News Reports
AIRVG 2024
On May 11, 2024, Zagreb Franjo Tuđman airport hosted AIRVG 2024 in conjunction with the Croatian Air Force to help celebrate the retirement of its last remaining Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed aircraft, and the introduction of its replacement, the Dassault Rafale F-3R. VG stands for the city Velika Gorica where the [...]
Aeronautica Militare retires AMX
Following 35 years of service, the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) formally retired its last remaining AMX A-11 ‘Ghibli’ light combat and reconnaissance aircraft from service on April 5, 2024. The Italian term ‘Ghibli’ derives from the hot dry wind that blows in North Africa. This historic occasion was marked [...]
Army Air Corps Apache AH-64D retirement
© Ian Harding | Army Air Corps | Westland Apache AH1 On March 25, 2024 following 23 years of service, the Army Air Corps officially retired the AgustaWestland/Boeing WAH-64D (Apache AH1) from service whilst also declaring the Boeing Apache AH-64E Guardian v6 operationally ready. As has become standard practice nowadays, [...]
Poland AW101 Merlin Mk614
As tension surrounding the invasion of Ukraine by Russia builds, it is no surprise that Poland continues to sign various contracts with European and US companies to strengthen the country’s air defence capability. This process commenced in January 2020 when Poland and the US State department signed a Letter of [...]
What a M-STAR!
The sharply painted M-STAR, a 1981 built Boeing 727-2X8 began its final series of flights from Dubai to the Cotswolds on 31st January 2024, for a somewhat unknown future. Westleigh Bushell was on hand at Cotswold Airport to witness what could be the aircraft's final landing. History…. Having always been in [...]
Westland Gazelle AH1 Swan Song
On Monday October 23rd 2023, three 665 Squadron, 5 Regiment Army Air Corps Westland Gazelle AH1s departed RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland for a short tour of UK landmarks. This brings to an end this chapter of the aircrafts UK military service life with the official end of service date [...]
RAF Fairford 2nd Bomb Wing B-52 Deployment
The latest Bomber Task Force deployment of B-52 Stratofortress aircraft into RAF Fairford has commenced, which has so far seen six of the behemoth aircraft arrive at the Gloucestershire Air Base. The arrival of the 2nd Bomb Wing aircraft from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, has seen around 400 [...]
RAF F-35B delivered to RAF Marham
Wednesday June 6, 2018 marked a historic event in UK Aviation, which saw the first batch of RAF F-35B delivered to RAF Marham, Norfolk. Whilst public opinion may be divided on the long awaited delivery of the Lightning II, the arrival of the first four aircraft welcomes the most advanced [...]
RAF100 Centenary Celebrations
With April 1, 2018 marking the 100 year result of the amalgamation of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps, Jamie Ewan looks at what the Royal Air Force has planned to commemorate, in this their centenary year, under the banner RAF100. Three words - Commemorate. Celebrate. Inspire. These are [...]
Lightning XR713 56 Sqn scheme
On July 23, 2017 the Lightning Preservation Group’s F3, XR713, was rolled out in a fresh new scheme representing two revered squadrons that once operated the type. Having been partly funded by the Centre of Aviation Photography (COAP), a photoshoot was arranged for a limited number of photographers to capture [...]
Blackburn Buccaneer S2 XN974 Unveil
When compared to so many other types it once shared the skies with, the Blackburn Buccaneer has survived in far better numbers - some 48 complete airframes are still in existence today. The first production example of the S2 variant, Blackburn Buccaneer S2 XN974, has been the focus of a near [...]
XV(R) Squadron Photo Event
The gradual drawdown of the Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 fleet hits a significant milestone in 2017, bringing an end to the Tornado fleet in Scotland, and an end to 23 years of a familiar sight around the Moray skies. March 31st will see the last RAF Tornado unit based at [...]
Royal Navy Lynx Retirement
Fast, sleek, agile and sporty; words which are often used to describe and sum up the Westland Lynx - a helicopter that, in March 2017, will finally reach the end of a remarkable forty-one years of service with the Royal Navy. Mark Kwiatkowski reports from the last home of the [...]
AeroResource 2016 Highlights
If social media is to be believed, 2016 was the worst year in the history of the world, with several “shock” events like the EU referendum result and the election of Donald Trump dominating headlines. In the aviation enthusiast community, it has seemed somewhat quieter. 2016 saw additional retirements from [...]
KC-135 60th Anniversary
On August 31, 1956 at just after 1pm local time, a new Boeing jet took to the skies for its first flight. That jet, Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker 55-3118 named ‘City of Renton’, started a story that is now 60 years old – and continuing! In 2016, the KC-135 is still [...]
First F-35 Lightning IIs arrive in United Kingdom
Wednesday 29th June 2016 saw a significant milestone for the F-35 program, as the first deployment of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II to the United Kingdom commenced with three aircraft landing at RAF Fairford, including one of the first three examples for the Royal Air Force. Plans for the F-35 [...]
The Jet Provost Display Team
In a time where the UK’s classic jet scene is adjusting to the post Shoreham era, many in the aviation community have asked what the future will hold for it. That said, 2015 saw the formation of The Jet Provost Display Team who hope to make their mark on the [...]
HMX-1 Presidential Helicopters at RAF Mildenhall
It’s all but impossible to miss news of a United States Presidential visit to the United Kingdom, or indeed to any country – the event is always marked with significant pomp and circumstance, as befits the reception of a foreign Head of State. What normally does go unnoticed is the [...]
Irish Air Corps – Easter Rising Centenary
The Easter Rising of 1916 was the most significant uprising in Ireland against Britain since the United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798, and is generally regarded as the first time that an Irish Republic was declared. A century on and the Irish Air Corps took part in a series of flypasts [...]
Westland Sea King HC4 Commando Retirement
The 31st of March 2016 heralded another sad day in the history of UK military aviation as the iconic dark green Westland Sea King HC4 Commando helicopters, affectionately known as 'Junglies', were retired from active service after nigh on 36 years of providing a heavy lift and troop carrying capability [...]
American Air Museum reopening
In March 2015, the American Air Museum at the Imperial War Museum Duxford closed its doors for a year as it underwent a major refurbishment of both the building and the displays. A little over a year later, Saturday March 19 saw the public reopening of the museum giving everyone [...]