Inside the final days of 47 Sqn as RAF C-130J retirement looms
The RAF is in the process of bidding a fond farewell to two very iconic components of its airlift organisation this June: No 47 Squadron – which was formally deactivated on June 8 – and the Hercules C4/C5 fleet. Khalem Chapman visited RAF Brize Norton in late May to find out how the drawdown efforts are going and how the C-130J will be missed by those closest to it
Netherlands buys H225Ms to replace RNLAF's ageing Cougar fleet
The Dutch MOD has revealed it will replace the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s ageing fleet of AS532U2 Cougar medium-lift tactical transport helicopters – which are predominately used to support Special Operations Forces missions – with 14 new-build H225M Caracal multi-mission tactical rotorcraft
Canada’s first Airbus CC-330 rolled out as delivery nears
The Canadian Department of National Defence shared an initial image of the first of two Airbus CC-330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports sporting its operational white, red and blue livery ahead of its planned delivery to the Royal Canadian Air Force this summer
Switzerland bids fond farewell to world's only civil-operated Mirage IIIDS
The end of an era was marked at Payerne Air Base in Switzerland on May 25, when former Swiss Air Force-operated Dassault Mirage IIIDS (ex-serial J-2012, now registered as HB-RDF) – the only airworthy, civil-registered example of the fighter in the world – completed its final flight
GALLERY: French Dassault Rafales defending Europe's eastern flank
French Air and Space Force Dassault Rafales recently took over as the augmenting nation for NATO’s Baltic Air Policing. Bartek Bera looks at the Rafale’s role in defending Europe’s Eastern flank
How the USAF is planning to massively change its frontline fighter fleets
The USAF’s fighter force comprises a disparate mix of aircraft types – some of which are rather old – and there are urgent plans to recapitalize the fleet with a mix of new and upgraded types, as Jon Lake explains
Canada, Netherlands eyeing Global 6500-based maritime patrol solution?
Canadian manufacturer of business jets and special mission aircraft, Bombardier, has teamed up with General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada to offer a Global 6500-based multi-mission maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare solution as a replacement for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s ageing CP-140M Aurora fleet and the wider international export market
USAF clears B-2 to resume flight ops after six-month safety pause
The USAF’s 20-strong fleet of Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit stealth bombers has finally been cleared to return to flight operations after it was grounded for nearly six months as a safety precaution after one aircraft was involved in an accident at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, in December – the details of which remain largely unknown
Behind the scenes of Gripen air-to-air refuelling certification
AirForces Monthly was invited to witness an air-to-air refuelling certification process for the JAS 39C/D Gripen. Björn Rüdén joined the trials over the Baltic Sea
Revealed: new Polish squadron colours for HAC Hurricane
Dual identity salutes two different Polish Battle of Britain pilots who served at Duxford on the same unit
Your source for all the latest Airforce and military aircraft news
As the latest fifth-generation platform, the Lockheed Martin F-35 is in use globally for international partner airforces, from the United States Airforce (USAF) to the RAF and the Australian airforce, the sixth-generation fighters are already on the drawing board.
Find out which airforces are looking at virtual cockpits, networked platforms and piloted aircraft working with drone wingmen for the stealth fighters of the 2030s and discover which airforces are planning to replace their existing fleets with the fighter planes of the future.
Military Aircraft Retirement and Technology Updates
International forces around the world are deploying military aircraft manufactured in France, Russia and America including aircraft from Saab, France’s Dassault Rafale, Russian Mig-29s and the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, which it will operate for years to come.
What will also be flying well into the next decade is the USAF’s Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter. The next decade will also see the USAF’s newest stealth bomber, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider enter service, while the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber will be in its seventh decade of operational service after refurbishments and restorations. This page is the only place you need to be to find out all the latest news on retirements and new deployments.
Be the first to find out which existing platforms such as France’s Dassault Mirage 2000 light weight jet and the Eurofighter Typhoon are facing the need for wholesale technology updates. The Eurofighter is being upgraded for an electronic warfare role in the 2020s and the USAF is improving some of its Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons with F-35 fifth generation technology.
From restorations to retirement and procurement, international projects for new networked technologies including piloted and autonomous platforms and the contracts to manufacture them, all of this fast-moving defence aviation news and analysis can be found here.
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