Operational Reports
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 [...]
301 Hikotai Phantom II F-4EJ Kai Retirement
The Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) retired its last Phrontline Phantom aircraft at the beginning of December 2020, namely 301 Hikotai and their Phantom II F-4EJ Kai’s. The last 301 Hikotai Phantom II F-4EJ Kai retirement phlight was conducted on the 10th December by 07-8436, adorned in it’s blue [...]
JASDF RF-4 Phantom II
JASDF RF-4E 47-6905 and 57-6907 The 9th of March 2020 saw the end of an era as the JASDF RF-4 Phantom II aircraft were retired at Hyakuri Air Base after nigh on 46 years service since 47-6901 was delivered in 1974. Six of the JASDF RF-4 Phantom II aircraft flew [...]
RAF P-8A Poseidon MRA1 Arrives in the United Kingdom
120 Squadron delivers the first RAF P-8A Poseidon MRA1 to the UK On the 4th February 2020, No.120 (CXX) Squadron flew its new Maritime patrol aircraft the Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA1, serial number ZP801 – ‘Pride of Moray’, from NAS Jacksonville Florida to RAF Kinloss in Morayshire, under the callsign [...]
Cypriot Air Command – The Cyprus Air Force
Located just over six miles (10km) southeast of its namesake city, Paphos International Airport in Cyprus has the distinction of not only being the country's second largest airport, but the home to the entire flying element of the Cypriot Air Command. Located on the site’s northside, the military facility is [...]
JASDF Iruma – Kawasaki C-1
The Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) is in a period of transition as it replaces its older aircraft with a new more modern, efficient and capable air force. One of the unsung stalwarts of the Japanese transport fleet - and celebrating 45 years of service in 2019 - is [...]
Belgian Sea King Retirement
March 21, 2019 was a memorable day in the calendar for both 40 Squadron and the Belgian Air Component, as it marked the retirement of the Westland Sea King Mk 48 helicopters after 43 years of loyal service providing the Search and Rescue (SAR) capability to the people of Belgium. [...]
JMSDF Atsugi – Kawasaki P-1
The Japanese territorial waters cover a vast area around the Japanese islands. For example, Okinawa in the South to Chitose in the North is a distance of around 1400 miles in a direct line. To oversee and protect those waters the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) has utilised a fleet of around 100 Lockheed P-3 Orions since 1984. However, since 2013 the JMSDF has started to replace these ageing aircraft with its own indigenous built modern aircraft – the Kawasaki P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA).
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 [...]
115 Combat Wing
The largest of all the Greek islands, Crete sits to the South of Greece’s mainland and is home to the 115 Combat Wing - Hellenic Air Force (115 CW) based on the sprawling Souda Air Base situated near Chania. Commanded by Colonel Ioannis Birmpilis, 115 Combat Wing is tasked primarily [...]
Dark Falcon Rising
Continuing a long-standing tradition, the Belgian Air Force has again provided an F-16 solo fast jet display team to perform on the European airshow circuit for another season. Once every three years, an experienced F-16 pilot is selected to represent the Air Force both at home and internationally. From 2018, [...]
Baltic Bees Jet Team
Lying in the west of the Baltic State Latvia, the newly refurbished Jurmala Airport resides near the small historical town of Tukums. Since their inception in 2008, the Baltic Bees Jet Team have based themselves and their six immaculate and brightly coloured yellow and blue Aero Vodochody L-39Cs at this [...]
Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 (VRC-40) ‘Rawhides’
“Here we go, here we go, here we go!” - No, not the chant from fans at a football match, but the cries emanating from the two loadmasters of VRC-40 ‘Rawhides’ sat at the rear of our C-2A Greyhound, as they warn us we are just seconds from ‘trapping’ on [...]
USS George H W Bush – CVN 77
USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), the tenth, and final Nimitz Class nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier for the United States Navy (USN), is currently on its third deployment since entering service in 2009. On it's return from operations with the US Navy 5th and 6th Fleets in the ongoing operation against [...]
USAF Bomber deployment RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford was once again the focus for many aviation enthusiasts in recent weeks, with the United States Air Force (USAF) deploying all three Bomber types on the USAF inventory to the Gloucestershire base. As well as supporting a number of multinational exercises being held within the European theatre, namely [...]
F-35A Deployment to RAF Lakenheath
Eight F-35A Lightning IIs from the 34th Fighter Squadron ‘Rude Rams’ along with pilots, maintenance specialists, security and other support personnel from the active component 34th Fighter Squadron and the Air Force Reserve's 466th Fighter Squadron, both based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah recently undertook a three week deployment to RAF [...]
US Air Force Air Education & Training Command
Life in the United States Air Force (USAF) begins with the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) with their mission to "recruit, train and educate Airmen to deliver air power for America". Often nicknamed ‘The First Command’, over 30,000 students – both domestic and international – train with the 19th [...]
United States Naval Air Training Command
The United States Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) and the five Training Air Wings (TAW) of which it is comprised, pride themselves on producing the finest Naval Aviators in the world. Headquartered at Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, the student pilot training program – commanded by Chief of Naval [...]
Sion World Economic Forum Air Policing
The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting at Davos in Eastern Switzerland attracts many world leaders and important visitors to it and, as can be imagined, requires a high level of security - especially in these times of heightened alert states not only in Europe but around the world. In [...]
Aircraft Carrier Operations – USS Dwight D Eisenhower
Deployed in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE since June 2016, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower, or “The Mighty Ike”, has been conducting daily strike missions against so-called “Islamic State” in both Syria and Iraq, from both the Arabian Gulf with US Navy 5th Fleet and more recently [...]
USS Dwight D Eisenhower – Operation Inherent Resolve
Weighing in at a cool 95,000 tonnes, the Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN 69) is the second of ten such vessels that form the cornerstone of United States Naval Aviation. The Nimitz-class carriers are the largest and most powerful warships in the world, and are [...]