The Aviationist Blog

U.S. Air Force F-16s belonging to the 31st Fighter Wing rapidly deployed to Decimomannu Air Base, Italy as part of an exercise incorporating elements from the developing operational concept known as Agile Combat Employment. Several [...]

Images coming from Ghazni clearly show the remains of a USAF E-11A BACN aircraft. A U.S. Air Force’s E-11A BACN (Battlefield Airborne Communications Node) crashed during the morning on Jan. 27, 2020 in Afghanistan. The [...]

Joint Japanese/U.S. Rescue Saves Crew, Multiple Ships Involved in Search and Rescue. A dramatic multinational rescue took place in the Philippine Sea off the island of Okinawa on Saturday when a U.S. Navy MH-60S with [...]

First Time Actual Adversary Training Aircraft Disclosed in Use at Tucson Base. Russian-built Mi-24 ‘Hind’ attack helicopters are no strangers to U.S. airshow venues like Nellis AFB for previous editions of Aviation Nation, but official [...]

FAA Issues Advisory for Pilots: Large Military GPS Jamming Exercise in Southeast. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a flight advisory for January 16-24 warning civilian and commercial pilots that, “GPS testing is [...]

Aircraft Was Fighting Fires in Monaro, New South Wales. Three Americans are reported dead in the crash of a C-130 Hercules, registration N134CG, firefighting aircraft in the Monaro area of New South Wales, Australia. The [...]

Alleged fuel transfer anomalies experienced by a Voyager tanker forced the 5 F-35s to perform an unscheduled visit to Lajes. On Jan. 22, 2020, five RAF F35B Lightining belonging to 617 Sqn “Dambusters”, departed their [...]

USAF Maj. Josh “Cabo” Gunderson Takes Over from Maj. Paul Lopez as New F-22 Demo Boss. “When you feel like quitting, remember why you started.” That’s what USAF Major Joshua Gunderson, call sign “Cabo”, said [...]

This was the first time Luke AFB launched a four-ship with both internal and external weapons, a configuration known as “Beast Mode”. “Beast Mode” is not an official or technical term. At least not within [...]

The first test asset flew autonomously just one year after the contract award The U.S. Navy and Boeing announced on Sept. 19, 2019 the first flight of the MQ-25 Stingray test asset from MidAmerica St. [...]

The first two F-35A Lightning II of the 158th Fighter Wing have arrived at Burlington Air National Guard Base. On Sept. 19, 2019, the first two ANG F-35A aircraft have landed at Bulrlington ANGB, Vermont. [...]

A Belgian Air Force F-16BM has crashed in France. One Of The Pilots Hanging From High-Voltage Line After His Parachute Got Caught Before Being Rescued. A Belgian Air Force two-seater F-16BM Fighting Falcon has crashed [...]

While we don’t know what type of “integration” mission the aircraft flew, it turned out to be a great opportunity for some cool air-to-air photographs. The B-2A Stealth Bombers deployed to RAF Fairford, UK, as [...]

Interesting close encounter on the Baltic for the Belgian F-16s supporting NATO’s Baltic Air Policing. On Sept. 17, two Belgian F-16s deployed to Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania, in support of NATO BAP mission, were scrambled [...]

Hero of The Russian Federation, Top Sukhoi Test Pilot, Bogdan Thrilled in Su-57 Demo. It was the most perfect of conditions, Russia’s most famous test pilot and their most advanced new fighter. The results at [...]

The new missile will complement the AIM-120 and AIM-9 in the Air Force’s inventory On Sept. 16, during the Air Force Association’s annual National Convention in Washington, Raytheon unveiled the mockup of its new Peregrine [...]

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 Force Matthew Donovan announced the [...]

Strike Has Strategic Implications, Amplifies Asymmetric Drone War Relevance. Yemen’s Houthi “Ansar Allah” forces have claimed responsibility for two coordinated unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities near the cities of [...]

This is how one of the most famous jet engines works. Videos like the one below are interesting for several different reasons. They show the raw power of a jet engine working at different throttle/thrust [...]

The AMX Ghibli in Italian service turns 30 and the Italians have celebrated the anniversary in style. On Sept. 13, 2019, the Italian Air Force celebrated the 30th anniversary of its AMX “Ghibli” fleet and [...]