Step Back in Time – 1980 Hawk Flight and Tactical Training at RAF Brawdy
An interesting snapshot, from the January 1981 issue of Aeroplane Monthly, of RAF fast jet training from a time when the air force was ramping up aircrew throughput to populate the growing Tornado GR.1 force
F135 Engine Core Upgrade: Powering the Future
After Pratt & Whitney’s F135 Engine Core Upgrade solution was chosen by the USAF to enhance the F-35’s powerplant ahead of the highly anticipated Block 4 configuration, Khalem Chapman spoke with the firm about the progress being made and the benefits it will bring to not only the Lightning II family, but also future sixth-generation fighters
Life on a RAF Germany Phantom squadron
With the Cold War in full flow, West Germany’s position on the front line demanded an allied presence. Former RAF Phantom pilot Al Munro gives a taste of his Battle Flight years
How the RAF took the Harrier into the field
The Harrier Field Force was a revolutionary concept for the Cold War RAF, yet despite its birth pangs, it soon evolved into an unrivalled capability. We spoke to the man who, more than anyone else, made it so
The Blackburn Buccaneer: Red Flag’s low-level legend
Former Buccaneer squadron commander Graham Pitchfork describes the RAF’s extraordinary success during the early Red Flag exercises
74 Sqn and the Lightning F.3
Tony Clay describes the Lightning F.3 and its time with the RAF’s famous ‘Tigers’, 74 Squadron
TSR2: The greatest aircraft the RAF never flew?
Arguably the most controversial aircraft in British history, the TSR2 still has the power to divide opinion. Was it rightly cancelled or a missed opportunity? In the January 2017 issue of Aviation News, Dr Kevin Wright weighed up the arguments.