The Aviationist Blog

Spain will be an equal nation along with France and Germany in the participation to the demonstrator phase of FCAS. The Spanish industry has signed the initial framework contract for the Future Combat Air System’s [...]

The post Spain Is Now Officially The Third Nation Of The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Programme appeared first on The Aviationist.

Two U.S. Air Force B-52H bombers flew direct from Barksdale Air Force Base to the Persian Gulf during latest “deterrence mission” against Iran. And were escorted by Saudi F-15SA aircraft during the leg flown over [...]

The post U.S. B-52 Bombers Escorted by Saudi F-15SAs Over Saudi Arabia During “Deterrence Mission” To The Persian Gulf appeared first on The Aviationist.

The program aims to get two fully configured SIGINT Gulfstream G550 aircraft plus six others to be converted later for improved C4ISTAR and CAEW/BM&C capabilities. The Italian government is working on the acquisition of new [...]

The post Italy Plans To Buy New Gulfstream G550s For SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) Missions appeared first on The Aviationist.

A B-1 Lancer conducted an external weapon release demonstration launching a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile from an external pylon. Last month, a B-1B Lancer assigned to the 412th Test Wing’s 419th Flight Test Squadron, Global [...]

The post B-1 Lancer Bomber Successfully Launched An Inert JASSM Stealthy Missile From An External Pylon During Test appeared first on The Aviationist.

Boeing’s Autonomous MQ-25 T1 test asset flew with an ARS (Aerial Refueling Store) for the the first time. Boeing and the U.S. Navy have achieved a significant milestone in the development of the carrier-based unmanned [...]

The post Boeing’s MQ-25 Carrier-Based Tanker Drone Test Asset Completes First Test Flight with Aerial Refueling Store appeared first on The Aviationist.

Development for the new Tempest sixth-generation fighter is moving on with some revolutionary concepts. Team Tempest and the Royal Air Force recently held a virtual event to provide an update about the development opportunities of [...]

The post New Images Of The Tempest Sixth-Generation Aircraft Revealed During UK Industry Engagement Event appeared first on The Aviationist.

115th Fighter Wing F-16 lost over Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan. Pilot Condition Unknown. An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing from Truax Field Air National Guard Base outside Madison, [...]

The post F-16 Reported to Have “Live Ammunition” Crashes in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F veered off runway after the two pilots successfully ejected. A RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet belonging to No. 1 Squadron was involved in an incident at RAAF Base Amberely, Queensland, [...]

The post Pilots Forced To Eject From RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet During Take Off Incident At RAAF Base Amberley appeared first on The Aviationist.

Yeager Personified the Daring, Heroic Image of Early Test Pilots, Changed Aviation. Aviation legend Chuck Yeager has died at 97. Yeager is universally acknowledged as establishing the image of the jet-age test pilot, a heroic [...]

The post Chuck Yeager, Legendary Test Pilot, Face of “The Right Stuff”, Dies at 97. appeared first on The Aviationist.

A weird incident has occurred to Russia’s “Doomsday Plane”, the Il-80 Maxdome airborne command post. Unidentified persons stole equipment from an Il-80 Maxdome, Russian media outlet RIA Novosti, reported on Dec. 7, 2020. According to [...]

The post Someone Opened A Cargo Hatch And Stole Radio Equipment From An Il-80 Maxdome, Russia’s “Doomsday plane” appeared first on The Aviationist.

The F-15E Strike Eagles from the 48th Fighter Wing have used LFA 17 for their low level training again. Two F-15E Strike Eagle jets belonging to the 48th FW based at RAF Lakenheath, UK, engaged [...]

The post F-15E Rocketing Through Lake District Valleys Marks Return Of The 48th FW Strike Eagles in LFA 17 appeared first on The Aviationist.

Images released by the U.S. Air Force Central Command show that the Tornado IDS of the Italian Air Force are flying with the BOZ-102 Enhanced Capability self-defense pods, rarely seen in official photos. A few [...]

The post Italian Tornado IDS Aircraft Are Flying Anti-Daesh ISR Missions With Enhanced Countermeasures Pod appeared first on The Aviationist.

“Shock collar” generated by U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler caught on camera. Last month we published an amazing shot showing a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler Electronic Attack aircraft with the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130) “Zappers”, based at [...]

The post Spectacular “Shock Collar” Forms Around U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler Flying At Low Level in the Cascade Mountains appeared first on The Aviationist.

Two B-52s flew from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, to Europe. But one had to divert to RAF Fairford, UK, after experiencing an issue to one of its 8 engines on its way to [...]

The post U.S. B-52s Conduct Mission To Europe: One Flies Over The Barents Sea, One Diverts To RAF Fairford For Engine Failure appeared first on The Aviationist.

The company already secured a contract for the ASLON-45 mission of the U.S. Space Force. Aevum, a small company based in in Huntsville, Alabama, rolled out its Ravn X Autonomous Launch Vehicle from their hangar [...]

The post Aevum Unveils Ravn X Autonomous Launch Vehicle For Lightweight Satellites appeared first on The Aviationist.

Entry of Large Meteor into Atmosphere Caught on Video in Canada and Eastern U.S. An unusually large meteor created a sensation around the upper eastern U.S. in the Great Lakes region and across southern Ontario [...]

The post Massive Meteor Over Lake Ontario and New York State Creates Flash, Sonic Booms. appeared first on The Aviationist.

The short film documents the move of the SR-71 in the galleries of the Science Museum of Virginia and the innovation story of the records-setting aircraft. Back in 2015, it was decided to move the [...]

The post Take A Look At This Documentary About The Skunk Work’s History And The Birth Of The SR-71 Blackbird appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Italian Air Force has released more details about the first mission flown by its F-35A and F-35B in “Beast Mode”. On Nov. 26, 2020, the Italian Air Force carried out the first ever training [...]

The post Check Out These New Photos Of The Italian F-35A and B Flying Together In “Beast Mode” For The First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Italian Air Force, the only Armed Force operating both the F-35A and F-35B, flew the jets in “Beast Mode” for the first time. The Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) has just released two shots [...]

The post Italian Air Force F-35A and F-35B Fly In “Beast Mode” For The Very First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Blue Angels have started preparing the 2021 flight demonstration season with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. As we already reported, the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team, flew their final formation flight with [...]

The post Check Out These Photos Of The Blue Angels Flying The Diamond Formation With The Super Hornets For The First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.