PodcastsAviationThe Afterburn Podcast

The Afterburn Podcast

John "Rain" Waters
The Afterburn Podcast
Latest episode

266 episodes

  • The Afterburn Podcast

    Col Roy "Deacon" Qualls | "Shoot Them Down If They Don't Respond" — The 9/11 ROE Nobody Talks About

    25/04/2026 | 1h 25 mins.
    Pilot's Edge: Think, Train, and Fly Like a Pro: https://www.amazon.com/Pilots-Edge-Think-Train-Like/dp/B0FY26ZJJM 

    Deacon Fini Flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4X8CIjCj9k

    Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off
    🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫
    🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺
    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


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

    Aircraft BATTLE DAMAGE Repair: The Air Force Capability You Never Hear About

    24/04/2026 | 34 mins.
    When two brand new F-35s sustained catastrophic damage in separate accidents, the Air Force faced a decision most people don't know exists — write them off as total losses or call in one of the most specialized and least talked about teams in the United States Air Force. They called in the Aircraft Battle Damage Repair team. ABDR. 

    In this episode, I sit down with General Sebren and Senior Master Sergeant Cross to break down exactly what aircraft battle damage repair is, how the decision gets made to repair or write off a damaged aircraft, and what it takes to put a $100 million fighter jet back together when the damage doesn't fit any technical order or regulation ever written. We dive into the "Frankenstein F-35" — two damaged airframes combined into one flyable jet — and what that process actually looks like from the people who did it.

    Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off
    🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫
    🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺
    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


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

    The A-10 Just Got a Massive Life Extension | Air Force Secretary Announces A-10 Extension

    21/04/2026 | 11 mins.
    The Secretary of the Air Force just announced the A-10 Warthog will remain in service until at least 2030. For a platform that has been on the chopping block since Desert Storm — with depot maintenance shut down in February, training pipelines closing, and squadrons deactivating — this is a significant reversal

    Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off
    🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫
    🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺
    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


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

    Indonesia Just Rejected America's Military Overflight Request — Here's Why

    21/04/2026 | 9 mins.
    Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman
    https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off

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

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

    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

     

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
    for information about our collection and use of personal data for
    advertising.
  • The Afterburn Podcast

    $75 Billion in Classified Programs | America's Largest Military Budget Eve

    18/04/2026 | 7 mins.
    The Pentagon just submitted the largest defense budget request in American history — $1.5 trillion for fiscal year 2027 — and buried inside those numbers is a clear picture of exactly where the US military thinks the next war will be fought and how. In this video I break down what each service is actually buying, from the Air Force's $5 billion bet on the F-47 next generation fighter and $4.5 billion for the Sentinel ICBM, to the Navy doubling aircraft procurement to $34 billion, the Army quadrupling missile spending to $36 billion, and a $53 billion autonomous warfare program that signals the Pentagon is serious about drones at scale.

    Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Prep with AFOQT Wingman https://afoqtwingman.com/Code: AFTERBURN for 10% off
    🛫 Become a Fighter/Bomber/Cargo/Tanker/RPA Pilot 🎯 : http://bogidope.com/?bd=tappodcast 🛫
    🔺 Aviation & Defense Newsletter - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺
    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


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

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About The Afterburn Podcast

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/
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