The Afterburn Podcast Podcast By John "Rain" Waters cover art

The Afterburn Podcast

The Afterburn Podcast

By: John "Rain" Waters
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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/John "Rain" Waters Social Sciences
Episodes
  • America's Newest Weapon | Iran Escalates Conflict with More Strikes
    Mar 21 2026

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    The war in Iran is escalating — and the weapons being used are getting bigger. In this video I break down three major developments from the last 48 hours.First, the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator — America's newest 5,000-pound bunker buster — has been confirmed in combat, used against missile storage facilities threatening the Strait of Hormuz.

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    12 mins
  • Did Iran Finally Hit a US Fighter Jet?
    Mar 19 2026

    A US F-35 was forced into an emergency landing at a US airbase in the Middle East after being struck by suspected Iranian fire during a combat mission over Iran. CENTCOM confirmed the emergency landing and that the pilot is in stable condition — but has not confirmed what hit it or whether it was enemy fire.

    🔺 Grab our free newsletter for insights into aviation, defense, and geopolitics - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺

    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


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    9 mins
  • Why Dubai Is in Serious Trouble — And U.S. Allies tell Trump "No" to Helping
    Mar 18 2026

    🔺 Grab our free newsletter for insights into aviation, defense, and geopolitics - https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter 🔺

    Iran struck Dubai International Airport for the fourth time — the busiest international airport in the world. Flights suspended. Every major international carrier pulled out. War risk premiums are up somewhere between 300 and 1,000 percent depending on the source. Emirates was still running a limited schedule, and I want to talk about what that means for a flight crew managing fuel state and divert options in an active threat environment.

    We also cover why the reduced Iranian drone and missile launch numbers may not mean what officials are saying they mean — War on the Rocks published an interesting piece on this worth walking through. Pre-war estimates put Iran's drone inventory somewhere between several thousand and over 10,000. The math on that matters.

    And then the ally situation. Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Australia, Poland — all out on securing the Strait of Hormuz. Japan and South Korea reviewing but uncommitted. The UK won't send warships and won't call it a NATO mission. President Trump responded this morning with a direct statement about letting the countries that use the Strait be responsible for 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.

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    7 mins
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Such good stories from these men and also they explain mostly everything for us civilians good way to learn and a good way to learn more about our country’s air superiority

Oh my sweet baby Jesus such a good podcast

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