The Aviationist Blog

Three injured as Mi-17 collides with bus during crash landing in Hidalgo, Mexico. A Mexican Navy Mi-17 Hip utility helicopter has crashed shortly after takeoff in the central Mexican state of Hidalgo. The aircraft was [...]

The post Video: Mexican Navy Mi-17 Crashes After Takeoff with State Minister of Interior Aboard appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Italian Air Force C-130J performed evasive maneuvers but it was not being targeted by small arms fire. Several Italian media outlets reported that a C-130J aircraft of the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) was [...]

The post Despite Some Media Reports Shots Fired At Kabul Airport Were Not Aiming Italian C-130J appeared first on The Aviationist.

Last weekend we have attended the LOTOS Gdynia Aerobaltic 2021 Airshow. Here’s our report. The LOTOS Gdynia Aerobaltic Airshow took place between Aug. 20 and Aug. 22, 2021, in Gdynia, at the Babie Doły (EPOK) [...]

The post Lotos Gdynia Aerobaltic 2021: A Redemption? appeared first on The Aviationist.

We Look at the C-17A’s Landing Gear and Several Other Attempted Air Stowaways. Shocking images of people falling from a USAF C-17A Globemaster III as it departed Kabul last week tore across the internet as [...]

The post How Could Afghans Have Hung onto the USAF C-17A Globemaster III Escaping Kabul? appeared first on The Aviationist.

As part of “Aquila Omnia”, the Italian Air Force deployed 4 C-130J cargo aircraft to transport personnel from Kabul to Kuwait, where 3 KC-767A tankers are then ready to fly the evacuees to Italy. Images [...]

The post Everything You Need To Know About ‘Aquila Omnia’, Italy’s Air Bridge To Evacuate Civilians From Afghanistan appeared first on The Aviationist.

The new MQ-25 carrier-based unmanned tanker completed its first aerial refueling flight with an E-2D aircraft. The MQ-25 Stingray achieved another first on Aug. 18, 2021, by conducting the first air-to-air refueling with an E-2D aircraft [...]

The post Boeing MQ-25 Stingray Tanker Drone Achieves Another First: Air-to-Air Refueling With An E-2D appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Italian Air Force will get new tankers, SIGINT and CAEW assets while also continuing the development of special C-27J variants, as disclosed in the new multiyear defense planning document. The Italian government published the [...]

The post Italy Increasing Tempest Funding And Planning New Support Aircraft Acquisitions appeared first on The Aviationist.

U.S. spyplane operating around Kabul as the Afghanistan air bridge continues. Media images from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan showing scenes of chaos as people try to crowd onboard departing aircraft in an [...]

The post ‘Greater Stability’ After Chaos At Kabul Airport as U.S. and Coalition Forces Continue Evacuation From Afghanistan appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Russian Navy Be-200 was the first one ordered by RF Navy and crashed during a firefighting mission in southeastern Turkey. A Russian Beriev Be-200 aircraft crashed near near Kahramanmaras, in southeastern Turkey, during a [...]

The post Russian Beriev Be-200 Amphibious Firefighting Aircraft Has Crashed In Turkey appeared first on The Aviationist.

The RAF Sentry fleet will retire later this year after 30 years of service, freeing resources for the E-7A Wedgetail which is set to enter service in 2023. A Royal Air Force E-3D Sentry AEW1, [...]

The post RAF E-3D Sentry Return To Waddington After Final Operational Mission appeared first on The Aviationist.

This Agile Combat Employment event during exercise Northern Strike 21 represents the first time in history that the Air Force has purposely landed modern aircraft on a civilian roadway in the US. The U.S. Air [...]

The post A-10C Thunderbolt IIs And C-146A Wolfhounds Conducted First Ever Highway Operations In The US appeared first on The Aviationist.

Flight Demonstration by Luftwaffe’s Air Transport Wing 62 Showcases A400M. It was a weekend of firsts for air show fans in Michigan this past Saturday and Sunday at Willow Run Airport for Thunder Over Michigan. [...]

The post First-Ever North American Luftwaffe Airbus A400M Atlas Demo at Thunder Over Michigan appeared first on The Aviationist.

Thunder Over Michigan: New Show Format That Combines Two Air Shows Per Day Gets Strong Reviews. Under the gun, behind the eight ball and facing the resurgence of a 14-month global pandemic along with massive [...]

The post Thunder Over Michigan Introduces New ‘Matinee’ Style Drive-In Air Show appeared first on The Aviationist.

The company showcased the technology that will allow the in-flight recovery of the Sparrowhawk SUAS, as well as a first look at the new Longshot drone being developed for DARPA. Last year, General Atomics (GA-ASI) [...]

The post General Atomics Provides Detailed Look At Sparrowhawk Air-Launched And Air-Retrievable Small UAS appeared first on The Aviationist.

AEC Skyline is a European Red Air private contractor providing adversary services. Among the participants at the multinational military exercise Adriatic Strike 2021 there was also a private company: the Netherlands-based AEC Skyline. To know [...]

The post Let’s Have A Look At The Activities Of Dutch Red Air Provider AEC Skyline appeared first on The Aviationist.

Red Flag 21-3 saw the participation of all services from the U.S. Armed Forces to train next generation joint warfighting against more modern, stronger and dangerous threats, including Aggressor F-35s. Blue air participants of Red [...]

The post Aggressor F-35s Joined The Fight During First Next Generation Red Flag Exercise appeared first on The Aviationist.

A prototype of the Su-75 Checkmate is going to be assembled for static tests. Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAPO or KnAAZ; Russian: Комсомольский-на-Амуре авиационный завод) will build a prototype of the Checkmate fighter, destined for static [...]

The post Russia To Build Prototype Of Its New ‘Checkmate’ Light Tactical Fighter for Static Tests appeared first on The Aviationist.

The NF-16D VISTA aircraft is currently being upgraded to remove some limitations and better support autonomy testing for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Skyborg program. The NF-16D VISTA (Variable In-flight Simulator Aircraft), operated by the [...]

The post NF-16D VISTA (Variable In-flight Simulator Aircraft) Changes Name To X-62A Ahead Of Skyborg Testing appeared first on The Aviationist.

The live fire event is the first in a series of development test events that will ensure AARGM-ER can meet required objectives as it is about to enter Low Rate Initial Production. The U.S. Navy [...]

The post U.S. Navy Launched An AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range For The First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.

The ARRW missile’s rocket motor failed to ignite after it was released by the B-52 over Point Mugu Sea Range. The U.S. Air Force conducted its second AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) booster flight [...]

The post First Flight Test Of Hypersonic AGM-183A ARRW (Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon) Fails, Again. appeared first on The Aviationist.