Air International 2017-11
Airscene
Aviano-based F-16C Fighting Falcon 88-0413 landing at RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland, on October 9, 2017. The store under the wing is an AQM-37C Jayhawk high-speed aerial target.
P-3C BMUP+ BuNo 161593 is one of several machines to pass through RAF Mildenhall in the UK during October 2017. According to the P-3 Orion research group it is one of only 16 of the variant in the US Navy’s inventory. The aircraft was minus its distinctive under fuselage ‘canoe’ that carries the highly classified APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar System.
This anonymous P-3C variant visited RAF Mildenhall on October 10, 2017. It is believed to be one of only five P-3C Orion Special Projects Aircraft serving with the US Navy.
One of the Luftwaffe Tornados that operated from Incirlik for Operation Inherent Resolve is Tornado ECR 46+52, displaying a Counter DAESH badge on its intake. It was seen during a training flight from Jagel in August 2017, when the jets were temporarily in Germany awaiting their redeployment to al-Azraq in early October.
Two Harbin Y-12E light transport aircraft, TZ-WAA (c/n 093) and TZ-WAB (c/n 095) were delivered to Mali's Armee de L'Air via Malta international airport in September 2017. It is not known how many the African nation has ordered.
Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport A39-005 refuels B-52H Strato fortress 60-0036 assigned to the 419th Flight Test Squadron based at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The test sortie was conducted by members of the Royal Australian Air Force Air Warfare Centre’s Aircraft Research and Development Unit, and the 418th and 419th Flight Test Squadrons from Edwards. Ongoing testing with the KC-30A is part of a coalition tanker aerial refuelling certification.
Laminar wing panels approximately 10m long to represent the wing size of a short or medium-range airliner have been installed on the A340 Flight Lab for the BLADE project.
Privilege Style 767 EC-LZO (c/n 28902) pictured on stand at Birmingham's south terminal on October 4, 2017. The jet was one of several aircraft used to repatriate passengers to the UK following Monarch Airlines’ collapse.
An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle demonstrator, like this one seen landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during trials in August 2014, has been modified as a testbed for the future MQ-25 Stingray Carrier Based Air Refueling System
Monarch Airlines entering administration ended nearly 50 years of operations by the UK carrier. This A320-200 (msn 5581) was one of around 50 A320 Family jets used by the airline during its history. As G-ZBAB, it was used by Monarch until 2015 and is now with Frontier Airlines as N229FR.
The first customer 787-10, which will be delivered to Singapore Airlines, at North Charleston.
While the C-160 celebrated its 50th anniversary with the Armee de I’Air on October 5, 2017, the A400M is slowly coming of age.
An artist’s impression of the Gulfstream G550-based EC-37B, Air Combat Command's choice to meet its EC-X programme.
Bombardier Aerospace has flown the fourth and final Global 7000 flight test vehicle. The aircraft, colloquially known as Architect, is now at the company’s Wichita test centre validating the aircraft’s cabin and in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems.
The Bangladesh Army received its first twin-engine fixed-wing aircraft in mid-September 2017 when Airbus Defense & Space C295W S3-BRT (msn S-170) was delivered via Malta following an order for the aircraft in October 2016.
The RAN's remaining AS350BA Squirrels will be retired on December 1, 2017, after 27 years of operational service.
The AS350BA Squirrel, in service for almost 32 years, is being replaced by the EC135 T2+.
Two highly modified Grumman Gulfstream IIBs, including this example N779LC, call sign Halo 4 belonging to the United States Missile Defense Agency and used as High Altitude Observatory platforms, visited RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, in early October 2017 to take part in Exercise Formidable Shield.
The COMAC C919 completed its second test flight, its first in four months.
Air battle managers at their work stations aboard an E-8C JSTARS aircraft.
The battle management function of today's E-8C JSTARS will, as part of the ABMS system, be shifted to wherever it needs to be, usually terrestrial command and control facilities.
A US Air Force senior director (left) and a mission crew commander (right), both with the 116th Air Control Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, discuss surveillance operations during a night mission aboard an E-8C Joint STARS from Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. Team JSTARS, comprising aircrew from the 116th ACW, the active-duty 461st ACW and Army JSTARS, provides joint airborne command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support over land and water to combatant commanders around the globe.
This unidentified Chengdu J-20A fifth-generation stealth fighter took part in celebrations to mark the official introduction of the type with China’s People's Liberation Army Air Force on September 28, 2017.
December 2017 will see retirement of the classic S-70B-2 Sea Hawk from Royal Australian Navy service.
Pilatus says it expects its new PC-24 business jet to receive both European Aviation Safety Agency and Federal Aviation Administration certification in December 2017. Three flight test aircraft, one of which is pictured here undertaking water spray testing, had amassed more than 1,250 flights and 2,000 flying hours at the time of writing.
A third deployment by Aeronavale Rafale Ms to Jordan for Operation Chammal started on October 2, 2017.
Singapore Airlines’ regional arm SilkAir’s first Boeing 737 MAX 8, 9V-MBA (c/n 44246), departed Seattle on September 28, 2017. It arrived in Singapore via Guam on October 1 and was officially inaugurated three days later. The airline will introduce a new Singapore-Hiroshima route with the aircraft. SilkAir signed for 37 737 MAXs in November 2012 as part of a 54-aircraft deal including 17 Next Generation 737-800s.
Seen shortly after arriving at Norwich airport, Norfolk on September 22, 2017 is Grob G120TP-A D-ETQI, one of two new aircraft for QinetiQ.
The fuselage section for the first Airbus A330-800neo under assembly in Hamburg. Final assembly of the aircraft is due to start by the end of the year.