The Afterburn Podcast
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Strap in the cockpit as we dive into the stories of the men and women who defend the freedoms we love. From the cockpit of military jets to boots on the ground. The Afterburn Podcast dives into their stories, the planes, and the missions. For Advertising Opportunities or more information visit: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/
Folgen 305
The Most Insane Low-Level Bombing Raid of WWIl | The Ploiesti Raid
Today we discuss Operation Tidal Wave, the 1 August 1943 low-level B-24 raid on the Ploesti oil refineries, with author Adam Makos, whose new book follows a rookie Liberator crew shot down over …
Shownotes
Today we discuss Operation Tidal Wave, the 1 August 1943 low-level B-24 raid on the Ploesti oil refineries, with author Adam Makos, whose new book follows a rookie Liberator crew shot down over Romania.
Operation Tidal Wave: https://link.amazon/B07tn9TK9
Adam Makos, out November 3rd -- Signed and personalized copies: https://valorstudios.comIn the summer of 1943, every B-24 Liberator on the Atlantic side of the war was
gathered at a dirt strip near Benghazi for a 2,000 mile round trip against the
refineries feeding roughly a third of Hitler's oil. The Norden bombsights came
out of the aircraft. Crews trained so low they came home with bomb bay doors
caved in, and one of them hit a camel.Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
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300 Combat Missions in the F-4 Over Vietnam | Ron Cooper
Today we discuss 300 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom with Ron Cooper, who flew with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron out of Udorn in 1971 and 1972, including the flight that launched as a four-ship and …
Shownotes
Today we discuss 300 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom with Ron Cooper, who flew with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron out of Udorn in 1971 and 1972, including the flight that launched as a four-ship and recovered as three.
Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/HUzq7kZ6PXk
Ron Cooper: https://thecooperculture.com/speaker/
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Russia Just Sent 69 Jet-Powered Drones at Ukraine
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/o-iTT80CTJYToday we discuss the Geran-4, Russia's turbojet version of the Iranian Shahed one-way attack drone, after an overnight raid of 280 drones on Ukraine. Jet …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/o-iTT80CTJY
Today we discuss the Geran-4, Russia's turbojet version of the Iranian Shahed one-way attack drone, after an overnight raid of 280 drones on Ukraine. Jet drone launches jumped from about 350 in June to about 2,800 in August, and F-16s are filling the gap.
Get the defense stories behind the headlines every week in The Lowdown: https://lowdownnews.us
Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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America's Answer to China's Best Missile, the PL-15
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/VGoBPpVbPNoToday we discuss the AIM-424 Malice, the US Navy's new long range air-to-air missile revealed in August 2026, credited with reaching targets beyond 250 …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/VGoBPpVbPNo
Today we discuss the AIM-424 Malice, the US Navy's new long range air-to-air missile revealed in August 2026, credited with reaching targets beyond 250 nautical miles and shown fitting inside the internal weapons bay of the F-35C.
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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Romania takes down two Russian drones with F-16s
Watch on Afterburn Defense Youtube: https://youtu.be/GGiXPeV1iJEThe incident occurred while aircraft from the 86th Air Base in Borsia were conducting routine patrols. We break down the details behind the drone …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense Youtube: https://youtu.be/GGiXPeV1iJE
The incident occurred while aircraft from the 86th Air Base in Borsia were conducting routine patrols. We break down the details behind the drone interception of these two Russian drones, identified as Nugran-4s, and what this means for current regional stability.
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LowdownNews
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Did Houthi's use Drones as a Decoy
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/TT-9woSmEu8Saudi Arabia fields Patriot batteries and one of the most capable air forces in the Middle East, and a Houthi barrage still reached King Khalid …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/TT-9woSmEu8
Saudi Arabia fields Patriot batteries and one of the most capable air forces in the Middle East, and a Houthi barrage still reached King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10, killing 13 people and wounding more than 300.
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
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The Navy's Secret Fighter Is Back and Boeing Has It
Watch on Afterburn Defense YouTube: https://youtu.be/XNjurMWMPlgLowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/Boeing won the Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier fighter on September 29, which means …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense YouTube: https://youtu.be/XNjurMWMPlg
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/Boeing won the Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier fighter on September 29, which means one company now builds both American sixth-gen fighters, the Navy’s F/A-XX and the Air Force’s F-47.
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Taiwan’s First New F-16s Land After a Month Stuck in Hawaii
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/sJdOot0ti2ETaiwan’s first two F-16 Block 70 fighters have landed at their new home, plus the US Air Force is weighing new-build F-16s for the first time since 2005 …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/sJdOot0ti2E
Taiwan’s first two F-16 Block 70 fighters have landed at their new home, plus the US Air Force is weighing new-build F-16s for the first time since 2005. Today we discuss the Block 70, the proposed F-16G, Viper Shield, and the fighter shortfall driving it.
Sources:
The War Zone: https://www.twz.com/air/new-build-f-16s-for-the-usaf-is-an-idea-that-wont-go-away-for-good-reason
Air and Space Forces: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-eyes-new-build-f-16s-to-boost-fighter-force/The first two of 66 F-16 Block 70s ordered by Taiwan in 2019 touched down at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung on October 2, 2026, after a ferry flight from Lockheed Martin’s Greenville, South Carolina line that stalled in Hawaii for more than a month. Today we discuss what that roughly $8 billion package actually contains, from the APG-83 AESA radar and Link 16 to smart bomb tail kits, towed decoys, and the integrated offensive and defensive electronic warfare suite that L3Harris Viper Shield answers.
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The Air Force Fixed a Shot-Up KC-135 While the Base Was Still Being Attacked
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/4Er8ciSvT84KC-135 battle damage repair: Air Mobility Command commander Lt Gen DanielTulley revealed how maintainers saved a Stratotanker loaded with 200,000pounds of …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/4Er8ciSvT84
KC-135 battle damage repair: Air Mobility Command commander Lt Gen Daniel
Tulley revealed how maintainers saved a Stratotanker loaded with 200,000
pounds of fuel after an enemy attack during Operation Epic Fury.Ogden Air Logistics Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUDBQ8fmr8Ek
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US Air Force Just Named Its First Two Robot Fighters
Watch on Afterburn Defense YouTube: https://youtu.be/F21BnqlbCowToday we discuss the Air Force naming its first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the FQ-42A Vengeance from General Atomics and the FQ-44A Fury from …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense YouTube: https://youtu.be/F21BnqlbCow
Today we discuss the Air Force naming its first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the FQ-42A Vengeance from General Atomics and the FQ-44A Fury from Anduril, plus the plan for 1,000 drones by 2032.
On 14 September 2026, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink announced a target of roughly 1,000 autonomous combat aircraft by 2032: 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft and 500 Massed Modular Aircraft. The F in FQ-42 and FQ-44 is deliberate. These are being designated as fighters, not surveillance drones.
Vengeance has been delivered to Creech Air Force Base and has already flown in formation with the F-35 and the F-15E Strike Eagle. Fury fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM at a digital target in July with a human retaining oversight of the shot. Contract award to first flight ran about 18 months, a pace almost unheard of in defense acquisition.
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NASA Pulled Its Last SR-71 Into a Hangar and Won't Say Why
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/DZTWj7NfOgcToday we discuss the SR-71 Blackbird that vanished from NASA Armstrong. Tail 844, the last Blackbird ever built and the last to fly, is gone from its …
Shownotes
Watch on Afterburn Defense: https://youtu.be/DZTWj7NfOgc
Today we discuss the SR-71 Blackbird that vanished from NASA Armstrong. Tail 844, the last Blackbird ever built and the last to fly, is gone from its display and NASA will not say where.
Aviation Week: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/nasa-quietly-removed-sr-71-storage-amid-x-plane-push
The Warzone: https://www.twz.com/air/a-sr-71-blackbird-has-vanishedAviation Week defense editor Steve Trimble broke the story using satellite imagery showing the aircraft missing since at least 17 May 2026. Joseph Trevithick at The War Zone followed up, and NASA's response was that it has no additional information to share, while noting it continues to explore opportunities to build on that legacy.
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His Apache Was Hit Twice Over Jalalabad. He Went Back Up | Brad Young
Brad Young spent six years in the Air Force as a Korean linguist, including time at the National Security Agency in Hawaii, before an inter-service transfer put him in Army warrant officer flight school. He …
Shownotes
Brad Young spent six years in the Air Force as a Korean linguist, including time at the National Security Agency in Hawaii, before an inter-service transfer put him in Army warrant officer flight school. He flew the AH-64D and then the AH-64E for just shy of 17 years across four combat deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and retired in 2025 out of 5-17 Air Cavalry in Korea. His unit at Fort Lewis was the first to receive and combat deploy the Echo model.
Brad's book "Full Blooded Apache: An Attack Pilot’s True Story of Family, Faith and the Fight" https://amzn.to/4hOLb1j
0:00 The most feared helicopter in the world
0:48 From Air Force linguist to Apache pilot
4:37 9/11, a schoolteacher, and four recruiters
8:58 The DLAB: learning a made-up language
11:25 Korean linguist at DLI and NSA Hawaii
13:16 How a Google Earth search ended in a kill cam
16:51 Crossing over to Army aviation
22:45 Army aviation paths and flight school
24:38 The dunker and stress inoculation
30:01 TH-67 primary and the airframe selection board
34:09 Please bless daddy to get Apaches
34:47 AH-64D vs AH-64E: what the Echo changed
40:55 APKWS and the counter-drone fight
43:19 Drones hunting helicopters
44:34 The Apache 30mm and its new proximity fuze
48:30 FPV drones vs helicopters
49:40 Staying over the shoulder of ground forces
50:57 Hit twice near Jalalabad
53:18 The round that nearly brought him down
55:02 Counter tech and the 3 to 1 advantage
57:25 Two cockpits that can't see each other
59:52 Flying night combat through one eye
1:03:00 Front seat vs back seat sensors
1:04:48 Why he wrote Full Blooded Apache
1:07:20 Four Hellfires in eight minutes
1:12:55 Wrap-upHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
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Gary "Wolfman" Wolf | A-10 Fighter Pilot
During a close air support mission over Baghdad on 8 April 2003, Maj Gary "Wolfman" Wolf and his A-10 Warthog were struck by an SA-16 MANPADS while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.Battle Creek Bourbon …
Shownotes
During a close air support mission over Baghdad on 8 April 2003, Maj Gary "Wolfman" Wolf and his A-10 Warthog were struck by an SA-16 MANPADS while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Battle Creek Bourbon: https://shop.winglorespirits.com/pages/commemorative
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A-10 Hit over Baghdad: The Story of 8 April 2003
During a close air support mission over Baghdad on 8 April 2003, Maj Gary "Wolfman" Wolf and his A-10 Warthog were struck by an SA-16 MANPADS while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.Battle Creek Bourbon …
Shownotes
During a close air support mission over Baghdad on 8 April 2003, Maj Gary "Wolfman" Wolf and his A-10 Warthog were struck by an SA-16 MANPADS while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Battle Creek Bourbon: https://shop.winglorespirits.com/pages/commemorative
0:00 Intro "Lead's Been Hit"
1:29 The Close Air Support Mission
6:10 Hit by an SA-16
12:44 Jettison Everything
15:33 Escort and Rescue Join Up
16:41 Gear Down
18:55 Battle Creek Bourbon with Wing Lore Spirits
23:44 Mitchell Wolf on Tail Number 258Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
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Commanding the Wing That Flew Into Iran | Operation Midnight Hammer | Col Kevin "Flint" Hicok
Col Kevin "Flint" Hicok commanded the 20th Fighter Wing during Operation Midnight Hammer, leading the largest Air Force wing in CENTCOM since Desert Storm. The three-part documentary series is on Afterburn …
Shownotes
Col Kevin "Flint" Hicok commanded the 20th Fighter Wing during Operation Midnight Hammer, leading the largest Air Force wing in CENTCOM since Desert Storm.
The three-part documentary series is on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYOperation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. This is the full interview with Col. Kevin Hicok, a career F-16 fighter pilot who commanded the F-16 Wild Weasels that flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Before Iran, the wing fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Intro
0:56 Commanding the Largest F-16 Wing in the Air Force
3:49 From a Small Town in Iowa to Fighter Pilot
10:02 Deploying the Whole Wing for the First Time Since Desert Storm
15:23 Operation Rough Rider and the Houthi Drone Threat
17:27 Learning About Operation Midnight Hammer
19:22 Surging 100 More Aircraft and 220 Percent More People
20:20 The Logistics Nobody Sees: Fuel, Water, and 115 Degree Heat
23:17 Sending Airmen Across the Line Into Iran
29:18 When the Last Jet LandedHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
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Why the F-16 Flew Into Iran | Operation Midnight Hammer | Weapons Officers "Cash" and "Ghost"
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel fighter pilots who flew into Iran. Ghost" Trembly and "Cash" Croghan were the wing and squadron weapons officers for the 55th Fighter Squadron …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel fighter pilots who flew into Iran. Ghost" Trembly and "Cash" Croghan were the wing and squadron weapons officers for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the F-16 Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThey planned the F-16 portion of the strike package. In this conversation, they explain why a fourth-generation fighter flew into Iran alongside the B-2s and F-35s, how the squadron reconfigured from the Yemen fight in a matter of hours, and why nobody in the squadron believed the mission was real until it was.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Preparing the Squadron for Deployment
5:16 New Equipment: AESA Radar and the F-16 Block 50
8:52 Operation Rough Rider: Counter-UAS Over Yemen
15:31 Mission Planning on a Folding Table
21:14 Five Days Out: Nobody Believed It Was Real
28:49 Reconfiguring the Jets From Rockets to HARMs
31:45 The Night "Glitch" Shot a SAM in 8 Seconds and saved "Cash"
41:21 Why the F-16 Was the Only Jet That Could Do It
46:38 The 15-Minute Brief Before Flying Into Iran
49:47 A 300 Mile Ingress Into Iranian Airspace
1:05:50 Is That a Missile Coming Off the Ground
1:12:41 How Tight the Fuel Really Was
1:20:40 Bunker Diving and Life on the BasePlease leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts:
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F-16 Compressor Stall Over Iran | Operation Midnight Hammer | "Smalls" & "Scar"
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Smalls" commanded the 55th Fighter Squadron, and "Scar" was one of the F-16 pilots who helped plan and execute the mission. They are the …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Smalls" commanded the 55th Fighter Squadron, and "Scar" was one of the F-16 pilots who helped plan and execute the mission. They are the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
Both of them flew the mission. In this conversation, they talk about what it means to command a squadron and fly in the same formation, the moment a squadron commander has to let his wingmen push ahead of him, the mechanical failure one of them handled over hostile territory, and what they told their families before they left.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Taking Command of the 55th Fighter Squadron
3:25 The Deployment That Became Something Else
8:33 Shooting Rockets at Drones From an F-16
12:12 Commanding a Squadron in Combat
23:16 Realizing the Threat Was Real
29:34 The Weight of Sending People Out
40:04 From Rough Rider to Midnight Hammer
43:45 Letting My Wingmen Go In First
49:55 Learning About the Iran Mission
54:51 The Phone Call That Changed Everything
1:09:25 The Helmet Mix-Up on the Ramp
1:18:26 Tanker Frequencies and Marshal Delays
1:26:13 Employing Over Iranian Airspace
1:34:02 Compressor Stall Over Enemy Territory
1:39:19 Crossing the Line Back
1:42:22 What They Told Their FamiliesHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
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8 Seconds to Save my Wingman | Operation Midnight Hammer | F-16 Wild Weasel "Glitch"
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Glitch" was one of the youngest F-16 pilots in the formation, flying his first combat deployment with the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression …
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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Glitch" was one of the youngest F-16 pilots in the formation, flying his first combat deployment with the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
He was woken up at ten at night and told to pack a bag. In this conversation, he talks about the night over Yemen when a surface-to-air missile came off the ground at his formation and he had seconds to respond, why Rough Rider frightened him more than Iran did, the drive out to the jets before the strike, and the call he made to his girlfriend when he could not tell her where he was.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Becoming an F-16 Pilot
2:06 Preparing for the Spring Deployment
3:19 A Threat Environment Nobody Trained For
5:18 What the Outgoing Squadron Warned Them About
8:46 Flying the SEAD Mission in Combat
11:01 First Combat Sortie Over Yemen
12:32 A Missile Launch on My Scope
14:09 Watching a SAM Fired at My Formation
17:28 Getting the Call for Operation Midnight Hammer
21:17 Mission Planning for the Iran Strike
24:23 I Can't Tell You Where I Am
26:15 The Drive Out to the Jets
31:41 Why Yemen Scared Me More Than Iran
35:28 Employing Over Iranian Airspace
37:57 How Tight the Fuel WasHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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We'll See You in a Couple of Days" | Operation Midnight Hammer | Director of Ops "Cuffs" Kimber
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Cuffs" was the deployed Director of Operations for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Cuffs" was the deployed Director of Operations for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
He ran the squadron's operations from the main base while the strike launched from somewhere else. In this conversation, he talks about how young the pilots flying this mission actually were, what it took to run a squadron split across two locations, the last handshakes before they stepped, and the wait until he heard they were on their way back.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Spinning Up the Squadron for Deployment
1:43 A Threat Environment Unlike the Last 20 Years
4:09 Why the F-16 Still Matters in This Fight
6:28 Getting Out the Door
9:09 Most of These Pilots Were in Their Twenties
12:11 Learning a New Base and New Configurations
16:28 First Combat Sorties Over Yemen
20:24 Thinking About the Risk to Yourself
22:44 Learning About Operation Midnight Hammer
26:27 Trusting the Weapons Officers to Plan It
28:58 Running a Squadron Split Across Two Locations
32:48 The Night It Happened
36:50 The Last Handshakes Before They Stepped
39:38 Watching Them Come HomeHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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I Thought Our Pilots Were Not Coming Home | Operation Midnight Hammer | Intel Officer "Glib" Richard
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Glib" was the intelligence officer for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. "Glib" was the intelligence officer for the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
His job was to know the threat better than anyone in the squadron. In this conversation, he talks about the night the reporting was bad enough that he told a pilot to be prepared, what it is like to brief men whose wives and children you know, how a squadron built its own targeting picture when the strategic intelligence was not enough, and what he did on the ground while they were over Iran.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Building the Threat Picture Before Deployment
2:38 A Contested Environment Again
7:15 The Night I Thought My Pilots Would Die
8:35 Finding Out About Operation Midnight Hammer
14:26 The Night of the Mission
20:21 What the Squadron Did That Nobody SeesHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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548,000 Gallons in One Night | Operation Midnight Hammer | Fuels NCOIC MSgt. Edge
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. MSgt. Edge was the fuels NCOIC responsible for getting gas into every aircraft, supporting the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. MSgt. Edge was the fuels NCOIC responsible for getting gas into every aircraft, supporting the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
Nothing flies without fuel. In this conversation, he explains how his team pumped 548,000 gallons in a single night, why one three-mile transfer line put a hard ceiling on the entire operation, how a project that normally takes years got done in a matter of days, and what it took to convince a host nation to change an order.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 A Deployment That Was Supposed to Be Routine
2:20 Planning for a Buildup Nobody Expected
4:03 Twenty-One Days of Work in Three Days
6:21 The Fuel Line That Capped the Whole Operation
12:09 548,000 Gallons on the Night of Midnight Hammer
15:00 Hot Refueling F-35s for the First Time
17:02 Find a Way to YesHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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House of Cards Behind the Iran Strike | Operation Midnight Hammer | Logistics Cmdr Lt Col Tilton
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Lt Col Tilton commanded the logistics readiness squadron at the deployed location, supplying the base the Wild Weasels flew from when they …
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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Lt Col Tilton commanded the logistics readiness squadron at the deployed location, supplying the base the Wild Weasels flew from when they took Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
Everything the mission needed had to arrive first. In this conversation, he explains why the base ran out of food more than once, what it took to run a second fuel line through a wall and under roads in the two weeks before the strike, how the fleet grew from a few dozen vehicles to hundreds, and the plan for what happens to loaded aircraft if the base goes to alarm red.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Getting a Fighter Wing Out the Door
2:14 The Air Force Isn't Built for Agile Deployment
8:37 Running a Squadron With Half the Leadership Gone
10:52 A Ramp That Kept Shrinking as Jets Arrived
14:32 The Fuel Trucks That Kept Breaking
19:04 When the Base Ran Out of Food
23:27 Running a Second Fuel Line Before the Strike
32:15 What Happens When the Base Goes to Alarm RedHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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First Time Launching an F-16 Was the Iran Strike | Op Midnight Hammer | Avionics Tech SrA Michalenko
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. SrA Michalenko was an avionics journeyman for the 55th Fighter Squadron, working the computer and threat warning systems on the F-16s that …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. SrA Michalenko was an avionics journeyman for the 55th Fighter Squadron, working the computer and threat warning systems on the F-16s that flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
It was his first deployment. He was given four hours to pack a bag and told to watch the news. In this conversation he talks about the call to a girlfriend he could tell nothing to, arriving somewhere he could not name, and launching a fighter jet on his own for the first time in his career on the night of the Iran strike.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 What an Avionics Technician Works On
2:18 Bamboo Eagle and the First Deployment
5:16 Working Inside a Cockpit in Desert Heat
9:08 Four Hours to Pack a Bag
10:46 The Call I Couldn't Explain
13:10 Launching a Jet for the First Time
18:12 Waiting to See If They Came Back
20:25 A Big Ball of FearHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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Launching the F-16s into Iran | Operation Midnight Hammer | Maintenance Chief CMSgt. Hilliard
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. CMSgt. Hilliard was the senior enlisted leader for maintenance in the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy …
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Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. CMSgt. Hilliard was the senior enlisted leader for maintenance in the 55th Fighter Squadron, the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
No jet flies without the people who fix it. In this conversation he talks about how the squadron decided which specific aircraft would fly the Iran mission, what it takes to generate a sortie that most people never think about, running a maintenance unit where many of the airmen had never deployed before, and the eighteen hours he waited after the jets taxied out.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 From a One-Stoplight Town to the Viper
5:18 What It Actually Takes to Launch One Sortie
8:16 Spinning Up a Maintenance Unit for Combat
11:42 Leading Airmen Who Had Never Deployed
17:22 Flying With Fewer Jets Than You Need
21:16 A Week Out From Operation Midnight Hammer
23:27 Eighteen Hours of Waiting
26:06 A Different Kind of Battlefield
33:59 The Empty Break Rooms
39:05 How We Chose Which Jets Would GoHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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If That's What Saves Your Life, It Has to Work | Operation Midnight Hammer | Weapons Tech SSgt Dray
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. SSgt Dray was a weapons technician responsible for the munitions and countermeasure systems on the F-16s, arming the Wild Weasels who flew …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. SSgt Dray was a weapons technician responsible for the munitions and countermeasure systems on the F-16s, arming the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
He is one of the airmen who put the weapons on the jets. In this conversation he explains what it actually takes to reconfigure a fleet of F-16s from one mission to another, the failure he chased down that nobody could explain, what changed for him when he realized this was not training, and the night the loading told him something was about to happen.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 What a Weapons Technician Actually Does
2:10 Spinning Up Before the Deployment
8:30 Reconfiguring a Fleet of F-16s
12:35 Arriving in Theater During Rough Rider
14:42 The Failure Nobody Could Explain
19:24 This Wasn't Training Anymore
20:48 The Night Something Was About to HappenHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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The Buildup Before the Iran Strike | Operation Midnight Hammer | Logistics Director Capt. Grooms
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Capt. Grooms was the logistics director of operations at the deployed location, supporting the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Capt. Grooms was the logistics director of operations at the deployed location, supporting the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
He was never read in on the mission. He worked it out from the math. In this conversation he explains how a base built for one squadron absorbed a hundred more aircraft, why transportation became the problem nobody anticipated, how tanker pilots ended up driving buses, and what the fuel numbers told him before anyone told him anything.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Bamboo Eagle and the Lesson Before Deployment
2:09 Becoming Logistics Director at the Deployed Location
6:53 Transportation Was the Problem Nobody Expected
10:01 Training Tanker Pilots to Drive Buses
10:50 Running Short on Fuel Contracts
14:23 The Math That Told Us Something Was Coming
16:31 After the Jets Came BackHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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"We Knew Something Was Coming" | Operation Midnight Hammer | Maintenance Leadership
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Capt. Williams and MSgt. Matos led F-16 maintenance for the 55th, keeping the jets flying for the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy …
Shownotes
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the people who flew it. Capt. Williams and MSgt. Matos led F-16 maintenance for the 55th, keeping the jets flying for the Wild Weasels who flew Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ahead of the B-2 strike on Iran.
Watch the three-part documentary series on Afterburn Defense:
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYThis is the full interview.
Nobody told them what was coming. The configuration changes did. In this conversation, they explain what it actually takes to put one jet in the air, how a young maintenance team learned under pressure, why the flight hours downrange ran far past anything they see at home, and the airman who did not get to work the night of the strike.
Before Iran, the 55th Fighter Squadron fought over Yemen in Operation Rough Rider, a sustained air campaign against Houthi surface-to-air threats. What they learned there is the reason the F-16 Block 50 and the AGM-88 HARM were part of the strike package on June 21st, 2025.
These interviews were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 and preserve firsthand accounts from pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, and logistics airmen who were there.
0:00 Getting the Jets Out the Door
7:03 Maintainers Working Across Airframes
9:49 Rough Rider and a Young Maintenance Team
15:54 The Configuration Changes That Tipped Us Off
18:07 What It Takes to Generate One Sortie
20:36 Maintenance Roles During Midnight Hammer
25:09 The Airman We Benched on the Super BowlHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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#150 Combat Search & Rescue: HH-60 Pave Hawk Into a Firefight to Save 2 Wounded Marines
Today we sit down with an HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue (CSAR) pilot who flew through some of the worst fighting in Afghanistan, and the single mission that changed how he trains the mind for …
Shownotes
Today we sit down with an HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue (CSAR) pilot who flew through some of the worst fighting in Afghanistan, and the single mission that changed how he trains the mind for combat.
John "Rain" Waters talks with retired Lt. Col. John Mangan, a decorated CSAR pilot with more than 200 combat missions who commanded the 33rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron in Kandahar. They get into the leave-no-one-behind ethos, the honey-buns story that got a grounded rescue bird fueled in a combat zone, the command chaos of Operation Anaconda, why wounded troops died on runways waiting for approval to launch, and the Helmand rescue of two dying Marines that became the basis for his book, The Three Rings Mindset. Along the way, the science of why a trained pilot froze into his habits under fire, and how repetition and purpose beat fear.
John Mangan: www.JohnManganBooks.com
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Apple - https://apple.co/3dLradT
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3SAeSUr00:00 Intro
02:39 Growing up around gunships and A-10s
07:28 Pilot training and the barany chair
17:11 Why he chose combat rescue: leave no one behind
24:41 Iceland and the pre-9/11 "end of history" Air Force
33:59 Operation Anaconda and the honey buns fuel story
43:44 How Anaconda became a war-college lesson in failure
47:24 Wounded troops dying while the chain of command froze
49:28 The four motivations behind every warrior
55:35 Manda Bay: the rescue that never launched
1:01:47 Improvising under fire with a broken minigun
1:04:30 Army dust-off vs Air Force combat rescue
1:11:37 The Pave Hawk flying combat at 12,000 hours
1:14:13 Flying into a firefight for two dying Marines
1:36:21 Why a trained pilot flew over the enemy twiceHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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Why Iran Holds the Better Hand Against the US Right Now | Dr. Mike Bosack
Today we break down why the US-Iran war reignited over the Strait of Hormuz, why the June ceasefire collapsed, and what a waterway a single drone can shut means for oil prices, escalation, and how this conflict …
Shownotes
Today we break down why the US-Iran war reignited over the Strait of Hormuz, why the June ceasefire collapsed, and what a waterway a single drone can shut means for oil prices, escalation, and how this conflict actually ends.
Mike "FLASH" McVay sits down with Dr. Michael Bosack, founder of the Parley Policy Initiative and former Deputy Secretary of the UN Command Military Armistice Commission, to make sense of the current escalation. The conversation covers the five ways wars actually end, the difference between a negative and a positive peace, the good, bad, and ugly of the memorandum of understanding that was supposed to stop the fighting, why the Strait of Hormuz was the flaw nobody was talking about, and why negotiation at this level is a game of poker, not chess.
Dr. Mike Bosack: https://www.parleypolicy.com/
Subscribe to Afterburn Defense for tactical and technical breakdowns of the news that matters, and subscribe to The Lowdown newsletter at lowdownnews.us.
00:00 Intro
01:40 Bosack's path: maintenance, MQ-9s, and the Korean Armistice
06:36 What the Parley Policy Initiative actually does
10:10 Phases 4 and 5: the "now what" nobody plans for
14:39 The five ways every war ends
19:57 Negative peace vs positive peace
22:45 Inside the negotiating room: the war stories
31:09 The US-Iran ceasefire deal: good, bad, ugly
36:40 Why the Strait of Hormuz is the real crux
44:26 Why it's not really about the nukes
48:56 How allies complicate the deal
55:26 Negotiation is poker, not chess
01:05:41 How this ends: the range of outcomesHave a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
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Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off
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Operation Midnight Hammer | Part III - Striking Iran's Nuclear Facilities
This is a 3-part series. Best if viewed on Afterburn Defense Youtube. Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4 Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSY Operation Midnight Hammer …
Shownotes
This is a 3-part series. Best if viewed on Afterburn Defense Youtube.
Part I: https://youtu.be/MgQ_X3Td8a4
Part II: https://youtu.be/GzdL6NMYDso
Part III: https://youtu.be/Xc22-2RaGSYOperation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel pilots who flew it. This is the firsthand account of the 55th Fighter Squadron and the 20th Fighter Wing. These are the pilots who fly Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, known as SEAD, the crews who went in first to suppress Iranian air defenses, and the ground support teams who made the mission possible. Part three covers the mission to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Recorded between December 2025 and January 2026, this series preserves the experiences of the people who were there, in their own words.
Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/
Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/
🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫
Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off
Become a Patron, Support the Show, & Gain Exclusive Benefits: https://www.patreon.com/c/theafterburnpodcast
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