Articles from the latest issue in digital format
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
‘Ironmen’ reactivate as new F-22A FTU at Langley-Eustis
In preparation for the relocation of the F-22A Formal Training Unit mission from Florida to Virginia, the USAF’s Air Combat Command reactivated the 71st Fighter Squadron under the 1st Fighter Wing/Operations Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton on January 6
USAF performs largest mass C-17A launch in joint force exercise
Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina carried out the launch of 24 USAF-operated C-17A Globemaster IIIs on January 5 – the largest mass launch of the type from a single base – as part of a mission generation exercise that the air arm claims involved almost 60 aircraft
Rafale deliveries to France restart after four-year hiatus
Dassault Aviation’s production facility in Mérignac delivered a dual-seat Dassault Rafale B (F3-R) to the French Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA; Directorate General of Armaments) on December 29, marking the first delivery of a new-build example of the multi-role fighter to France in four years.
CH-53K King Stallion enters full-rate production
Following a decision made by Frederick J Stefany, the Assistant Secretary of the US Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift transport helicopter formally entered full-rate production (FRP) at the end of 2022
Inside the cockpit: Exercise Falcon Strike from a Dutch F-35 pilot's perspective
Read about a Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-35A pilot's time flying a training mission during Falcon Strike 22 defending a C-27 with paratroopers onboard from enemy SAM systems and a Navy cruiser vessel
Why is the USAF rapidly moving to withdraw its F-15C/D Eagles from Kadena?
Barely a month after the USAF announced that Kadena Air Base in Japan would lose its F-15C/D Eagles, they are now heading home. Combat Aircraft Journal reports
Why the Nimrod MRA4 is one of Britain's most infamous procurement failures
Over-optimistic deadlines, numerous technical challenges and spiralling costs conspired to make the Nimrod MRA4 one of the UK Ministry of Defence’s most infamous procurement failures, as Combat Aircraft Journal details
Talking to the Canadian CC-130 crews delivering aid to Ukraine
The Royal Canadian Air Force at Prestwick, Scotland, is distributing hundreds of tons of cargo to Ukraine and the Middle East. Combat Aircraft Journal recently caught up with the team
