The Afterburn Podcast

America's Answer to China's Best Missile, the PL-15

The Afterburn Podcast

Show Notes

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/

Have a story? Program and partnership inquiries: https://theafterburnpodcast.com/contact/ Lowdown Defense Newsletter: https://www.lowdownnews.us/ πŸ›« Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast πŸ›« 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

More from The Afterburn Podcast

Oct 28, 2026

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

Oct 19, 2026

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

Oct 15, 2026

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/

Oct 14, 2026

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.

Oct 9, 2026

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.

See all episodes β†’