Unusual formation: U.S. Navy F-18Es and Royal Malaysian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30s. Overflying USS George Washington

October 15, 2012 Military Aviation

David Cenciotti

Taken in the South China Sea on Oct. 15, the following picture shows a quite unusual formation: two F/A-18Es from VFA-27 “Royal Maces” fly in formation with two Sukhoi Su-30s from the Royal Malaysian Air Force over USS George Washington.

The forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 “provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Image credit: U.S. Navy

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About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.