Articles from the latest issue in digital format
Everything you need to know about the Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 has been the most important transport aircraft in the Russian Air Force inventory since the 1970s. Production has restarted after a two-decade hiatus on an updated version of a type that has also served as a tanker, early warning platform and civilian freighter, among other duties. Piotr Butowski examines the type’s history.
Is the C-17 one of history's most capable airlifters?
Tom Kaminski examines the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, which has proved to be a very capable airlifter
Convair B-36 Peacemaker: The World’s Biggest Bomber
In the March 2014 issue of Aviation News, Doug Gordon told the story of the world’s largest bomber, Convair’s B-36 Peacemaker, Strategic Air Command’s first intercontinental nuclear delivery platform
ICBM missileer to B-52 pilot on Gulf War missions – an extraordinary career
The October 2017 issue of Aviation News featured Tom Kaminski’s article on how a USAF officer who initially undertook nuclear alert underground on ICBMs went on to pilot B-52s and command the type’s weapons school
The story behind the massive Antonov An-124
Named Ruslan by the Russians and Ukrainians and Condor by NATO, the Antonov An-124 is the world’s heaviest series-made military transport aircraft as well as being used by a number of civilian companies. In the March 2016 issue of Aviation News, Piotr Butowski profiled this giant heavy hauler
How Iran manages to keep its F-14 Tomcats flying
As the last operator of Grumman’s fearsome F-14 Tomcat, Iran has faced near-constant challenges in keeping the backbone of its air defence capability operational. Babak Tagvhee investigates
Why NASA’s $1bn 747 SOFIA flying observatory is being axed after just 8 years
It’s no ordinary jumbo, but despite its unique capability of providing a window to the cosmos and beyond, NASA will shortly retire its unique Boeing 747 SOFIA flying observatory. Mark Broadbent reports
US Army Mohawks peeking behind the Iron Curtain
Doug Gordon outlines the border surveillance missions undertaken by the US Army’s Mohawks in West Germany during the Cold War
USAFE Phantoms Part 2 – Wild Weasels and Recce
In the second instalment of this two-part article, Doug Gordon looks at United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) Wild Weasel and recce Phantoms and their role in the 1991 Gulf War.