Two USAF T-38C Talons Crash, One Pilot Killed at Laughlin AFB
Two badly damaged T-38Cs seen on runway in photos from Texas Training Facility. Fourth T-38 crash in 2021. One pilot is dead and two others are injured following an accident…
USAF Suffers Two T-38 Accidents in Two Days. Non-Fatal Accident at Beale AFB, Two Killed in Columbus AFB Crash.
Two U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon trainers involved in accidents. Two were killed in the one at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Two separate, non-related accidents involving USAF T-38 Talon…
Two Confirmed Dead in Crash of Two T-38s at Vance AFB.
Two Pilots Killed in Incident Involving Two T-38 Advanced Jet Trainers. Two pilots are confirmed dead in the crash of two USAF T-38 Talon II advanced jet trainers at Vance…
U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon Trainer Damaged in Virginia: Sixth T-38 Accident Since November 2017
No Injuries from Latest in a Series of Air Force T-38 Talon Trainer Accidents. A U.S. Air Force Northrop T-38 Talon two-seat, twin engine, advanced supersonic jet trainer was damaged…
Advanced Pilot Training in The T-38 Talon At Columbus Air Force Base
In April 2016 we visited 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus AFB, Mississippi. Here's our report. In an era when unmanned flying is becoming a normality, the U.S. Air Force…
One Pilot Killed in Fifth U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon Crash In One Year.
One Pilot Confirmed Dead, One Hospitalized in Latest USAF Trainer Crash. One crew member is confirmed dead and another hospitalized in the fifth U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon two-seat, advanced…
USAF T-38C Talon Crew Eject in Texas After Their Jet Departs The Runway. Both Pilots Safe.
Fourth T-38 Trainer Accident in Eleven Months for USAF Talon Crews. A U.S. Air Force T-38C Talon two-seat, twin engine advanced jet trainer from the 80th Flying Training Wing at…
T-38C Talon II Crashes at Vance AFB, in Oklahoma; Pilot Safely Ejected.
Accident is Third T-38 Crash in Ten Months for Talon II, Continues Series of U.S. Accidents. A U.S. Air Force Northrop T-38C Talon II crashed on Friday, August 17, 2018…
U.S. Air Force T-38C Talon II Crashes Near Columbus AFB, Mississippi: Crew Ejects.
Two Flight Crew Hospitalized. No Ground Casualties in Crash of Advanced Trainer. It's the second T-38 crash in 6 months, fifth USAF crash (tenth U.S. military) since the beginning of…
USAF T-38 Crashes in Texas: One Fatality Reported.
One Crewmember Survives Trainer Crash. A U.S. Air Force Northrop T-38 Talon two-seat, supersonic advanced trainer crashed on Monday, November 20, 2017 outside Lake Amistad, Texas. Reports from Laughlin Air…
Crazy photo shows T-38 Jet passing in front of the sun at supersonic speed
You can clearly see the shockwaves. The image above is fantastic. It depicts a U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School T-38C passing in front of the sun at supersonic speed,…
Rare insight into F-22 Raptor vs T-38 Talon aerial combat training at Langley
This is how F-22 fighter pilots train to improve their air-to-air skills. The venerable T-38 Talon which first flew in 1959 (production ceased in 1972) has found new life as…
Awesome, rare air-to-air photo of a B-2 Stealth bomber flying with a T-38 Talon
The T-38 Talon Twin-Jet Supersonic Trainer is a vital training tool used by B-2 Spirit stealth bomber pilots. The image above shows something you don't see every day: a T-38…
Space Shuttle Discovery flying over the Washington skyline as seen from a NASA T-38 (very low on gas…)
On Apr. 17, Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA B747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) (NASA 905 - radio callsign "Pluto 95 Heavy") flew over the Washington skyline. Chased by…
MiG-29, MiG-21, and Two F-22s Carry Out Memorial Flyover For Col. (Ret.) Gail Peck At Nellis AFB
An unusual formation flew over Nellis AFB to honor retired U.S. Air Force Col. Gail Peck, "Bandit 1", who passed away recently. On Oct. 10, 2024, retired Col. Gaillard R.…
U.S. Navy T-45 Goshawk Jets Start Receiving Glossy Gray Paint
The new glossy gray finish will replace the traditional orange-and-white livery of the U.S. Navy T-45 trainer aircraft. The U.S. Navy’s Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) has recently initiated…
Turkish Hurjet Prototype Arrives In Spain For Evaluation To Replace SF-5M Jet Trainers
Spain has been seeking a new generation jet trainer, of the same category of the Hurjet, to replace the 19 Northrop SF-5M aircraft, with plans to induct the new jets…
Check Out This Incredible Air-to-Air Footage Of The B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber
From certain angles, the B-2 still looks like an alien spaceship. As reported in detail in the story with the exclusive interview with the newly appointed 393rd Bomb Squadron Commander…
‘Have STRAINger Things’: AgilePod Meets Fiber Optic Sensing at Edwards AFB
United States Air Force Test Pilot School partnered with the 586th Flight Test Squadron at Holloman AFB and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center to test the new use case of…
‘The B-2 Flies Like A Cadillac; The B-52 Is A Beast To Fly’: Exclusive Interview With The 393rd BS Commander
We discussed about the B-2 and the U.S. Air Force's nuclear bomber fleet with the newly appointed 393rd Bomb Squadron Commander, Lt. Colonel Joseph “Zorro” Manglitz. With experience in the…
U.S. Navy’s TW-2 Celebrates 1 Million Flight Hours With T-45 Goshawk
The T-45C Goshawk Reaches Another Milestone While USN Debates Its Future Replacement. Naval Air Station Kingsville’s Training Air Wing 2 (TW-2) recently reached a major milestone with its McDonnell Douglas…
Canada Eyes Acquisition of 70 Training Aircraft
The acquisition is to meet the new training requirements, following the modernization of the Royal Canadian Air Force's front-line equipment and weapons systems. Bill Blair, Head of the Canadian MoD,…
Air Force Museum Undertakes Another Monumental Move of Mighty XB-70 Mach 3 Super Bomber
The XB-70 Valkyrie on display at the Air Force Museum was once again towed out of its display hangar temporarily for museum maintenance recently. The North American XB-70 Valkyrie, on…
Air Force Instructor Pilot Dies From Injuries Caused By Ejection Seat Activation On The Ground
The incident involved a T-6A Texan II at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. A US Air Force instructor pilot from the 80th Flying Training Wing passed away on May 14,…
Beale AFB Retires Another U-2 As Dragon Lady’s Phase Out Moves Forward
Dragon Lady Tail 80-1085 completed her final flight recently as the fleet prepares for retirement. The U.S. Air Force is moving forward with its plan to retire the iconic U-2…
Hermeus Unveils Uncrewed High-Speed Quarterhorse Mk 1 Test Aircraft
The company, that also shared plans for the next Mk 2 aircraft powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine, aims for the final Quarterhorse Mk 3 to break the…
Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 Demonstrator Flies For The First Time
The XB-1 demonstrator provides the foundation for Boom’s supersonic airliner Overture. The XB-1 supersonic aircraft demonstrator of Boom Supersonic flew for the first time on March 22, 2024, from the…
Farewell CT-155: RCAF Retires Hawks, Halting Pilot Training Within Canada
Royal Canadian Air Force announced that it will retire its CT-155 fleet and go on a period of hiatus for its pilot training program. On March 8, 2024, the Royal…
U.S. Air Force F-16 And F-35 Demo Teams Announce Their New Pilots
Capt. Taylor "FEMA" Hiester and Capt. Melanie “MACH” Kluesner became the new certified pilots of the F-16 Viper Demo Team and F-35A Lightning II Demo Team, respectively, during the Air…
Turkish Kaan National Combat Aircraft Flies For The First Time
Formerly known as TF-X, Kaan will replace the F-16 in the 2030s. In the early morning of Feb.21, 2024, a little less than a year from its rollout, the prototype…
F-16 Turns 50 Special: What It Takes To Become A Viper Pilot
Before flying the Viper operationally, pilots have to get through the nine-month B-Course which provides them with the Initial Qualification Training on the F-16. During its 50 years, the F-16…
U-2s Accompanied By Chase Cars Take Part In Rare Elephant Walk At Beale AFB
Eight U-2s lined up on Beale’s runway, together with nine T-38s and two KC-135s. The U.S. Air Force released photos of a rare elephant walk with the U-2 Dragon Lady…
First T-7A Red Hawk Arrives At Edwards Air Force Base
The arrival marks the formal start of the Air Force’s developmental flight test campaign for the new trainer aircraft. After struggling with multiple delays, the T-7A Red Hawk finally landed…
Mix Of 4th And 5th Gen Fighters Conduct Integrated Air Warfare In Northern Lightning 2023
We have been to Volk Field, Wisconsin, and talked with the crews involved in Northern Lightning 2023. The two-week Northern Lightning 2023 exercise taking place at Volk Field, Wisconsin wrapped…
T-7A Red Hawk Completes First Flight With U.S. Air Force Pilot
This first USAF flight, which validated key aspects of the next-generation trainer, marks the start of the engineering and manufacturing development phase. A U.S. Air Force test pilot finally flew…
‘The Sled Driver Has Flown West’: SR-71 Pilot Brian Shul In The Words Of A Close Friend And Fellow Aviator
Celebrated SR-71 pilot, author and Vietnam hero Brian Shul has Died. His presentations and books made him prominent, but his valor made him a hero. U.S. Air Force Major (Retired)…
Deep Dive Into The International Flight Training School, ‘World’s Leading 5th Gen. Training System’
We have recently talked to the Chiefs of Staff of the ITAF, RAF, JASDF and RCAF and here's why the Italian training system, based on the M-346 and already chosen…
Everything You Need To Know About The 61st Wing: The Italian Air Force’s Jet Pilot School
First part of our in-depth report on the 61° Stormo. Lecce-Galatina Air Base, in southeastern Italy, is the home of the basic training of all Italian military pilots and the…
Boeing T-7A Red Hawk Trainer Jet Delayed Again, Now Targeting IOC In 2027
Issues in the testing of the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk's ejection seat forced the postponement of the production’s start, which in turn will delay the expected Initial Operational Capability. The…
Ukraine Requests Two Squadrons Of F-16s But Giving ‘Vipers’ to Kyiv Is Easier Said Than Done
Soon after the recent Ramstein summit, during which president Zelensky requested again F-16s, the Ukrainian Air Force said a Western type of aircraft has been selected and will possibly be…
Global M-346 Fleet Reaches 100,000 Flight Hours
Since 2015, 85 aircraft entered service in five countries and the fleet is set to expand with new aircraft already on order by new operators. The global fleet of Leonardo…
IFTS: A Deep Dive Into The Joint Italian Air Force – Leonardo Training Centre
The IFTS will train up to 80 pilots per year using dedicated infrastructures, training ranges and reserved airspace. The International Flight Training School (IFTS) has become internationally renowned, throughout its…
Hundreds Of Military Aircraft Grounded After Potential Defects Found In Martin Baker Ejection Seats
The company found that some production lots of the Cartridge Actuated Devices used in the ejection seats might be defective and therefore needs to be replaced. Hundreds of military aircraft…
U.S. Air Force Certifies Polish Air Force M-346 Training System For Future F-16 And F-35 Pilots
The certification attests that the training of Polish pilots is equivalent to the training performed in the USA on the T-38C up to the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals. Following a…
Exclusive Photos Of The F-117 Stealth Aircraft Currently Taking Part In Exercise ‘Sentry Savannah’
One F-117 Nighthawk is taking part in an Air Dominance Center exercise at Savannah. Sentry Savannah is the Air National Guard’s largest fourth and fifth generation counter-air, large-force exercise, held…
Turkey Begins Assembly Of Hürjet National Jet Trainer Prototype
The TAI Hürjet is scheduled to fly for the first time in 2023 and will replace the ageing T-38 and F-5 jets. Over the last decade, Turkey has put great…
Check Out These Detailed Shots Of The Massive XB-70 Valkyrie Mach 3 Super Bomber’s Cockpit
Take a look at these detailed photographs of the XB-70 Valkyrie's interior. The iconic North American XB-70 Valkyrie was the most ambitious super-bomber project of the Cold War. The massive…
Remembering the Fallen: Discovering a Hometown Hero on Memorial Day.
Memorials Across the U.S. Remember Our Fallen, And All Too Often We Miss Them. There are so many military memorials and monuments in the United States that Google doesn’t serve…
Tales From The Cockpit: The “Pad of Shame”
How to shame a wannabe test pilot. 41°39’31.9068”N 12°26’31.8372”E: these are the geographic coordinates of the infamous “Pad of Shame”. If you plot them on Google Map, they will take…
Tales From The Cockpit: Testing The B-52 Stratofortress Bomber With The USAFTPS At Edwards AFB
An Italian on the BUFF at the USAF Test Pilot School. And how he did get there. I was selected to join the Reparto Sperimentale Volo (RSV), the Italian Air…
OTD in 1969, The Iconic XB-70 Valkyrie Mach 3 Super Bomber Made Its Last Flight
The massive XB-70 Valkyrie is the largest and heaviest airplane ever to fly at Mach 3. The North American XB-70 Valkyrie was the most ambitious super-bomber project of the Cold War.…
Tales From The Cockpit: First Flight In A Eurofighter Typhoon Prototype
First hand account of a test pilot's first flight in a Eurofighter Typhoon prototype, in 1996. Editor's note: Fabio Consoli is a former Italian Air Force test pilot and USAF…
Watch The First XB-70A Valkyrie Suffer Tire blowout And Brake Fire After Emergency Landing On Maiden Flight
The maiden flight of the XB-70A ended with tire blowout and fire. With a planned cruise speed of Mach 3 and operational altitude of 70,000 feet, the B-70 Valkyrie was…
The F-5 Freedom Fighter Reaches 50 Years Of Service In The Spanish Air Force
The F-5 flew for more than 170,000 hours and contributed to the training of over 1,000 fighter pilots. The Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire) reached the historic milestone of…
5th Generation Aerial Target Drone to Make its Maiden Flight Later This Month
5GAT ready for first flight. According to the U.S. Department of Defense the 5th generation aerial target drone is to make its maiden flight later this month. The first flight…
The APG-83 AESA Radar Reached The Full Operational Capability With The U.S. Air Force Air National Guard
The new radars were also employed recently in a cruise missile defense exercise. Northrop Grumman announced that its AN/APG-83 SABR (Scalable Agile Beam Radar) Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar…
With Its Folding Wingtips The XB-70 Looks Like a Giant Metal Swan In This Incredible Shot Taken From A Chase Plane
The aircraft in this photo collided with a civilian registered F-104N flown by famous test pilot Joe Walker, who tragically died in the accident during a photo flight. Although it…
Missing Airshows? Check Out This Awesome New Documentary About the 1982 Blue Angels.
Producer Ryan Nothhaft Provides Unique, Insider’s View of Classic Navy Demo Team. If you’re like all of us at TheAviationist.com, after the “Top Gun: Maverick” delay and the “COVID-19 2020…
BREAKING: F-22 Crashes Near Eglin Air Force Base. Pilot Ejected Safely.
The aircraft reportedly crashed during a training mission. An F-22 assigned to the 43rd Fighter Squadron, part of the 325th Fighter Wing, based at Eglin AFB, crashed at approximately 9:15AM…
Behold The Cool Vertical Photograph Of The B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Doing The Rose Bowl Game Flyover Yesterday
B-2A "Death 11" over the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. On January 1, 2020, a U.S. Air Force B-2A Spirit performed the traditional Rose Parade flyover. The aircraft, flying as…
On This Day in 1964, the Legendary Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Flew For the First Time.
The SR-71 was the first aircraft to feature stealth capabilities. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird flew for the first time on Dec. 22, 1964 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale,…
Russian Tu-22M3 “Backfire” Bomber Crash Lands Into A Field During Emergency, Crew Safe
Accident is Third in Series of Significant Russian Military Mishaps in December. A Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3, NATO reporting name “Backfire”, twin-engine supersonic bomber crash-landed yesterday in the Astrakhan-Oblast region of…
Draken Rolls Out First of 22 Mirage F1M Jets Destined For Aggressor Role In “Digitized” Camouflage Scheme
A former Spanish Air Force Mirage F1M, now registered N574EM, is about to move to Nellis Air Force Base to start providing advanced adversary services to the U.S. Air Force.…
The Air Force’s New Advanced Jet Trainer, the T-X, Officially Named the T-7A Red Hawk
The name, Red Hawk, honors the legacy of Tuskegee Airmen, and pays homage to their signature red-tailed aircraft from World War II. On Sept. 16, acting Secretary of the Air…
Virgin Orbit Stages First Launch Vehicle Test Drop from Boeing 747 Over Mojave
Test Drop of LauncherOne Unpowered Test Rocket Verifies Separation Technology. Sir Richard Branson’s company, Virgin Orbit, conducted a successful test drop of an unpowered LauncherOne rocket on Wednesday, July 10,…
Check Out This Photo Of An F-35C Flying Transonic With Visible Schlieren Shock Waves
The photograph was taken in the exact moment when the pilot transitioned from subsonic to supersonic speed. The photograph in this post shows a U.S. Navy Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning…
Exclusive: Unpublished Video With In-Depth Footage And Commentary Inside the Cockpit Of A Flying B-2 Stealth Bomber
We interviewed Jeff Bolton who gave us tons of in-depth details about flying and filming in a Spirit Stealth Bomber as well as a new cool video filmed inside the…
Boeing T-X begins official Engineering and Manufacturing Development flight tests
The jet resumed flight operations after the last test flights in December 2018 On July 1, 2019, Boeing announced that T-X aircraft N381TX flew the first official Engineering and Manufacturing…
Here Are The Aerial Shots Of The B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Doing The Rose Parade Flyover Earlier Today
"Spirit 11" over Pasadena. On January 1, 2019, using radio callsign "Spirit 11", a B-2 Spirit with the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, performed the traditional…
What Appears To Be A Fake Chinese J-20 Allegedly Spotted At U.S. Base
Bizarre Photo Shows What Appears To Be A Model Of An Advanced Chinese Stealth Jet Allegedly at Georgia Airfield. File this under, “Too Weird to Believe, Too Bizarre Not to…
USAF T-6A Texan II Trainer Crashes Near Randolph AFB, Texas: Crew Ejects Safely.
Accident is Eighth USAF Loss This Year, Second Trainer Crash in a Week. A U.S. Air Force T-6A Texan II single-engine, two-seat turboprop primary trainer aircraft crashed on Tuesday afternoon,…
Meet the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s First Female F-35A Lightning II Pilot
USAF Reserve Col. Regina Sabric Is Also Commander of 419th Fighter Wing.Colonel Regina Sabric, callsign “Torch”, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania has become the first female Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint…
Questions Remain Surrounding Special Operations Blackhawk Crash in Iraq
Veteran Helicopter Pilot Killed in Crash Was in Ninth Combat Deployment. Late Tuesday, August 21, 2018, U.S. military officials identified the Army helicopter pilot who died on Monday as a…
U.S. Navy Blue Angels to Get Super Hornets By The End of 2021
New, Larger Aircraft Will Change Display Routine, Add Range for Ferry Flights. After several seasons of speculation, official U.S. Navy documents have revealed the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team, The…
U.S. Navy Pilot Killed in A-29 Super Tucano Crash at White Sands Missile Range. Twelfth U.S. military aircraft crash in 2018.
Aircraft Was Part of Air Force Light Attack Experiment Program. It's the seventh U.S. Air Force crash this year. A U.S. Navy pilot participating in the ongoing Light Attack Experiment…
Skunk Works Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Innovation and Secrecy
Lockheed Advanced Development Program Subverted Normal Channels On The Way to Innovation. The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the F-104 Starfighter, the U-2 spy plane, the SR-71 Blackbird and the D-21…
USAF F-15C Eagle Down Off Kadena, Japan: Pilot Rescued.
Condition of Pilot Unknown Following Rescue. It's the sixth USAF crash since the beginning of 2018. A USAF F-15C Eagle belonging to the 18th Wing at Kadena AB, Okinawa has…
Check Out These Stunning Aerial Photos Of The B-2 Doing The Rose Parade And Rose Bowl Flyovers
This year, the B-2 was escorted by two F-35s from Edwards AFB during the Rose Parade flyover. On January 1, 2018, a B-2 Spirit belonging to the 509th Bomb Wing…
This Image Shows The Complexity Of The XB-70 Valkyrie mid-1960s Research Aircraft Cockpit Compared To That Of An Upgraded B-1 Bomber
The composite photo gives a pretty good idea of how the cockpit of supersonic heavy bombers has evolved in about 50 years. With a planned cruise speed of Mach 3…
The Enigmatic SR-72 And the Palmdale Sightings: What Do They Tell Us About America’s Secret Hypersonic Program?
The Media is Full of Speculation, But What Do We Know and What Can We Predict? One of 2017’s biggest defense and aviation stories is the anonymous sighting by a…
“During A CSAR Mission We Integrated With Puma Helicopters and Su-25 Attack Planes”: A-10 Pilots Recount Their Warthog Experiences
A-10 Thunderbolt II Pilots Speak About The Warthog They Fly Over Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, and Eastern Europe. Dubbed Warthog, Hog or just Hawg, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the “airplane built…
Check Out This Cool B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber IQT Graduation Video
Here are the newest four graduates as pilots of the Stealth Bomber. On Jul. 21, 2017, B-2 IQT (Initial Qualification Training) 85 class (the 85th IQT class on the stealth…
XB-70 Valkyrie Wing Section on eBay: An Aviation History Mystery Continues
Arizona eBay Seller Lists Large Wing Section of Crashed XB-70 Valkyrie for Auction. With the exception of the occasional echoing thunder of jet noise, the desert is silent here. Snakes…
Paris Demo Will “Crush Years Of Misinformation” Says Lockheed Martin Demo Pilot As New F-35A Aerobatic Routine for PAS 2017 Is Revealed
"We are going to crush years of misinformation about what this aircraft is capable of doing" After we scooped the story about the F-35A’s new fully aerobatic flight demonstration to…
We Flew Red Air against F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning IIs, Rafales and Typhoons in Atlantic Trident ’17. Here’s How It Went.
Flying adversary air in a 71st Fighter Training Squadron (FTS) T-38A Talon during Atlantic Trident 17. At 21,000 ft “Code” rolls the Talon inverted. I have just enough time to…
Atlantic Trident 17 brought together in type and capability the most formidable combination of fighter aircraft ever assembled.
Atlantic Trident 17 Drives a Higher Level of Integration. The exercise held April 12 – 28 at Joint Base Langley-Eustice (JBLE) included a “Blue Air” force of USAF F-22 Raptors…
Dual-role M-346FT Fighter Trainer has completed first weapon tests. And here are some interesting images
The new multi-role version of the M-346 Master advanced jet trainer has completed first weapon tests to demonstrate its close air support capability. The development of the dual-role variant of…
Watch the B-2 Spirit Bomber’s Rose Bowl Flyover from two spectacular view points
A B-2 Stealth Bomber performing a flyover as seen from two unusual points of view. Way cool! On Jan. 2, 2017, B-2 Spirit "Spirit of Kitty Hawk" with 509th Bomb…
Check Out This Photo of an F-35 Thundering Through The “Star Wars” Canyon With Visible Shock Waves
An F-35 performed some high-speed passes through the famous "Jedi Transition" in the Death Valley. Generating visible shockwaves. The image in this post was taken by world-renowned Dutch photographer Frank…
The F-4 Phantom II, in the QF-4 Aerial Target variant, performs final display before retiring from USAF
After more than 50 years of service, the F-4 Phantom II is about to be retired by the U.S. Air Force. The final F-4 Phantom appearance at an airshow while…
Last U.S. Air Force Phantoms make rare appearance flying through the Star Wars Canyon!
Awesome video and photographs of the last USAF Phantoms thundering through the famous Jedi Transition. On Tuesday, Oct. 25 two USAF McDonnell Douglas QF-4E Phantom II’s made passes through “Star…
32 F-22 Raptors moved to Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base to escape Hurricane Matthew
F-22 Raptors and T-38 Talons from Langley were "Hurrevaced" to Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base. The top image is quite impressive. It shows 32 F-22 Raptors from Joint Base Langley-Eustis…
U.S. Air Force TU-2S crashes in California. Two pilots aboard eject.
A two seater variant of the U-2 Dragon Lady from Beale Air Force Base has just crashed in Sutter County, California. A TU-2S assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, from…
This photo shows 13 F-22 Raptors squeezed into the NASA Langley Research Center hangar for Hurricane protection
13 F-22 Raptors and 9 other aircraft found a shelter in the NASA hangar at Langley. The image above was posted by the Commander of the 1st Fighter Wing at…
Cool air-to-air footage brings you up close and personal with the new dual-role M-346FT
An awesome new clip shows the new multi-role variant of the M-346 trainer. Unveiled for the first time at Farnborough International Air Show in July 2016, the M-346FT (Fighter Trainer)…
Take a look at these photographs of the rare NASA DC-8 Airborne Laboratory visiting Lajes during global-scale sampling mission
A rare beauty flew into Lajes airfield, Azores. Taking part in the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom-1) to study the impact of human-produced air pollution on greenhouse gases and on chemically…
Take a seat in the cockpit of one of the last USAF F-4 Phantoms as it arrives at Oshkosh airshow
Helmet camera provides a unique point of view of the arrival at the 2016 EAA AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, of one of the last U.S. Air Force F-4s. Two…
These fantastic photos show the shockwaves generated by bullets fired by an F-5E Tiger
The photos in this post are really impressive! Axalp Ebenfluh is a famous firing range located near Meiringen air base. From 1942, once a year, the Swiss Air Force (Schweizer…
F-35 pilot explains how he dominated dogfights against multiple A-4 aggressors. Every time.
Air Combat in the F-35, a new chapter in the saga. In March 2016, we published an article written by Major Morten “Dolby” Hanche, a Royal Norwegian Air Force experienced pilot with…
Lockheed Martin has officially unveiled Israel’s first F-35
Here's the F-35A "Adir" ("Mighty One"): the first Lightning II for the Israeli Air Force. With a ceremony broadcast live on Youtube, the first Israeli F-35 was rolled out on…
Take a look at these photos of “shock collars” forming around an F-35 during an airshow
Stunning photographs of vapour cones generated by the RNlAF F-35s during “Luchtmachtdagen 2016” airshow. On Jun. 10, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter made its international airshow debut with an Air…
Flightradar24 exposes the presence of U.S. and allied ISR planes operating over Daesh stronghold in Iraq
Several spyplanes and drones keep an eye on Mosul, ISIS headquarters in northern Iraq. As our readers know, we've been reporting about U.S. and allied planes that can be tracked…
U.S. F-22 Raptors make surprise deployment to RAF Lakenheath, UK
Four Raptors have arrived at RAF Lakenheath. On Apr. 11, using radio callsign "Tabor 41," four U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors deployed to RAF Lakenheath, UK, to conduct air training…
Two B-52 strategic bombers have just arrived in Qatar to start pounding ISIS
The "Buff" has arrived at Al Udeid airbase. Two U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, have arrived at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, on…
There were seven French tankers in flight last night. Exercise or real operation?
Many French C-135s flying at the same time recently. One of our readers has spotted something quite unusual: as many as 7 French Air Force tankers were flying in southwestern…
Watch these new photos of a U.S. submarine emerging on the surface of the Arctic Ocean
Subs increasingly operating in the Arctic. Few days ago we have published a stunning video showing a U.S. submarine breaking the ice to surface in the Arctic Circle during an…
Photos show Finnish Air Force Hornets refueling from U.S. KC-135 during training exercise underway in Finland
Finnish Air Force F/A-18s as seen from the tanker aircraft. The images in this post were taken during aerial refueling training exercise underway from Apr. 4 to Apr. 8 in…
Russian spyplane and U.S. MQ-9 ER Reaper sharing the same airspace over Syria
The skies over northwest Syria are still much crowded. The following video was allegedly filmed on Apr. 6 in Idlib, Syria. It shows a Russian Air Force Il-20M Coot spyplane…
U.S. Coast Guard introduces first C-27J Medium Range Surveillance airplane in the service’s colors
The U.S. Coast Guard has received the first of 14 C-27J Spartans painted with the service's traditional color scheme. The U.S. Coast Guard has accepted the first of 14 C-27J…
Take a look at this commemorative F-15 Eagle for the 75th Anniversary of the Oregon ANG
What a cool Special Colored F-15! To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Oregon Air National Guard, the 173rd Fighter Wing, based at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon, has…
Syrian Su-22 Fitter shot down by rebels over Aleppo
A Su-22 Fitter was shot down by the Syrian opposition earlier today. On Apr. 5, a SyAAF (Syrian Arab Air Force) Su-22 Fitter was allegedly shot down by the Syrian…
Finmeccanica signs contract to supply 28 Eurofighter Typhoons to Kuwait
The long-awaited contract to supply Typhoon aircraft to Kuwait has been signed. On Apr. 5, the Kuwaiti MoD and Finmeccanica (the Italian aerospace company which leads commercial activities in Kuwait…
Here are the first images of the U.S. Air Force F-15s providing air policing duties in Iceland
The Eagles have arrived in Iceland. Beginning on Apr. 1, 12 F-15C Eagles belonging to the 131st Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, and the 194th Fighter Squadron,…
The upper end of a MiG-29 Edge of Space flight profile explained
A GoPro photo can provide many details. MigFlug is a company that offers fighter jet flying experiences in wide variety of aircraft in Russia, Europe and North America, during a…
These photos show an AC-130 Gunship during night refueling over Iraq
AC-130 emerges from the night to refuel from a KC-135 over Iraq. Little is known about AC-130 Spooky Gunship operations in Iraq. For sure we know that two AC-130s, along…
U.S. Air National Guard F-15s deploying to Iceland and the Netherlands “to deter further Russian aggression”
Time for another deployment to Europe. Beginning tomorrow, 12 F-15C Eagles and approximately 350 Airmen and support equipment belonging to the 131st Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts,…
Red Flag 16-2: Italian, Turkish and U.S. Forces Train to Fight Advanced Adversary
Red Flag 16-2 explained. The second Red Flag of 2016 featured an international coalition training against a dynamic and integrated “Red Adversary” Force. The exercise, running from Feb. 29 to…
Total air superiority with a bit of swing role: the Italian Typhoons have completed their first Red Flag
The Italian F-2000s have conducted 115 missions logging 180 flying hours in the Nevada Test and Training Range. On Mar. 11, RF 16-2 came to an end. Among the more…
The U.S. Air Force has revealed the first image of its future Long Range Strike bomber: the B-21
Here is the Northrop Grumman B-21, quite similar to the Northrop Grumman B-2. On Feb. 26, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the first artist rendering of the Long…
The Italian Air Force T-346 Master debuts as Aggressor during NATO Tactical Leadership Programme
A new role for one of the most advanced combat jet trainers that is also a candidate of the U.S. Air Force T-X advanced trainer program From Feb. 4 to…
Legacy aircraft and fifth generation stealth jets trained together during Checkered Flag 16-1 exercise
F-35s, F-22s and F-16s increasingly working together. Taken on Dec. 17, 2015, the photos in this post show several kinds of aircraft parked on the Tyndall Air Force Base flightline.…
Watch these photos captured by a U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender refueling the B-2 bomber enroute to Rose Bowl flyover
Here are some incredible photos captured by a Travis Air Force Base KC-10 Extender aircrew. We have already published a cool aerial photograph and footage of the flyover conducted on…
Freaking awesome photo of the B-2 Stealth Bomber doing the Rose Bowl flyover
The B-2 Rose Bowl flyover as seen from above. As already reported, on Jan. 1, 2016, a B-2 Spirit belonging to the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri,…
Fantastic air-to-air video of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber conducting a flyover at Rose Bowl 16
B-2 Stealth Bomber at today's Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game. On Jan. 1, 2016, a B-2 Spirit with 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, opened the Rose…
TriLateralEx 2015 Final Report: F-22s, Typhoons and Rafales prepare for Future Air Warfare
The exercise featured the cutting edge air dominance aircraft in service today. The inaugural Trilateral Exercise held Dec. 2-18 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) in Virginia not only represented a…
GoPro video: aboard French Rafale dogfighting alongside RAF Typhoons and US F-22s during TrilatEx
Join a French Air Force Dassault Rafale during a Trilateral Exercise sortie. Underway from Dec. 2 to 18, the inaugural Trilateral anti-access/area denial exercise sees U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor,…
Stunning Photos Show the F-22 Raptor training with the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale in the U.S.
NATO's three most advanced combat planes flying together during exercise. The photographs in this post were taken recently in the skies near Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. They show a…
Impressive previously unreleased footage shows how two F-14 Tomcats shot down two Gaddafi’s MiG-23s
Watch the full declassified footage of the second Gulf of Sidra Incident. After two F-14As from VF-41 Black Aces shot down two Su-22 Fitters on Aug. 19, 1981, the Tomcat faced…
Never before seen High Definition air-to-air footage of a USAF B-2 stealth bomber
Northrop Grumman has just released some really stunning HD air-to-air footage of the U.S. B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. With the Pentagon days away from awarding the LRS-B (Long Range Strike…
Razor Talon: US East Coast Large Force Exercise keeps Air Force Units Razor Sharp
The Aviationist visits the 4th FW at Seymour Johnson AFB to report on “Razor Talon,” a monthly large force exercise sponsored by the USAF. Razor Talon is a monthly aerial…
Here’s the formation set up to celebrate the six most legendary Italian training planes
The 6-ship formation used callsign "Legend." As explained in our report on the event, one of the highlights of the Rivolto airshow was the "Legend" formation, made of six famous…
Alenia Aermacchi M-346 back in U.S. Air Force T-X advanced trainer program
Compliance with the "sustained-G" requirement and a possible new U.S. partner make Alenia Aermacchi confident they can win the T-X race. The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 “Master” is a dual-engine LIFT…
Focus on Red Flag 15-3: how U.S. forces learn to fight in the unseen battle space
We have also taken part in an aerial refueling mission: "nobody kicks ass, without tanker gas!" Red Flag is well known as the world’s premier aerial warfighting exercise. Featuring the…
We have flown one of the world’s most advanced jet trainers: the M-346 of the Italian Air Force
Chosen by Italy, Israel, Poland and Singapore to prepare their pilots to the 4th and 5th Gen. fighter jets, the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 "Master" is considered one the world's most…
Video of the X-47B drone first autonomous aerial refueling
Someone said we are one step closer to Skynet.. On Apr. 16, one of the two Unmanned Carrier Air Vehicle demonstrator (UCAS-D) aircraft of the X-47B program performed the first…
In photos, evacuation of a simulated incapacitated A-10 Thunderbolt pilot
Firefighters at airbases all around the world have to be familiar with egress procedures. The images in this post show firefighters from the 509th Civil Engineer Squadron evacuate a simulated…
A quick look at why the F-16N was the best plane to simulate soviet “bandits” in adversary missions.
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is the western world’s most prolific fighter of the last 40 years. Even if medium and long-range air-to-air missiles, such as the AIM-7 Sparrow and…
All you need to know about the latest Red Flag, world’s most realistic aerial exercise
Red Flag 2015-2 featured previously unannounced participants and in a first - virtual participants. In addition to the variety of USAF squadrons, the air combat exercise held Mar. 2 to…
[Photo] F-22 Raptor zooming through the clouds during demo training
An F-22 Raptor during an annual demo training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The annual Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course is an annual four-day training event for civilian and…
This may be the shape of the future U.S. top secret stealth bomber
A new Northrop Grumman ad teases new stealth bomber. And it may be a manned one. Two aerospace giants are competing to build Pentagon's next stealth bomber, designated LRS-B (…
Here are some stunning pictures of a B-2 stealth bomber doing Rose Bowl Game flyover
The 2015 Rose Bowl featured a B-2 stealth bomber flyover. On Jan. 1, 2015, Rose Bowl college football bowl game played at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California was…
Triangular mystery jets, Pilot Selfies, flying F-117s, Russian activities: 2014 through our top stories
The five top stories of The Aviationist provide the readers the opportunity to virtually review the year that is coming to an end. Ordered chronologically, the following 5 posts got…
U.S. A-10s conduct unimproved surface landings on a dry lake bed in simulated assault zone
A-10s rock White Sands Missile Range On Dec. 3 and 4, A-10 Thunderbolts belonging to the 354th Fighter Squadron, from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and the 74th Fighter Squadron,…
Two B-2 Spirit stealth bombers have just arrived in UK for a quite unusual overseas deployment
Using radio callsigns "Death 11" and "Death 12" two B-2s from Whiteman Air Force Base have arrived at RAF Fairford for short and rare deployment. Even if the U.S. Air…
Not one but two different triangular mystery jets are being secretely flown across the US
Texas and Kansas sightings have unveiled two different Black Projects. As we have already reported here, on Mar. 10, 2014 Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett took the photographs of three…
B-2 Spirit or new Mysterious Stealth Plane? New image of triangular shaped plane emerges
A new image taken in February seems to show the same mysterious plane photographed over Texas last month. On Mar. 10, 2014 Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett took the famous…
Is this the shape of the new mysterious stealth jet spotted over Texas?
Some blurry pictures taken from the ground are all we know about a possibly new, unknown, U.S. stealth jet. Based on those images we have tried to figure out the…
What’s this Mystery Plane spotted over Texas?
Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett were taking photos at Amarillo when they spotted the contrails of some mystery aircraft. What did they shoot flying over Texas? The images you can…
Is this futuristic jet the replacement for the Polish Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter?
During the recent Kielce Defense Fair, the Polish Air Force Technical Institute (ITWL - Instytut Techniczny Wojsk Lotniczych) has announced that it continues to work on the Grot-2 airplane. The…
To be honest, this F-35 fighter jet High-AOA testing video has nothing to be impressed of
I've seen the video released yesterday by Lockheed Martin at least a couple of time. Still, I struggle to find something to be impressed of. http://youtu.be/aWji8AcOYGA The video was taken…
Here’s Russia’s (badass) next-generation stealth strategic bomber
This last week has been pretty hectic in terms of next generation concepts: Boeing unveiled the updated version of the F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter concept, Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works released a new…
“F-35 super stealth plane will get pilots shot down in aerial combat” new leaked report says
According to an article published by the Washington Times, the F-35A, the Conventional Take Off and Landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter, would be defeated in aerial combat because…
Lockheed awarded $6.9 billion upgrade “indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity” contract to make the F-22 Raptor a real multirole fighter jet
The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling of $6.9 billion to upgrade the service's fleet of F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. Lockheed said that "The Air…
“Raptor’s thrust vectoring not essential” Eurofighter pilot says in last chapter of the F-22 vs Typhoon saga
Is Thrust Vectoring really important in air-to-air combat? It depends... A couple of weeks ago, an experienced Eurofighter Typhoon industry test pilot wrote to The Aviationist to respond to a…
“No way an F-35 will ever match a Typhoon fighter jet in aerial combat” Eurofighter test pilot says
Lockheed Martin claims F-35 kinematics are "better than or equal to" Eurofighter Typhoon. A Eurofighter test pilot disagrees. In an interesting piece by Flight's Dave Majumdar, Billie Flynn, Lockheed test…
U.S. Air Force to turn combat planes into flying wireless routers
The U.S. Air Force is trying to turn the targeting pods carried by some of its legacy fighters and the B-1 Lancer bomber, into flying wireless routers that would allow…
U.S. Air Force to triple airspace for B-1, B-52 bomber training. Talks with FAA, American Indian tribes in progress
According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Air Force has launched a six-year plan to more than triple the airspace used for its bombers to accomodate more training sorties of…
Photo: U.S. Air Force plane prepares for take off under giant double rainbow on Dec. 21 “Doomsday”
Taken on the day of the alleged Mayan Apocalypse Dec. 21, 2012, the following cool photo shows pilots preparing the cockpit of a U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon jet at…
Secretive X-37B is launched for a third classified mission around the planet
Dec. 11 saw the third launch of Boeing’s X-37B, the unmanned, reusable, mini-shuttle orbiter. The space plane was launched atop an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, just after…
Video: NASA’s F/A18 Hornet extended view of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s flyover Southern California
The following video was filmed by one of the two NASA Dryden’s F/A-18 Hornet jets escorting the space shuttle Endeavour mounted atop Boeing 747 SCA (Shuttle Carrier Aircraft), during its…
Photo: An F-35A test aircraft flies over Space Shuttle Endeavour at Edwards Air Force Base
On Sept. 21, the space shuttle Endeavour mounted atop a Boeing 747 SCA (Shuttle Carrier Aircraft), from Edwards Air Force Base to Los Angeles International Airport overflying the most iconic…
[Photo Gallery] Space Shuttle Endeavour final flight over Los Angeles as seen from NASA escort jets
The following stunning pictures were taken by NASA Dryden's photographer Jim Ross from one of the two F-18 Hornets escorting the space shuttle Endeavour mounted atop Boeing 747 SCA (Shuttle…
Photo: Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with space shuttle Endeavour taxies by an F-35A at Edwards AFB
On Sept. 21, strapped atop a Boeing 747 SCA (Shuttle Carrier Aircraft), the space shuttle Endeavour flew over the L.A. area on a tour across many iconic SoCal destinations that…
These are the best (air-to-air) pictures of the Discovery mounted atop NASA's Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
The following pictures were published today on the U.S. Air Force Westover Air Reserve Base Facebook page. They show the Space Shuttle Discovery mounted atop NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA…
The (not-so) secret Air Force One trip to Afghanistan
Hiding a large aircraft is not easy. If such plane is the world's most famous Boeing 747, the undertaking will be even more challenging. As you already know by now,…
The Space Shuttle Enterprise flying over New York City
On Apr. 27, Space Shuttle Enteprise, atop a NASA B747 SCA (Shuttle Carrier Aircraft) N905NA, from Washington Dulles airport, using radio callsign “Bovic 15 Heavy”, flew over New York City…
Blue Angels' almost crash: the risk of Controlled Flight Into Terrain during formation aerobatics
On May 22, 2011, the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron was performing at Lynchburg Regional Air Show, Va, when the diamond formation went too low at the end of the…
