The Aviationist Blog

The former Royal Air Force Tornado F2, acquired by the future NASA chief, is the specially equipped TIARA (Tornado Integrated Avionics Research Aircraft), used as a testbed for various avionics and aerospace technologies. The work on the Tornado F2 acquired by Jared Isaacman, the soon-to-be NASA chief, is progressing steadily, with the former CEO of […]

The post Jared Isaacman’s Tornado F2’s Assembly Progresses, as Jet Awaits Certification and First Flight appeared first on The Aviationist.

Originally designed as a medium bomber, the B-47 also had a lesser known and more secretive role in the Cold War, serving in a reconnaissance role as the RB-47 to monitor the Soviet military and its Warsaw Pact allies. Shot down just two months after the famous U-2 incident, the RB-47 also made overflights behind […]

The post Boeing’s B-47 Stratojet Goes Cold War Spying: The story of the RB-47 appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Skyhawks supporting the RCAF have been upgraded by Top Aces to the A-4 Advanced Aggressor Fighter configuration, which includes advanced capabilities and an arctic splinter camo to replicate near-peer threats at lower costs. Top Aces, the private ADAIR (Advanced Adversary Air) company which provides adversary, or Aggressor, training in support of multiple militaries, is […]

The post Top Aces Continues to Support Royal Canadian Air Force’s Training with Upgraded A-4 Skyhawks appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Ukrainian Su-25s started using the French-made AASM Hammer guided bombs in June 2024, as the stocks of Soviet-made unguided munitions were depleted and Western ones started dwindling. A new video showing the Ukrainian Su-25 Frogfoot in action, posted online on Jan. 1, 2025, shows for the first time the Soviet-mad close air support aircraft […]

The post Ukrainian Su-25 Seen Armed with AASM Hammer Bombs in Video for the First Time appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Chinese naval build up continues with the launch of Sichuan amphibious assault ship, the lead ship of the Type 076 class, displacing 40,000 tons and equipped with an electromagnetic catapult for fixed-wing aircraft operations. On Dec. 27, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) officially launched its latest amphibious assault ship (AAS) from Shanghai, […]

The post China Launches ‘40,000 Ton’ Catapult-Equipped Amphibious Assault Ship Sichuan in a Bid to Rival the U.S. appeared first on The Aviationist.

Ukraine’s Military Intelligence equipped a Magura V5 Unmanned Surface Vessel with R-73 air-to-air missiles and says it scored a kill against a Russian Mi-8 helicopter, with another helicopter damaged. On Dec. 31, 2024, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine posted on its Telegram and X accounts a video from Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, showing the downing […]

The post Ukrainian Surface Drone Equipped with R-73 Air-to-Air Missiles Shot Down Russian Mi-8 Helicopter appeared first on The Aviationist.

We recently visited Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, in Japan, to witness an ordinary day of operations at the base. It became immediately evident that MCAS Iwakuni is anything but ordinary. MCAS Iwakuni, located on the southwestern tip of Honshu – the most populated island in Japan, is home to the largest concentration of combat […]

The post Exclusive: Interviews With Senior Leaders from MCAS Iwakuni, Home of the Indo-Pacific’s Largest Concentration of Combat Airpower appeared first on The Aviationist.

A €91.7 million contract to replace Ireland’s existing EC135 fleet was awarded to Airbus Helicopters, with deliveries to commence in 2027. Ireland’s EC135s have been in service since 2003, with the introduction of the first EC135 T2. Two EC135 P2s, with different engines, increased the fleet to three aircraft in 2005, before an additional T2 […]

The post Irish Air Corps Orders Four Airbus H145M Helicopters appeared first on The Aviationist.

The only USAF base in Europe and Africa with CSAR helicopters, Aviano is the last active duty base to transition from the legacy HH-60G Pave Hawk to the recently delivered HH-60W Jolly Green II. The 56th Rescue and Rescue Generation Squadrons at Aviano Air Base, Italy, recently flew the last mission of the active duty […]

The post U.S. Air Force Flies Final Active Duty HH-60G Mission at Aviano Air Base as First HH-60W Arrives appeared first on The Aviationist.

The contract comes after Lockheed Martin said in October that it was internally funding the F-35 production line while negotiations for Lots 18 and 19, which had been ongoing since 2023, were underway. The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin an “undefinitized” contract, worth $11.8 billion, to produce as a part of Lot 18 a total […]

The post Lockheed Martin Awarded ‘Undefinitized’ Contract for 145 F-35s Worth $11 Billion appeared first on The Aviationist.

Unconfirmed accounts from two pilots, including the one shot down, described how the F/A-18F was engaged while recovering on the USS Truman and another missile was launched at a second aircraft. As already reported, on Dec. 22, 2024, an F/A-18F Super Hornet, embarked aboard USS Harry S. Truman, was shot down in what the U.S. Central […]

The post Let’s Examine the Pilots’ Accounts Emerged After the Friendly Fire Incident Involving the F/A-18 Over the Red Sea appeared first on The Aviationist.

Originally intended for long-range heavy bomber escort missions over Japan during World War Two, the F-82 arrived in service too late but did see action in the next war in Korea. First Blood from the Last of Her Kind On Jun. 25, 1950, a peaceful Sunday was suddenly interrupted when 90,000 North Korean troops stormed […]

The post The North American F-82 Twin Mustang: A Forgotten Fighter of the Forgotten War appeared first on The Aviationist.

The unusual design integrates radar arrays in its booms, as well as satellite communication, which would allow the PLA to create a networked mesh of manned and unmanned AEW assets, offering redundancy and flexibility. A video has emerged of China’s unorthodox Wuzhen-9 (or WZ-9) “Divine Eagle” unmanned aircraft, which has been described in social media […]

The post First Visuals of China’s WZ-9 Divine Eagle AEW Drone Surface Online appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Austrian MoD is currently negotiating the procurement contract with the Italian government, with the 12 aircraft being eyed for both training and air defense roles. Austria has decided to acquire the Leonardo M-346FA, the light fighter variant of the M-346 Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT). Citing military sources, the Austrian newspaper Krone said a letter […]

The post Austria Announces Acquisition of M-346FA appeared first on The Aviationist.

Let’s have a look at the markings sported by the final six F-15E Strike Eagles of the 492nd Fighter Squadron, which have just returned from their deployment to the Middle East. The final six F-15E Strike Eagle jets belonging to the 492nd Fighter Squadron “Madhatters” of the 48th Fighter Wing, deployed to the CENTCOM AOR […]

The post Nicknames, Nose Art, and Bomb Markings of the Final 492nd FS F-15Es Returning from the Middle East appeared first on The Aviationist.

The RAF Typhoons, which were returning from the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course in the UAE, made a stop in Turkey for a ‘detailed inspection’ in the presence of top Turkish and British defense officials. The diplomatic push of the United Kingdom and Germany for Turkey to acquire the Eurofighter Typhoon is now moving from words […]

The post RAF Typhoons Visit Turkey’s Mürted Air Base as Ankara Pushes to Acquire the Fighters appeared first on The Aviationist.

Two years after the first Eagles returned to the United States, the last F-15C is now ready to leave Kadena Air Base in Japan, where the type was stationed since 1979. The United States Air Force’s 18th Wing is about to complete the divestment of its F-15C/D Eagle fleet, with the last airframe ready to […]

The post The Last U.S. Air Force F-15C Prepares to Leave Kadena appeared first on The Aviationist.

The U.S. Navy announced it awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman to conduct mission-systems integration for the E-130J that will replace the E-6B in the TACAMO mission. Northrop Grumman has been selected as the prime contractor for the E-130J NC3 (Nuclear Command, Control and Communications) aircraft which will perform the US Navy’s TACAMO (Take Charge […]

The post Northrop Grumman Selected to Develop TACAMO System for the E-130J appeared first on The Aviationist.

Recently released images show J-15s of one of the brigades attached to the Naval Aviation University practicing launch and recovery operations at an unspecified coastal base where a flight deck with jet blast deflectors and arresting wires has been set up. Sometime between late November and early December 2024, a brigade with China’s Naval Aviation […]

The post PLAN’s Naval Aviation University Performs J-15 Flight Training on Simulated Carrier Deck appeared first on The Aviationist.

Named Tryzub after the golden trident used as a national symbol of Ukraine, Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi states that the new weapon has a range of over two kilometers. Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, made an interesting revelation on Dec. 16, 2024 at a European Defense Industry […]

The post Ukrainian Commander Claims to Have Operational Laser Anti-Aircraft Weapon appeared first on The Aviationist.