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Explore the latest news and features by our world-class aviation journalists. Stay up to date on the latest military aviation developments, commercial airline news, historic restoration projects, flight simulation releases and much more.
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Military
RAND report warns of threat to UK air mobility
A report written by the RAND think tank has revealed that the UK’s military mobility could “have to do more with less” as tactical and strategic platforms are gradually retired over the next two decades
Argentine Air Force participates in huge airlift exercise
The Argentine Air Force participated in a wide-ranging exercise from September 20 to October 6 to improve strategic airlift operations, utilising its newly acquired 737-700 transport aircraft, which was delivered in March this year, among other assets
What lies ahead for EEA 1/54 'Dunkirk' and France's covert ISR assets?
We look at the platforms that have served the French Air and Space Force’s secretive Airborne Electronic Squadron 1/54 ‘Dunkirk’ and detail the new intelligence-gathering assets that are set to enter service in the coming years
FPDA nations plan commemorative 50th Anniversary display
The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) member nations will participate in a mixed force flypast and naval display over and in the waters off Marina South, Singapore, on October 18 to celebrate 50 years of the defence pact
Inside the US Air Force's Kabul Airlift operation
Broadly considered an operational success, the Kabul Airlift was also a record-breaking effort by the US Air Force. Babak Taghvaee reports
Commercial
The curious cargoes of Air Atlantique’s DC-3s in the 1980s
Air Atlantique’s Douglas Dakotas carried all manner of cargo – from Cognac to cabbages – in their busy ’80s heyday, as Charles Woodley details in a new book charting the carrier’s history
Snapshot: Lufthansa Cargo's MD-11 retirement
As Lufthansa Cargo closed the book on almost a quarter of a century of McDonnell Douglas MD-11F operations, Vasco Garcia opted for a unique perspective, shooting the historic occasion from a helicopter.
French bee accepts 480-seat A350
Paris-based French bee has introduced its maiden Airbus A350-1000. The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97-equipped widebody, F-HMIX (c/n 539) – leased from Air Lease Corporation – was officially handed over by the European manufacturer on December 17, 2021 having previously made the short delivery hop from Toulouse to French bee’s Paris/Orly base.
Historic
The aeroplane that led to the Harrier
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier was the face of aviation during the Falklands Conflict. But before it came the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel, an experimental aircraft that would lead to the first VTOL jet fighter-bomber
Aeroplane Database: The BAe Sea Harrier in service
The aircraft that defined an era of front-line Fleet Air Arm operations — not least in the Falklands
Latest BBMF boss Sqn Ldr Mark ‘Suggs’ Sugden interview
James Peene met with the latest officer in charge of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. In the first of a BBMF two-part feature, here’s what Sqn Ldr Mark ‘Suggs’ Sugden had to say about his role
Flight Simulation
Baron's Combat Corner: Flying and fighting in the P-51 Mustang
We discuss the attributes of the North American P-51 Mustang and why it has earned a reputation as the best all-round US fighter to have served in World War Two.
oliXsim’s Lockheed Lodestar Model 18
In this review, we take a nostalgic look at a classic of the 1940s as we explore oliXsim’s Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar for X-Plane 11.
Honeycomb announces new products, plus Xbox support
Honeycomb Aeronautical has announced major product updates including the launch of a new joystick and throttle, and Xbox support for its entire range of controllers.