The Aviationist Blog

The Globemaster at work in Alaska. Taken on Nov. 3, 2015 the following photos show a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster landing on the icy tarmac at Deadhorse, Alaska, after having successfully deployed part of a Stryker platoon assigned to U.S. Army Alaska’s Bravo Company, 3-21 Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Operation Arctic Pegasus […]

The U.S. are ready to defend South Korea after the umpteenth provocative action by North Korea . On Jan. 10, 2016 in  response to the North Korea’s recent nuclear test, a U.S. Air Force B-52 from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, performed a low-level flight over Osan Air Base, South Korea. A Republic of Korea […]

This video shows that an Iranian ship actually fired rockets near USS Harry S. Truman. As reported by several media outlets on Dec. 26, 2015 an Iranian vessel approached aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) while transiting the Strait of Hormuz and fired rockets in a direction away from the American flattop. According to […]

Here are some incredible photos captured by a Travis Air Force Base KC-10 Extender aircrew. We have already published a cool aerial photograph and footage of the flyover conducted on Jan. 1, 2016, by a B-2 Spirit belonging to the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri that opened the 102nd Rose Bowl […]

Another cool “brttttttttt video.” Filmed throughout acceptance trials for a new lot of ammunition, this impressive clip shows a GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling Gun firing from a test stand. What makes this video interesting is the fact that although the muzzle was placed 40 feet from the camera you can clearly hear the noise of the […]

Some cool U.S. Army CH-47F Chinook images. Taken on Aug. 21, 2015, the following beautiful pictures show brand new CH-47F Chinook helicopters from Hotel Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), taking off after refueling at a local German airport and flying in a convoy formation enroute to Bremerhaven port. The new CH-47F […]

The WC-135 is going to search for fallout from the alleged North Korean test. A U.S. Air Force WC-135 will soon be in action near the Korean peninsula, searching for fallout from the alleged North Korea’s nuclear test. According to the Washington Post, a U.S. defense official confirmed that the WC-135 Constant Phoenix atmospheric collections […]

F-35Bs showcase their STOVL capabilities that can be useful for remote airfield ops. Taken on May 6, 2015 the following footage features two F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, based out at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, practicing short take off and vertical landings as part of required flying field carrier landing practices (FCLP) […]

The B-2 Rose Bowl flyover as seen from  above. As already reported, on Jan. 1, 2016, a B-2 Spirit belonging to the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, opened the 102nd Rose Bowl Game between the Big Ten Conference West Division champion Iowa Hawkeyes and the Pac-12 Conference champion Stanford Cardinal, at the […]

The Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) has lost one of its F-16s performing a mission to support the Saudi-led air offensive in Yemen. The Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) General Command reported that am RBAF‘s F-16 jet went down in Jizan province, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 30, 2015, while it was undertaking the national duty of […]

Developed by a private Russian design bureau, the SR-10 (CP-10) is a single engine, all-composite jet trainer with a (moderate) forward-swept wing. The footage below shows the first flight of SR-10, a Russian subsonic, single engine, all-composite dual-pilot jet trainer aircraft developed by KB SAT. Developed by a private Russian design bureau called KB SAT, […]

B-2 Stealth Bomber at today’s Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game. On Jan. 1, 2016, a B-2 Spirit with 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, opened the Rose Bowl college football bowl game played at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California with a flyover that was filmed from a helicopter. Here below […]

RAF Eurofighter Typhoons have joined the service Tornados in air strikes against the Islamic State. Taken on Dec.22, 2015 from the boom position aboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker belonging to 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron (EARS), this interesting photo shows a fully armed Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 as it receives fuel […]

You don’t happen to see an aircraft carrying two dummy nuclear bombs. As we reported in July 2015, the U.S. Air Force is conducting a series of test drops, in Nevada, of the latest LEP (Life-Extention Program) upgrade to the B61 line of nuclear weapons: the B61-12. These tests involve F-15E Strike Eagles of the […]

Here’s the new version of the infographic about Russia’s air war in Syria. At the end of October we posted the first version of this infographic about the Russian Intervention in Syria, prepared by Louis Martin-Vézian of CIGeography. Many things have happened since then: the Russian Air Force has carried out raids using its Strike […]

The incredible story of how a paperclip avoided the loss of an XB-70 Valkyrie. On Apr. 30, 1966, the second XB-70 prototype, the Air Vehicle 2 (AV 2), suffered a short-circuit in the landing gear retraction system shortly after the take-off from Edwards Air Force Base. As a result of this malfunction the nose gear […]

Kalibr cruise missiles from submarine in the Med and bombs from Tu-22 Backfires have pounded targets in Syria. On Dec. 8, Russia launched a barrage of new air and missile strikes against ground targets in Syria. The attack was somehow spoiled by the NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) issued by the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority about […]

Boat delivery Air Force Special Operations Command-way. The picture in this post shows an MC-130J Commando II belonging to the 9th Special Operations Squadron airdropping a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery System over the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 12, 2015. MCADS enable special operations forces members to rapidly deploy anywhere around […]

Here’s an interesting video showing an ejection from a different point of view…. On Oct. 27, 2015, a Royal Danish Air Force pilot was forced to eject from his F-16A block 20 MLU over the North Sea after jet suffered a landing gear problem that prevented it from safely landing back at Skrydstrup air base. […]

FBI aircraft have been particularly active over San Bernardino, California, during and after the mass shooting. As already highlighted on Twitter, several assets, including FBI planes and media helicopters, could be tracked online on Dec. 2, during the San Bernardino terrorist attack. The airspace over #SanBernadino is a bit crowded according to @flightradar24 pic.twitter.com/iyruJbcyqJ — […]