The F-16: Brainpower and firepower transform 8,000 kilograms of computer-controlled machinery into a legendary dogfighter with the best fight and flight record in the sky. The Lockheed Martin F-16, known as “the Fighting Falcon,” is equally effective in air-to-air combat and air-to-ground attack. And at Mach 2, if you hear the F-16 coming, it’s already too late. Since its initial production in the 1970’s, over 4,500 F-16’s have been produced for 28 different nations. For 40 years, the sky scrapper has proven to be the best fighter in and beyond its weight class. In 2011, F-16 pilot Major John Caldwell spotted a small unit of US and Coalition Special Forces being ambushed by almost 100 Afghan insurgents. Caldwell swooped in and laid down strafing fire with his aircraft’s 20-millimeter gun before dropping a satellite-guided bomb on the attackers, neutralizing the ambush. For his heroic actions, Caldwell was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. The SWORD: In a London, UK workshop that is one of the last where cavalry swords are hand crafted individually, using artisanal techniques that are centuries old, a chunk of carbon steel will be honed and hammered into a military icon that’s as old as war itself. Handed down through generations or seized as a spoil of war, the sword is more than a weapon. It’s a gleaming symbol of rank, courage, and honor. Today, every British solider who achieves the rank of officer has the privilege of wearing a sword. While the cavalry sword was obsolete by World War 2, one eccentric soldier, British Lieutenant Col. John Churchill, maintained that any officer going into battle without his sword was improperly dressed. Known for charging into battle wielding his sword, his exploits earned him the nickname “Mad Jack.” The SIMULATED AMMUNITION: In close quarter combat, panic, fear, and blind aggression are inevitable. And the closer the soldier can get to the real thing, the more effective the training will be. Righ