Washing an aircraft sounds harmless—until you see what’s at stake. From slippery wings and sensitive sensors to chemicals that can damage stealth coatings, cleaning jets is a risky, tightly controlled ...

The night was warm and muggy over New Castle Air Force Base in Delaware, the kind of heat that clung to the metal skins of the alert fighter jets lined along the runway.

You probably know about the F-14 Tomcat from its appearances in the Top Gun franchise, but the fighter jet has been retired ...