The Flyby: The Aviation Symphony of Operation Absolute Resolve
In this Flyby:
150+ aircraft launched from 20 different land and sea bases executing one mission
Apple TV’s “Hijack” with Idris Elba is incredible
Operation Absolute Resolve
On January 3, 2026, the US military coordinated over 150 aircraft launching from all over the Western Hemisphere to facilitate strikes, electronic warfare, and troop transport in Venezuela.
The goal? To capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Simple… Once you figure out the logistics of organizing hundreds of sailors, soldiers, and airmen, along with hundreds of millions in military equipment.
Since the strike was announced, I was particularly interested in the specifics of which aircraft were utilized. Naval aviation is a surprisingly small community, so it’s no shock that I know many of the pilots currently attached to the Ford’s CAG-8, which has been in the Caribbean for a couple of months now.
It took some time for the full details to emerge, and it’s safe to say: Operation Absolute Resolve was a master class in military aviation planning and execution.
All of the air assets utilized:
MH-60M Black Hawks
MH-47G Chinooks
SEAD and Escort:
F-22 Raptors
F-35 Lightning IIs
F/A-18 Super Hornets
EA-18G Growlers
E-2D Hawkeyes
B-1B Lancer
Drones:
MQ-9 Reaper
This level of execution is obviously impressive and must have taken months of planning. I just fly planes and don’t pretend to know anything about world politics, no matter how many times I’m asked by crazy uncles at holiday parties.
Therefore, I’m clearly not qualified to give any personal opinions on this operation other than this one little bit of insight: I’ve once waited on weather for hours after briefing the flight, just to walk on a jet two hours late due to maintenance, just to have my lead’s jet go down while taxiing, just to have them hop into a spare, just to lose our airspace due to taking too long, just to takeoff for a 20-minute instrument currency hop.
To see what the US military is truly capable of, when I’ve also seen the other side of the spectrum, is absolutely astounding.
But don’t take my word for it! This guy joined the US military like three whole months ago and is now offering his deep intel on Reddit. For free! What an amazing resource we have in the internet.
Apple TV’s Hijack
Anytime planes are on TV, I’m interested. Mix in a star from my favorite show ever (“The Office”), and it’s probably binge-worthy.
In Hijack, Idris Elba plays a smooth operator tasked with negotiating with the hijackers. An easy hero to get behind, Elba does everything except land the plane. Very good series.
Could You Land a Plane?
Speaking of landing planes in emergency situations, I found this mini-series by this YouTuber, Pilot Pete, pretty fun. I think it’s safe to say the answer, contrary to most of our fantasies, is no.