Go Bold #97: US Navy Commander Mike Huntsman on Blowing Up Tanks, Flying Operational Test, the new AIM-174B long-range missile, and more!

We are proud to welcome back United States Navy Commander Mike Huntsman, a guest whose depth of experience and operational insight have made his previous episodes among some of the most compelling conversations on Go Bold!In this episode, we continue exploring Commander Huntsman’s extraordinary flying career in the U.S. Navy — beginning with his time flying the legacy F/A-18 Hornet in combat, and moving into his work with the Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler at VX-9, the Navy’s premier operational test squadron.This discussion is packed with unique, first-hand perspectives. You’ll hear how Commander Huntsman became the first U.S. Navy pilot to destroy an ISIS-controlled T-72 tank in Iraq. He also takes us into the high desert of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, where he flew and tested frontline fighter aircraft and contributed to some of the Navy’s most advanced weapons programs.Commander Huntsman provides rare insight into the Navy’s newest long-range air-to-air missile, the AIM-174B “Gunslinger” — a weapon derived from the ship-launched SM-6 Standard Missile and now adapted for fighter aircraft. His role in this cutting-edge program offers a first-hand look at how naval aviation is evolving for future combat.We also head out to sea, figuratively, as he brings us aboard a U.S. Navy Super Carrier, describing his involvement in shaping the “Air Wing of the Future.” From the integration of the F-35C, to the CMV-22B Osprey, to the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, Commander Huntsman explains how these platforms are transforming carrier air power for decades to come.This is a detailed, candid, and insightful conversation with a highly decorated, combat-experienced U.S. Navy aviator, and it is the kind of senior-leader perspective that defines what we do at Go Bold.We hope you enjoy this episode.Go Bold!