The Aviationist Blog

The U.S. Secretary of State has approved the sale to Israel of 50 F-15EX, which will be named F-15IA, and the upgrade to a similar configuration of the 25 F-15I Ra’am currently in service. The [...]

The post US Approves Sale to Israel of F-15EX and F-15I Upgrade appeared first on The Aviationist.

While the feature was not fielded to operational units, the F-22 has also the capability to carry AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles externally. A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor has been recently spotted while flying in [...]

The post F-22 Raptor Spotted During Rare Flight With External AIM-120 Missiles appeared first on The Aviationist.

The first launch of the SM-6 is a ‘step-change’ in the lethality, air and missile defence, and long-range strike capabilities of Australia’s surface combatant fleet, as it undergoes a series of improvements to enhance deterrence [...]

The post Royal Australian Navy Fires SM-6 Missile from HMAS Sydney Destroyer for the First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.

PhanCon 2024 allowed enthusiasts to get up close and personal with Andravida’s F-4s, among the few Phantoms still operational in the world. After the successful editions in 2022 and 2023, Andravida Air Base hosted once [...]

The post Greece Hosts 2024 Edition Of The European Phantom Conference appeared first on The Aviationist.

The four F-22 Raptors, preceded by a C-130, performed hot-pit refueling operations before departing again, improving the interoperability with Indonesia and increasing the awareness of Indonesian airspace operations. Four U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors landed [...]

The post U.S. F-22 Raptors Land in Indonesia for the First Time as Part of Dynamic Force Employment Exercise appeared first on The Aviationist.

With the achievement of the Milestone B, the FLRAA program now moves into the engineering and manufacturing development phase and becomes a Program of Record. The Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), the U.S. Army’s [...]

The post U.S. Army’s New Tiltrotor Reaches Milestone B, Moving To Next Phase Of Development appeared first on The Aviationist.

The U.S. Air Force continues to make its exercises more and more realistic while preparing for a possible near-peer fight in the Pacific, training to defend against cruise missiles and UAVs simulated by microjets. In [...]

The post U.S. Air Force Uses Contracted JSX-2 SubSonex Microjets to Simulate Cruise Missiles in Exercise Northern Strike 24 appeared first on The Aviationist.

On Aug. 7, 2024, after 17 years of military service, Japan retired the first of its distinctive ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious air sea rescue aircraft. In a decommissioning ceremony held at the ShinMaywa Industries manufacturing plant [...]

The post Japan Retires First ShinMaywa US-2 Seaplane appeared first on The Aviationist.

On July 15, 2024, the M-346 advanced jet trainer celebrated 20 years since its first flight, and is now being further upgraded to start the next chapter of its operational life. Jul. 15, 2024, marked [...]

The post Leonardo M-346: Two Decades of Cutting-Edge Training Excellence appeared first on The Aviationist.

Four F-35Bs of 617 Squadron have deployed to Iceland to begin a NATO Air Policing deployment, the first ever deployment of its type for the F-35 in British service. The NATO Icelandic Air Policing mission [...]

The post British F-35Bs Deploy on Air Policing Mission for the First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.

Similarly to other weapons, the 250 kg AASM munition is carried by a custom made pylon under the MiG-29’s innermost wing attachment point. After images and videos earlier this year showed the French-made AASM Hammer [...]

The post First Close-Up Image of the French AASM Hammer Bomb on a Ukrainian MiG-29 appeared first on The Aviationist.

A video shows an FPV drone attacking a Mi-28 helicopter during a low altitude flight, apparently hitting its tail rotor, however the fate of the helicopter is unclear. Demonstrating the high flexibility of the usage [...]

The post Ukrainian Drone Attacks Russian Mi-28 Attack Helicopter Mid-Air appeared first on The Aviationist.

Both Ukrainian and Russian armies are using their expendable UAVs not only to strike targets on the ground, but also to strike each others’ drones in flight, in what could be defined as a low-cost [...]

The post Drone-on-Drone War Ensues As Ukrainian UAV With Wooden Stick Tries Disabling Russian ZALA Drone appeared first on The Aviationist.

Twelve U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptor stealth fighters landed at RAF Lakenheath, UK, on their way to the Middle East, where they are deploying in preparation for a potential Iranian attack on Israel. Twelve F-22A [...]

The post Alaskan F-22 Raptors Are Deploying To The Middle East Amid Growing Tensions appeared first on The Aviationist.

The U.S. Air Force’s Accident Investigation Report says that the CV-22 crash could have been prevented had the crew decided to land earlier and at a closer airfield. The Nov. 29, 2023 crash of the [...]

The post Gearbox Failure, Pilot Decision to Keep Flying Blamed for Japan CV-22 Crash, Says Air Force Probe appeared first on The Aviationist.

The 36th Fighter Squadron will be part of a year-long test to optimize combat capability and training effectiveness with a larger number of F-16 aircraft assigned to the “Super Squadron”. The U.S. Seventh Air Force, [...]

The post Osan and Kunsan Air Bases Join Forces To Create “Super Squadron” With 31 F-16s appeared first on The Aviationist.

Video footage emerged online shows a Russian pilot filming himself after ejecting from his stricken combat jet, visible in the distance spiraling out of control and in flames. A video recently emerged online, taken by [...]

The post Russian Pilot Films Aftermath Of Ejection From His Damaged Flanker Fighter Jet appeared first on The Aviationist.

AFSOC’s MC-130J, AC-130J, and C-146A try their hands at operating in austere, contested environments, such as a highway used as an improvised runway. On August 4, 2024, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command’s 1st [...]

The post U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command Carries Out Highway Operations Exercise in Arkansas appeared first on The Aviationist.

U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command’s Light Attack becomes a reality, with the start of the training for the Sky Warden in both active duty and ANG units. On July 29, 2024, the 137th Special [...]

The post Oklahoma Air National Guard Receives First AT-802U, Begins Training for OA-1K Sky Warden appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Load Adaptable Modular Pylon, installed under the B-1B bomber’s fuselage, is designed to carry a variety of weapons with fewer constraints compared to older systems. The U.S. Air Force’s 412th Test Wing recently tested [...]

The post U.S. Air Force Demonstrates New Modular Weapons Pylon On The B-1B Bomber appeared first on The Aviationist.