FABULOUS ‘FITTERS’ IN THE UK
The Royal International Air Tattoo at
RAF Fairford in July may have suffered from the no-show by the F-35
Lightning II, but the attendance of three Polish Air Force Su-22
‘Fitters’ made for a clear highlight among the participants, as Jamie
Hunter describes
EXERCISE REPORT: NATO TIGER MEET 2014
Bob Fischer reports as the NATO Tiger Squadrons gather at Schleswig-Jagel in Germany
RETURN OF THE AMOOZIN’ DOGPATCHERS
While
Congress struggled with the decision to retire the entire US Air Force
A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet, a former Air Force Reserve Command ‘Warthog’
squadron was being resurrected. Rens van Rijn and Dennis Vink/PHODOCU
visit the 47th Fighter Squadron ‘Dogpatchers’
A-10: SHOULD IT STAY OR SHOULD IT GO?
As
the US Air Force says it needs to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II to
save money, others argue that it is a short-sighted move to save other
programs. Jamie Hunter analyses the pros and cons of retiring the
popular ‘Warthog’
ALL CHANGE AT HOLLOMAN
Holloman Air Force
has now lost its two ‘signature’ stealth warplanes, but it is now at the
forefront of drone training and also home to the newly arrived F-16s of
the 54th Fighter Group, as Robert F. Dorr discovers. Exclusive images
by Jim Haseltine
EXERCISE REPORT: RUSSIAN TOP GUN
The final
stage of the second edition of the ‘Aviadarts’ gunnery competition,
involving all Russian Air Force branches, took place in the last week of
May. Andrey Zinchuk and Alexander Mladenov were there
UNIT REPORT: THE JERSEY DEVILS
The
New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th Fighter Wing, known as the
‘Jersey Devils’, has been flying jet fighters from Atlantic City’s
airport for 56 years. Dr Richard Porcelli looks into how the unit
operates and shows how the US taxpayer gets ‘more bang for the buck’
from the Air National Guard
UKRAINIAN HEAVYWEIGHTS
The
Ukrainian Air Force inherited no fewer than 243 Su-24s — the
second-largest ‘Fencer’ fleet in the world. Babak Taghvaee finds out
more about the remnants of this previously mighty force
AIR POWER REVIEW: FUERZA AÉREA ARGENTINA
Once
one of the most powerful air arms in Latin America, the Argentine Air
Force has suffered from years of budget cuts and poor planning, as
Santiago Rivas details
THE LONGHORNS AND THE SIERRA
The
reliable MH-60S makes an excellent search and rescue aircraft. Ted
Carlson/Fotodynamics joins the ‘Longhorns’ of Air Operations Department
Fallon and their trio of ‘Sierras’
EXERCISE REPORT: TURKISH DELIGHT
Derek
Bower attends exercise ‘Anatolian Eagle’, the latest edition of which
saw the ¬ first participation by Qatar with its Mirage 2000-5s
PILOT PROFILE: CF-18 DEMONSTRATION TEAM
Stuart Sanders meets Capt Adam ‘Manik’ Runge, this year’s Royal Canadian Air Force CF-188 demonstration pilot
PROWLER FINALE
Rich
Cooper and Steve Comber embark the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) to
witness the US Navy EA-6B Prowler on its last ever cruise with VAQ-134
‘Garudas’
CUTTING EDGE
Combat Aircraft’s monthly column reporting from the front line of aerospace technology, by David Axe
News
HEADLINE NEWS
F-35 grounding order prevents international debut
US NEWS
US
Air Force Combat Rescue Helicopter contract awarded, Next- Gen bomber
request for proposals and Mountain Home Strike Eagles receive new radar
EUROPE NEWS
Euro-fighter submits proposal to Denmark for new fighter and first series production Il-38N makes inaugural flight
WORLD NEWS
Japanese stealth fighter formally revealed, Korean F-16s prepare for upgrade and F-15SGs on ‘Red Flag’