On the 14th of April 2021 the Royal Netherlands Air Force 298 Squadron received the first CH-47F MYII CAAS Chinook helicopter. This is the first of 14 brand new helicopters build by Boeing in the USA. This Chinook is a step forward in building a 5th generation air force that is capable to fight on the digital battle field of the future.
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VIP colours for new Belgian Air Force VIP jet
The Belgian Air Force are renewing their VIP fleet, and the most recent addition has received its full colour scheme at Lelystad in The Netherlands.
Continue readingGermany and Israel write aviation history together
In July 2020, for the first time in history, Israeli fighter aircraft landed on German soil. Six F-16 ‘Barak’ jets took part in the exercise Blue Wings 2020, together with two KC-707 tankers and two Gulfstream aircraft. Hosting them was fighter wing TLG31 ‘Boelcke’ of the German Luftwaffe, who operate the Eurofighter EF.2000 from Nörvenich air base.
Continue readingKuwait Aviation Show 2020
In January, the second edition of the Kuwait Aviation Show was held under the patronage of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. During four days over 60.000 visitors witnessed some 60 aircraft and helicopters on the ground and in the air and companies from no less than 37 countries presented themselves.
Continue readingOperating the MiG-21 in NATO
Within the NATO community, one air arm is still operating the MiG-21. The Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo or Croatian Air Force fly their daily missions with the venerable fighter, protecting the South-eastern flank of the NATO territory.
Continue readingSecond life for Croatian An-32s?
In October a team of Ukrainian specialists from Antonov and Motor Sich visited Zagreb-Pleso airbase to inspect the two An-32 transport aircraft that are stored there. The Croatian Air Force currently rely on a fleet of Mi-17 and Mi-171 helicopters for transport, but are examining the possibility of putting the An-32’s back in service. Continue reading
Canada commemorates D-day at 75th birthday
Canada has a proud history regarding their participation during World War II and D-day. This year saw the 75th birthday of the famous day that started the liberation of Europe from the Nazis.
Ghana Air Force: small but capable!
The Ghana Armed Forces have a small but capable Air Force. The key to their success is training, as we found out during a recent visit to Ghana.
Canadian CH.148 Cyclone first operational deployment
The Royal Canadian Air Force reached a new milestone this summer with the first operational deployment of the CH-148 Cyclone on board a ship. We were invited to interview Major Erik Weigelin on board the HMCS Ville de Québec. Continue reading
Large air war above Northern Europe
In October and November 2018 a large scale air war was fought in the skies above Norway and also parts of Sweden and Finland. Over 250 aircraft from 14 countries battled against each other. All this as part of Exercise Trident Juncture 2018, the largest NATO exercise since the end of the Cold War. Continue reading