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Developed by Sichuan Tengden, the vehicle has a stated cargo capacity of 2,000 kg and is said to be the largest Chinese UAV built to date. The previous holder of the title was the Feihong [...]

The post China’s Largest Heavy Transport UAV Performs Maiden Flight appeared first on The Aviationist.

During the most recent iteration of Exercise Bamboo Eagle, the Nellis Aggressors squadrons played a crucial role in providing an exceptionally realistic training environment for participating aircrews. On Aug. 10, 2024, the U.S. Air Force [...]

The post Nellis Aggressors Lead Advanced Red Forces Operations in Exercise Bamboo Eagle 24-3 appeared first on The Aviationist.

The exercise director for Northern Lightning 2024 states this year’s exercise builds on last year’ success, providing exceptional training against DOD’s pacing threat: China. The annual two week long Northern Lightning exercise located at Volk [...]

The post Focus on Pacific Theater and Agile Combat Employment: Exclusive Interviews with F-35 Pilots of Northern Lightning 2024 appeared first on The Aviationist.

50 years ago, the Panavia Tornado took to the skies for the first time, inaugurating a long, action-packed and impressive career, including 42 years of service with the Italian Aeronautica Militare. On Aug. 14, 1974 [...]

The post Italian Tornados: the Panavia Tornado in Italian Air Force Service appeared first on The Aviationist.

The jets, from the Rafale Transformation Squadron, were returning from an aerial refueling training mission over Germany, when they collided for unknown causes. Two Dassault Rafales of the French Air and Space Force were involved [...]

The post Two French Dassault Rafales Collide Mid-Air, One Pilot Safe, Two Killed appeared first on The Aviationist.

Aug. 14, 2024, marks the 50th anniversary of the Panavia Tornado’s first flight, the largest European aeronautical cooperation program with over 950 aircraft built. The Panavia Tornado, the European variable sweep wing bomber, celebrates this [...]

The post The Panavia Tornado Turns 50 Today: the History of the Variable Sweep Wing Bomber appeared first on The Aviationist.

One of the only two surviving Martin JRM Mars flying boats was finally retired after 78 years of service, flying to its new home at the British Columbia Aviation Museum. “Hawaii Mars II”, one of [...]

The post 78 Years Old Martin JRM Mars Retires To Museum appeared first on The Aviationist.

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.