The Aviationist Blog

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet along with a tow tractor. All personnel have been accounted for, and one Sailor suffered a minor injury. While operating in the Red Sea on April 28, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 […]

The post F/A-18E and Tow Tractor Lost at Sea During Operations Aboard USS Truman appeared first on The Aviationist.

The E-3 Sentry is afflicted by acute parts and maintenance issues as the Boeing 707 aircraft it is based on ceased production 30 years ago. Nearly three months after the fuselage of the U.S. Air Force’s first E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft reached Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington, Boeing Defense released […]

The post USAF’s First E-7 Wedgetail Takes Shape as Service Struggles to Keep E-3 Sentry Flying appeared first on The Aviationist.

The JSM is the only weapon in its class that can be carried internally by the F-35. The Norwegian Armed Forces will celebrate on Apr. 28, 2025, the completion of the program of record for 52 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, while also receiving their first Joint Strike Missiles (JSM). The JSM will be the […]

The post First Joint Strike Missiles for Norway’s F-35s are Ready appeared first on The Aviationist.

Aviation spotter Michał Rokita captured two F-117s landing at Groom Lake, where the stealth fighters have relocated as Tonopah Test Range Airport undergoes maintenance. Over the last couple of years, we have published a few articles featuring videos by Michał Rokita, an aviation spotter and photographer known for traveling to remote public lands in Nevada […]

The post Spotter Captures F-117’s Return to Area 51 appeared first on The Aviationist.

Project Iron Agility is a dynamic exercise which sharpens deployment readiness skills through ACE operations with F-16s, MQ-9 Reapers, and integrated logistics support. The third iteration of the Project Iron Agility exercise at Holloman AFB (Air Force Base), New Mexico, saw unique approaches to refine ACE (Agile Combat Employment) capabilities. These include a table top […]

The post MQ-9 and F-16 Crews Work Together in ACE-Focused Project Iron Agility Exercise appeared first on The Aviationist.

Colombia signed a letter of intent for the acquisition of the Gripen E, launching the negotiations which would make the country the type’s second South American operator. After nearly two years of speculations and unconfirmed reports, Colombia has finally selected Sweden’s Saab JAS39 Gripen as its newest fighter aircraft. Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the […]

The post Colombia Choses Saab JAS39 Gripen as its Newest Frontline Fighter Jet appeared first on The Aviationist.

The VENOM program will modify six F-16Cs into autonomous aircraft to accelerate testing of autonomy software on crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The U.S. Air Force is progressing with the Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model – Autonomy Flying Testbed program, or VENOM, which will modify six F-16Cs into autonomous aircraft. On Apr. 1, 2025, the […]

The post Last F-16 Set for VENOM Autonomous Aircraft Modification Arrives at Eglin appeared first on The Aviationist.

Few days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the Philippines, Washington cleared the sale of 20 F-16s to the country. The U.S. State Department has approved the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Philippines for 20 F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets. The development comes just few days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited […]

The post U.S. Approves Sale of F-16 Block 70/72 to the Philippines appeared first on The Aviationist.

The 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron revealed the finished livery of the heritage orange B-52H which pays tribute to the NB-52A and NB-52E. Few months after it was first spotted with the new throwback color scheme, the B-52H 61-0028 has now received all the missing decals, completing the amazing heritage orange livery. In fact, the […]

The post Up Close and Personal with the Orange BUFF appeared first on The Aviationist.

Taiwan’s first new F-16, part of an order for 66 aircraft, was unveiled during a rollout ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s facilities. Lockheed Martin has unveiled Taiwan first newly built F-16 Block 70 during a rollout ceremony at the company’s facilities in Greenville, South Carolina, on Mar. 28, 2025. The aircraft, an F-16D with serial number […]

The post Lockheed Martin Unveils Taiwan’s First Newly Built F-16 Block 70 appeared first on The Aviationist.

RDAF F-35s have started supporting the Quick Reaction Alert service intercepting a Russian Il-20 Coot-A over the Baltics. Last week, Royal Danish Air Force F-35A fighter jets were launched for the first time to identify and track a Russian ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) military aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The F-35 pilots took off from […]

The post Danish F-35s Conduct First QRA Mission, Intercept Russian Spy Plane Over Baltic Sea appeared first on The Aviationist.

The U.S. Navy released a new Request for Information for the T-45’s replacement, which will only be required to conduct Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) to wave off. On Mar. 31, 2025, the U.S. Navy released yet another Request for Information (RFI) for the program which will replace the aging T-45 Goshawk, the Undergraduate Jet […]

The post U.S. Navy’s Next Trainer Jet Won’t Need to Land on Carriers appeared first on The Aviationist.

What began as a bombing mission to destroy an enemy bridge turned into a story of heroic bravery and incredible odds for young Lt. Owen J. Baggett on March 31, 1943. Disaster Strikes and a Hero is Born Fuel tanks burned and oxygen tanks exploded as the attacks continued and 2nd Lt. Owen John Baggett […]

The post A Pistol, a Parachute, and a Prayer: The Amazing Story of Lt. Owen Baggett appeared first on The Aviationist.

U.S. Marine Col. Charles “Tre” Del Pizzo gives his account of the ejection from an F-35B which continued to fly on its own in 2023. More than a year after the bizarre incident in which a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B continued flying on its own after the pilot ejected, new details emerged online. These details […]

The post How 41 Seconds Changed the Life of a Marine F-35B Pilot appeared first on The Aviationist.

After 54 years of continuous service, the RAF’s Puma fleet is set to retire today, ending a remarkably active career. On Mar. 26 and 27, 2025, the RAF Puma HC2 carried out its final flights as a part of a farewell tour over the United Kingdom and Cyprus. The Puma had led a remarkable career […]

The post Royal Air Force Puma 1971-2025: The End of an Era appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Coyote LE SR can be fired from the air, ground or sea to detect, identify, locate and defeat threats on the battlefield and perform a variety of missions. Raytheon announced on Mar. 26, 2025, the first test fire of a new variant of the Coyote family of drones from a helicopter at the Nine […]

The post Raytheon Test Fires New Coyote LE SR Variant from Helicopter for the First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.

Designed for all-weather, night attacks, the two-seat YA-10B was meant to counter Soviet Cold War armor tactics, but only one was built. Project A-X The Vietnam War had demonstrated to the United States Air Force a need for a better CAS (Close Air Support) aircraft, along with the looming threat of the growing numbers of […]

The post A Lone Two-Seater: The Story of the YA-10B Warthog appeared first on The Aviationist.

The HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier is working towards the UK’s most ambitious carrier deployment in recent years, with two full F-35B squadrons on board. After nearly a year of fervent preparations, the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will soon set sail for its deployment to the Indo-Pacific, leading the CSG25 […]

The post HMS Prince of Wales Prepares for Carrier Strike Group 25 Indo-Pacific Deployment appeared first on The Aviationist.

Australia announced the AH-64E Apache acquisition in 2021 to replace the ageing Tigers, which have long been afflicted by maintainability and sustainment issues. The first AH-64E Apache attack helicopter for the Australian Army has entered final assembly at the Boeing production line in Mesa, Arizona, announced the company on Mar. 25, 2025. The first four […]

The post Australia’s First AH-64E Apache is Under Assembly appeared first on The Aviationist.

Tankers will be leased from the French Air Force and private company Metrea while the Indian Air Force finalizes plans for a long-term solution. India’s fleet of Ilyushin Il-78MKI tankers, introduced in 2003, have long been plagued with reliability issues. From troublesome refueling pods to difficulty sourcing spares and manufacturer support, and even questions over […]

The post India Will Lease Tankers to Overcome Il-78MKI Midas Serviceability Issues appeared first on The Aviationist.