Kaliningrad, Hormuz and a 7500 squawk: Max Afterburner's fifteen-upload week
The former Thunderbird pilot's busiest stretch added about 11 million views and left him some 31,000 subscribers short of a million.
Max AfterburnerStory of Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
IRGC AMBUSHED Inside Iran As Russia THREATENS NUKES
Fifteen uploads, almost all of them pointed at the same stretch of water. Ryan, the former F-16 Thunderbird and F-15E Strike Eagle pilot who flies as Max Afterburner, spent the week on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Navy blockade. Each episode pairs the news with a piece of hardware he can explain from the inside: the E-2D Hawkeye, Aegis destroyers, and the Strike Eagle's nuclear mission.
The most watched new upload is "IRGC AMBUSHED Inside Iran As Russia THREATENS NUKES." It covers a roadside bomb in Sistan-Baluchestan and Putin's warning over Kaliningrad, and it passed 600,000 views inside its first day. The newest one is moving faster still. "MASSIVE STRIKES Hit IRGC Houthis as NATO SCRAMBLES Fighters on Russia" covers airstrikes on Sanaa and how NATO's quick reaction alert fighters launch.
One video stepped away from the blockade. "Pilot STABBED Mid Flight As Israel Scrambles Fighter Jets" covers the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv that squawked the 7500 hijack code. In it he explains what that code means and how fighters intercept an airliner.
The channel gained 6,000 subscribers over the week, and its daily views ran above their usual level. Among military and geopolitics channels of a similar size, nobody added more views this week. BFBS Forces News also had a busy run, while Zeihan on Geopolitics and Imperial War Museums were calmer than usual. Under the top video, one viewer teases him for forgetting to mention he is a former fighter pilot, a joke his own about text practically invites.
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The videos drawing views on Max Afterburner right now
Iran BEGS U.S. Military To End BLOCKADE As USA Flexes THIS663,352 views · 2026-10-01
IRGC Desperate for Blockade to End As USA Flexes NEW Fighter Jet454,213 views · 2026-10-01
U.S. Unleashed SOMETHING HUGE On Iran As Russia Fires Anti-Ship Missi…451,354 views · 2026-09-29
Pilot STABBED Mid Flight As Israel Scrambles Fighter Jets426,837 views · 2026-09-30
IRGC ATTACKED More Ships So U.S. Military Unleashed THIS392,568 views · 2026-10-02
MASSIVE STRIKES Hit IRGC Houthis as NATO SCRAMBLES Fighters on Russia363,329 views
IRGC Houthis Thought They Were Winning Then THIS HAPPENED159,824 views
- Channel
- Max Afterburner
- Subscribers
- 969,000 ▲ 6,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 11,144,001
- Videos published this week
- 15
- Video published
- October 3, 2026
- Video views so far
- 667,988
- Views on its first day
- 610,472
The numbers
Here is how Max Afterburner's week looks in figures.
💡 Test your knowledge
The Thunderbirds are the U.S. Air Force's demonstration team. What is the U.S. Navy's team called?
The Blue Angels are the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration squadron, formed in 1946.
