The Aviationist Blog

The RAF notoriously lacks a boom air-to-air refueling capability to support the Poseidon, and the simulated refueling with a KC-135 signals steps are being taken to address the issue. A RAF (Royal Air Force) P-8A Poseidon received fuel mid-air for the first time, or at least simulated the operation, from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 […]

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers launched from Whiteman AFB on a transatlantic round-trip sortie, supported by an E-6B Mercury flying from Ramstein. Let’s look at what happened. The appearance on Sept. 21, 2025, of a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury over European skies signaled to many enthusiasts who monitor the activities of U.S. strategic forces that they […]

The new variant was designed, developed and tested in 50 days, with the test in the Mojave Desert using a COTS rocket motor. Raytheon has announced the testing of a new ground-launched variant of the GBU-53 StormBreaker munition. The company highlighted that it designed, developed and tested the new variant in 50 days. The test […]

Earning the Spaatz Trophy for being the top Air National Guard flying unit only a month ago, the 104th Fighter Squadron has now officially ceased operations. On Sept. 22, 2025, joined at the Hagerstown Regional Airport by hundreds of former Fairchild Republic employees, former test pilots, 175th Wing personnel, and family and fans, the museum […]

Boeing will transfer two 737-700 airframes to STS Aviation in Birmingham for E-7 conversion in 2026. Boeing will have two rapid-prototype E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Early-Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft converted in the United Kingdom, marking a rare instance of U.S. Air Force aircraft work being performed on British soil. However, questions persist over the program’s […]

Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney will use new digital design technology to accelerate its work on the XA103, its submission for the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program. Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion, or NGAP, calls for the development of adaptive cycle engines that can be reconfigured in flight between high performance and […]

The latest iteration of the combat-proven APG-82 radar incorporates gallium nitride (GaN) technology to enhance the radar’s effectiveness and capabilities. Raytheon has unveiled a major upgrade to the APG-82 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, called the APG-82(V)X. The new radar integrates gallium nitride (GaN) transmit/receive technology to deliver increased range, higher processing speed and […]

Bombardier Defense has announced the delivery of the U.S. Air Force’s ninth Global 6000 for the E-11A BACN program. The ninth aircraft for the U.S. Air Force’s E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program was welcomed in a ceremony held at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, in September 2025. Hanscom is the headquarters of the […]

The Advanced Technology Research Aircraft was modified with the Eurofighter’s nose to support testing of the ECRS Mk.1 AESA radar. Airbus and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have reached another milestone with the modified Airbus A320 Advanced Technology Research Aircraft (ATRA) recently flying in its Initial Operational Capability (IOC) configuration, after the first flight earlier […]

The CAEW-type aircraft might be pitched to Taiwan to replace its five E-2K Hawkeyes, after it could not acquire the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. L3Harris appears to be pitching its AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft concept at the TADTE 2025 exhibition in Taiwan, images from Sep. 20, 2025, showed. Based on the proven Bombardier […]

China has shown for the first time its newest naval aircraft launching and recovering aboard the catapult-equipped Fujian carrier. The PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy’s CNS Fujian (CV-18) carrier, an EMALS (Electro-Magnetic Launch System) configured flattop, attained a major milestone on Sep. 22, 2025. The service released images of its carrier-based CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted TakeOff […]

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin announced on Sept. 22, 2025 that Boeing had begun the manufacturing process for the first production F-47, with a goal of seeing it airborne by 2028. Speaking at the annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference, hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association, Allvin said “In […]

The aircraft is among six expected to reach Argentina in December 2025, while the remaining 18 are to be delivered by 2028. The Argentine Air Force’s (Fuerza Aérea Argentina) first operational ex-Danish F-16B MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade) Block 15, a twin-seat jet, has been unveiled at Denmark’s Aalborg Air Base, showed images emerged on social media […]

Scaled Composites’ Model 437 Vanguard returns to flight, expanding its envelope ahead of Northrop Grumman’s Beacon autonomy flight testing. The Scaled Composites Model 437 Vanguard has resumed flight testing at Mojave Air and Space Port, entering a new phase of envelope expansion flights that will prepare the aircraft for its role in Northrop Grumman’s Beacon […]

Lockheed Martin says the new Group 5 survivable and lethal collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) will fly within two years. Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has officially unveiled Vectis, a new self-funded Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) which the company describes as a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). Announced on Sept. 21, 2025, ahead of the Air, Space […]

In the first UK visit for the type outside of an airshow, Kawasaki C-2 58-1218 arrived at RAF Coningsby in stunning evening light on Sept. 17, 2025. One of two C-2s acting as a support aircraft for Operation Atlantic Eagles, a goodwill deployment of four Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-15J Eagles to Europe, 58-1218 […]

Reports indicated the PLA Air Force is converting its older J-6, J-7 and J-8 jets into UAVs and UCAVs to be used from airfields in the Taiwan Strait. In the run up to the Changchun Air Show in northeastern China this week, the first image of a legacy PLA Air Force Cold War-era J-6 jet […]

The PLA Air Force is steadily fielding the J-20, with at least 50 new jets delivered since June 2024, reaching a fleet of at least 300 J-20s. The PLA Air Force has now been confirmed to have 300 J-20s in service, based on the registration and tail numbers of four of the aircraft that reached […]

The British government announced its intention to join NATO’s Operation Eastern Sentry following continued incursions of Russian drones in NATO airspace. Royal Air Force Typhoons will deploy as a part of Operation Eastern Sentry to monitor and defend the skies of NATO’s eastern flank. These aircraft will operate directly from RAF Coningsby in the UK, […]

Malloy’s eight-rotor T-150 logistics drone has recently been used for ship-to-ship resupply during the HMS Prince of Wales’ CSG 25 deployment. The Royal Navy has declared the Malloy T-150 uncrewed air system (UAS) ready for front-line operations. The milestone, which moves tactical logistics closer to routine use at sea and ashore, follows two years of […]