The Guardia Civil (Spanish Police) has received the first of four AS365N3 Dauphin IIs previously operated by Inaer for the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Feeding and Environment. The helicopter has been registered as HU30-01 - 10083/09-401 (c/n 6718, former EC-JVG). Three other Dauphin N3s are currently at Albacete for repainting before joining HU30-01 at the Guardia Civil air service headquarters at Torrejon de Ardoz Air Base, Madrid.

F-16Cs from the 14th Fighter Squadron approach a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A for air refuelling.

Indonesian Air Force F-16A TS-1608 taxis out for a sortie from RAAF Base Tindal.

The Pakistan Air Force was one of three air arms that deployed advanced variants of the F-16 Fighting Falcon to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada for exercise Red Flag 16-4. Pakistan Air Force Block 52 F-16D 10803 was one of six aircraft deployed by No.5 Squadron ‘Falcons’ based at Shahbaz Air Base. Red Flag 16-4 was the first time Pakistan has deployed Block 52 F-16s to North America.

All four Royal Thai Air Force F-16s at Pitch Black carried captive training versions of the IRIS-T air-to-air missile. The Australian deployment was the first time the recently upgraded fighters had deployed with the missile outside of Thailand.

The United Arab Emirates Air Force is no stranger to Nellis. This year the Gulf State deployed six Block 60 F-16s from Al Dhafra Air Base to Nellis for exercise Red Flag 16-4. Block F-16F 3021 was one of the aircraft deployed and is shown landing on runway 21R following the first mission of the exercise. The aircraft is painted in a lighter than normal colour scheme with a subdued serial number on the fin.

The largest foreign contingent at Red Flag 16-4 was the Israel Air and Space Force, which deployed ten F-16I Sufas and two Boeing 707 tankers. Aircraft drawn from the Sufa squadrons based at Hatzerim and Ramon Air Base were present at Nellis. F-16I 881 from the Hatzerim-based 107 Knights of the Orange Tail Squadron is shown landing at Nellis on August 15, 2016.

Royal Thai Air Force 403 Squadron F-16B 40305 painted with full colour tail markings to mark the 20th anniversary of No.4 Wing at Takhli.

RAAF F/A-18A Hornets carried the Joint Captive Aircrew Training System (JCATS) during Pitch Black. The pod simulates carriage of either laser or GPS-guided weapons.

F/A-18A Hornets from the RAAF’s No. 77 Squadron, including A21-49 painted in a full-colour paint scheme to mark the squadron’s 70th anniversary, flew offensive counter air, strike, dynamic targeting and close escort missions during Pitch Black 2016.

A Patrol Squadron 62 (VP-62) P-3C Orion. This squadron is one of the US Navy’s two reserve patrol squadrons; neither is scheduled to receive the new P-8A Poseidon.

Boeing has received a contract to upgrade the P-3K2 fleet with undersea acoustics and intelligence technology.

The ITEP engine is being designed as a potential new powerplant for the US Army Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter UH-60 and the AH-64.

An E-2D Hawkeye assigned to Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 (VAW-125) taxis across the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) prior to a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130H(T) Hercules lands at Nakaroo airstrip, Bradshaw Field Training Area during Exercise Pitch Black 2016.

Hybrid paint schemes emerge in the European charter market during the peak summer season, as airlines lease secondary operators' aircraft. One example is Small Planet Airlines A320 LY-ONJ (msn 4203) wearing Afriqiyah tail colours.

September 6, 2016 saw the first Ejercito del Aire (Spanish Air Force) A400M Atlas (msn 44, to be T23-01 - 10074/31-21) undertake its maiden flight, a three-hour, 45-minute sortie from Seville over the Mediterranean Sea. The flight followed shortly after the A400M demonstrated its ability to operate on a sand runway on a specially-constructed 1,600m (5,250ft) strip at Woodbridge, UK. These tests followed earlier successful results on the gravel surface at Ablitas in Spain and a grass runway at Ecury in France.

Republic of Singapore Air Force 111 Squadron G550AEW 016 taxis for Darwin’s runway 11 to begin the morning wave, which involved up to 60 combat aircraft launch from Darwin and Tindal.

One of the two Boeing 757-2K2 combi aircraft in service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s No.40 Squadron. Under the Future Air Mobility Capability programme, the first replacement aircraft for the 757 fleet is required to arrive by February 1, 2025.

A Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft from No.5 Flight takes off from RAAF Base Tindal during Exercise Pitch Black 2016.

Russian Naval Aviation’s MiG-29KR made its public debut at Army 2015.

The first KC-390 prototype PT-ZNF made its maiden flight on February 3, 2015 and participated at the 2016 Farnborough International Air Show. The aircraft undertook a sales tour of Europe and parts of North Africa after Farnborough, returning to Brazil in late July 2016.

An AW139 for the Pakistan Army was photographed on August 24, 2016 at Venegono during a test flight from the Leonardo-Finmeccanica (formerly AgustaWestland) facility at Vergiate. This could be the first AW139 of the batch ordered by Pakistan in May; the ‘Army' title and roundel discloses its future assignment. On May 24 it was announced that the Pakistan Government had placed an order with Leonardo-Finmeccanica to purchase the AW139 search and rescue variant. It was not made public how many had been ordered. Deliveries to Pakistan will start from 2017.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 32 (VFA-32) ‘Swordsmen' takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). The aircraft is configured for the buddy tanker role with an air refuelling pod under the fuselage and four underwing fuel tanks.

A US Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) ‘Blackhawks' approaches the hose of a KC-130J Super Hercules during an air refuelling exercise to maintain inter-service operability.

Eighteen British Airways 747-400s have now received an updated interior.

Scandinavian Airlines has painted 737-86N LN-RGI (c/n 35646) into this distinctive scheme to mark the airline’s 70th anniversary this year. This aircraft is leased by SAS from GECAS and was built in 2014.

F-35A 07-0744/ED (c/n AF-06) drops an inert GBU-39/A Small Diameter Bomb air-to-surface glide weapon, over the White Sands Missile Range, during the recent weapons release surge staged from Edwards.

The 100th US Air Force F-35A lands at Luke AFB Arizona, on August 26, 2016.

F-35A 07-0744/ED (c/n AF-06) drops two GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, one instrumented test article (lower) and one inert (upper), over China Lake Weapon Impact Range, California. This was the first of 25 weapon releases conducted using Block 3F software during the month-long surge.

Four F-35Cs from VFA-101 overfly the USS George Washington with tail hooks lowered on their departure back to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

F-35C Lightning II CF-03/'73’ assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) ‘Salty Dogs' loaded with two 1,000 lb GBU-12 laser-guided bombs ready for launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) during DT III.

F-35C Lightning II CF-05 takes off from the USS George Washington on a pilot carrier qualification flight on August 15, 2016.

F-35C Lightning II CF-05 over the flight deck of the USS George Washington immediately before catching the wire. The aircraft is loaded with one inert GBU-12 laser-guided bomb.

The Black Dart exercises have included UAVs of all sizes and types, ranging from a light UAV shown here taxiing at Point Mugu to a US Air Force General Atomics-ASI MQ-9 Reaper.