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Military
Spangdahlem F-16CMs arrive at Kadena Air Base in rare deployment
Eight USAF Lockheed Martin F-16CM Fighting Falcons from the 480th Fighter Squadron ‘Warhawks’ of the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany touched down at Kadena Air Base in Japan on January 16
Russian jets fly in as Belarus begins fortnight of joint air force ‘exercises’
Belarus has launched a joint air force exercise with Russia on January 16, 2023 that will last until February 1, as fears grow that start that Moscow is seeking to persuade Minsk to join the war against Ukraine
What is the current state of Taiwan's ageing F-5 Tiger II fleet?
After almost 60 years of service, the Republic of China Air Force’s F-5s are due to be phased out. Air Forces Monthly examines the impact the jet has had in ensuring the defence of the island nation
First KC-130Js arrive in Hawaii as USMC activates VMGR-153
The USMC activated a new Lockheed Martin KC-130J Hercules tanker-transport unit when Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 153 (VMGR-153) ‘Hercules’ was stood up at MCAS Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii on January 13
USAF set to continue flying ‘retired’ F-117As for another decade
While the USAF formally ‘retired’ its fleet of F-117A Nighthawk stealth attack jets in April 2008, the air arm is now seeking to keep a number of examples flying in support of “limited research and training activities” until at least 2034 – more than 25 years after the type was initially withdrawn from service
Commercial
Firefighting Jumbos
The versatile and much-loved Boeing 747 has now proved itself as a vital weapon against large-scale blazes. Frédéric Marsaly details how the type has been modified to undertake the aerial firefighting role.
NTSB releases report into fatal E175 engine ground incident
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report into an incident involving Envoy Air flight ENY3408 at Montgomery Regional Airport, Alabama on December 31, 2022.
How ITA Airways intends to avoid the mistakes of Alitalia
The Italian government wiped the slate clean of Alitalia’s 75 years of financial folly in 2021. Matteo Legnani considers ITA’s first year and those still to come as the airline welcomes its first Airbus A220s
Historic
Handley Page HP113 - the biz-jet concept based on the Canberra
Could this executive transport have been Handley Page’s saviour? Perhaps not, but the HP113 was a highly advanced design — even if it borrowed from, of all things, the Canberra
The amazing story of Lancaster Just Jane’s flight from Australia to the UK
Nobody told the Historic Aircraft Preservation Society it couldn’t have a Lancaster flown back to the UK from Australia, and operate it in private hands — so, it did. It left an outstanding legacy, for the ‘Lanc’ now known as Just Jane
Inside the five-year Italian Beechcraft C-45 restoration
A five-year-long restoration effort to return a former Italian Air Force Beechcraft C-45F Expeditor to its former glory has recently been completed at the Guardia di Finanza Air Service Museum at Pratica di Mare, Italy. Daniele Mattozzi reports for Aviation News
Flight Simulation
Tigercat for X-Plane out now
Aircraft developer, Virtavia has released the Grumman F7F Tigercat for X-Plane 11 and 12.
737 MAX8 takes flight in Prepar3D
The iFly development team, in partnership with Flight One Software, has released the 737 MAX8 for Prepar3D v5.
ICAO Codes explained
An ICAO code is a four-character alphanumeric sequence used to identify airports around the world and is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organisation...