The secret USAF Boeing 757s that don’t exist
David Isby profiles Boeing 757s flying for the US Air Force which include the high-profile VIP C-32As and the secretive C-32Bs that undertake a range of sensitive missions.
Airfield preservation group launches museum bid
The RAF Bradwell Bay Preservation Group is seeking support in its bid to create a museum close to the site’s war memorial, near Maldon in Essex
Could historic Scampton be used to house migrants?
An eminent group of historians has signed a letter to the government opposing plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton
Su-57 Felon: Why Russia’s first stealth fighter has yet to fully ‘take-off’
The fifth-generation stealth fighter Su-57 is among Russia’s top airpower priorities, but the ambitious project has suffered from protracted development and testing and the production effort is yet to gather speed. Alexander Mladenov reports
Poland and Slovakia to transfer MiG-29 fleets to Ukraine
In a significant move to support Kyiv’s ongoing battle against invading Russian forces, Poland and Slovakia have pledged to donate their Soviet-era Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters to Ukraine in the coming days
Life as an instructor on the Strike Command Bombing School
The Strike Command Bombing School didn’t exactly seem like a plum posting for a Vulcan navigator, but the chance to fly the Hastings was among the compensations
Biden ditches Trump's design for new 'Air Force One' livery
While a ‘revamped’ livery design for the USAF’s next fleet of ‘Air Force One’ aircraft – which will comprise two Boeing VC-25Bs – was announced by former US President Donald J Trump in June 2019, the incumbent President Joe Biden has selected a new scheme, which closely mirrors the one applied to the current VC-25A fleet, aside from a few key differences
Norway selects MH-60R Seahawk to partially replace NH90 fleet
Norway has announced plans to acquire six Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission utility helicopters to replace some of its now-retired fleet of NHIndustries NH90 rotorcraft, which were withdrawn from operational use in June 2022
Autogyro reproduction set to fly in Spain
An airworthy reproduction of the world’s first gyroplane has been completed at Camarenilla aerodrome in Toledo, Spain
Russian Su-27 collides with USAF Reaper drone over Black Sea
A USAF MQ-9A Reaper was destroyed after it was intercepted by two Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF) Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers during a routine intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) patrol in international airspace over the Black Sea on March 14.
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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Want to find out more about other types of military aircraft? We have dedicated pages for the latest Military Aircraft Shows, Military Fighter Aircraft and all the latest cutting-edge Military Aircraft Technology.
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