she's working on her grief. "Time is the hard part, being alone. You have to find reasons to laugh. It doesn't mean you ever forget."

Since Memphis Belle came into the picture she gets out more. Her new furry companion with gray bushy eyebrows like Einstein is a welcome sight. "She's a big dog, she needs exercise. I have to play with her, take her out. She makes me laugh. She's perfect."

Not only does Memphis Belle help Stacey, but Stacey regularly sees a therapist at the local Veterans Administration, takes medication and leans on her tight circle of friends and family for support.

"My focus is my purpose," she said deliberately.

She wants those who are hurting and may be contemplating suicide to have access to the resources and she wants them to know they are not alone. She said PTSD does not have to mean suicide.

"The epidemic has to stop."

Stacey's PTSD 3K walk-run will take place, Saturday, June 30 at 4 p.m. starting at Tables Beach, a quarter-of-a-mile north of 2nd Light Beach on State Road A1A in Cocoa Beach, Fla., across from Patrick Air Force Base. The walk will proceed north. All are welcome.

To register for the PTSD walk-run on the beach June 30, visit: https://mission22.networkforgood.com/events/6753-ptsd-awareness-3k-walk-run