Interesting visitor to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk on October 4, 2018 was this P-3C-BMUP+ (Block Modification Upgrade Program plus) marked for Patrol Squadron 46 (VP-46). It was on its way to US Naval Support Activity, Souda Bay, Crete. The pod underneath is the APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar System, a wide-aperture active electronically-scanned array surveillance radar. A similar pod for the Orion's successor, the P-8A Poseidon has been under development for some years.

ERJ-135LR CE-02 (c/n 145480) of 21 Squadron has a commemorative colour scheme applied on its vertical fin featuring a Sioux Indian with a red backdrop to mark the 70th anniversary of the squadron and 15th Transport Wing. Silhouettes of an ERJ-135LR/ERJ-145LR and a Douglas C-47B Skytrain/Dakota IV, the latter being the types received from surplus US Army Air Force and RAF stocks. The aircraft is shown at Melsbroek on September 13, 2018.

C-130H 92-3284/6Z of the 96th Airlift Squadron, the modern incarnation of the 96th Troop Carrier Squadron which participated in Operation Market Garden in September 1944, at Eindhoven Air Base.

The forward fuselage of C-130H 92-3284 showing the World War Two style code 6Z and nose featuring a duck, and the legend 'Flying for Minnesota'.

Royal Netherlands Air Force C-130H G-273 'Ben Swagerman' leading the pack at Eindhoven on September 19, 2018.

C-130H Hercules CH-10 participated in the wing's parade held at Beauvechain Air Base on September 19, 2018. The commemorative colour scheme will be removed later this year when the aircraft is due for deep maintenance.

Australian Army soldiers of the 8th/9th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, board a CH-47 Chinook during a non-combatant evacuation operation at Shoalwater Bay Training Area as part of Exercise Hamel 2018.

Alpha Jet 1B+ AT-24 (c/n B24-1104), seen at Beauvechain Air Base on September 19, 2018, painted in a commemorative colour scheme featuring a bat motif and the title '100 Years 11 Sqn'. Two other titles have been applied: Training Fighter Pilots for 40 Years' on the port air intake marks the introduction of the first Alpha Jet 1B for advanced pilot training in 1978; '14 Years AJeTS Franco-Beige Partners' on the starboard air intake marks the creation of the joint Belgian-French AJeTS in 2015. Belgian Alpha Jets have flown over 190,000 hours of flying training since 1978, a statistic displayed along the side of the aircraft’s port engine nacelle. Black silhouettes of the Fouga Magister and Lockheed T-33 T-Bird represent advanced pilot training types that preceded the Alpha Jet IB in the Belgian Air Force. A white F-16 silhouette on the aft fuselage (a Rafale silhouette appears on the starboard side) represent the fighters which Belgian and French student pilots will ultimately fly.

Chilean low-cost airline SKY presented its initial Airbus A320neo, CC-AZC (msn 8444), leased from the Air Lease Corporation, in October 2018. The jet is the first brand-new aircraft to be operated by the carrier and is operating services from Santiago to Arica and Punta Arenas.

THE AIRBUS single-aisle final assembly line at Tianjin, China, has recently marked its tenth anniversary.

Taiwan's EVA Air has received its initial Boeing 787-9. The aircraft, B-17881 (c/n 39295) is on lease from Air Lease Corporation and is planned to debut on the carrier's international routes in November 2018.

United Airlines has ordered more 787-9s, of which the airline already operates 25 examples.

CANADIAN FRACTIONAL aircraft ownership company AirSprint Inc took delivery of its fifth Embraer EMB550 Legacy 450 medium-cabin business jet on September 5, 2018.

Honeywell's Boeing 757 N757HW (c/n 22194) recently visited Europe to test some navigational equipment and is pictured here taxiing at Ostend.

Slovak Air Force C-27J 1931 transported Slovakian peacekeepers' equipment and weapons to Larnaca.

Delivery of the A330-900neo to launch operator TAP Portugal is due during the fourth quarter.

Airbus Helicopters announced on September 20, 2018, that it has secured an order from the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) for four additional H225M Caracal helicopters.

A SINGLE H135 helicopter was delivered to the Heath Commission of Qingdao in China's Shandong Province, Airbus Helicopters announced on September 28, 2018.

Aurigny has put its second Dornier 228 Next Generation into service.

Boeing's image release of the MH-139 based on the Italian AW139.

TOLL AVIATION announced on September 24, 2018, that its Aeromedical Crewing Excellence (ACE) Training Centre in Sydney has now received Australian Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) Part 141 and 142 Approvals.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines leased Carpatair Fokker 100 YR-FKA (c/n 11340), pictured on finals to Amsterdam, to operate various short-haul routes around Western Europe for the summer schedule.

Paramount's Smart Weapons Integration on Fast-Jet Trainers (SWIFT) mission system mounted on an M-345 mock-up at AAD 2018.

Delta Air Lines' first Airbus A220-100 N101DU (msn 50020) after rolling out from the painting hangar at the A220 final assembly line in Mirabel, Quebec, before it started test flights in October 2018.

GULFSTREAM ANNOUNCED on October 1, 2018, that it has formally acquired the Nordam Group Inc's G500 and G600 Nacelle manufacturing facility, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

IN A ceremony at the company's headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, on September 27, 2018, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation delivered the first G500 business jet to a customer.

In addition to the mine-huting demo, Northrop Grumman has started flight­testing the first MQ-8C to be built at its Moss Point facility.

A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail from 2 Squadron sits on the flight line at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, during Exercise Red Flag. An estimated AUD 1.5 billion contract extension awarded to Boeing Defence Australia by the Australian government will provide upgrade and sustainment of the E-7A until 2035.

Airbus A319-115XCJ OM-BYA (msn 2550) operated by the Slovak interior ministry at Larnaca International Airport, Cyprus on August 30, 2018 transported Slovak peacekeepers from Bratislava-lvanka.

Hungarian Air Force Airbus A319-112 605 at Larnaca.

Slovak interior ministry Airbus A319-115XCJ OM-BYA (msn 1485) on take-off from Larnaca International Airport, Cyprus on August 30, 2018 bound for Ukraine and Serbia.

The A321LR, designed to be capable of flying non-stop between Europe and the United States, has been certified and its A350-900ULR stablemate has been delivered.

Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-743 G-VROM (c/n 32339) recently conducted the first commercial jet flight using fuel produced using recycled waste carbon gases.

US Marines and sailors with the USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit wait for flight operations to begin while F-35B Lightning Ils from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211), 13th MEU, are refuelled in preparation for the F-35B's first combat strike.

Over head the ship ahead of the first deck landings. A big day for the Royal Navy.

Here come the Brits! Royal Navy Commander Nathan Gray and Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Andy Edgell head out from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland on their way to HMS Queen Elizabeth.

F-35B BF-04 during night operations aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth. Note the badge on the vertical stabiliser featuring silhouettes of an F-35B and HMS Queen Elizabeth and the title 'F-35B FIRST OF CLASS FLIGHT TRIALS - HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH'.

BAE Systems test pilot Peter Wilson touches down on HMS Queen Elizabeth's flight deck for the first ever Shipborne Rolling Vertical Landing.

Royal Navy Commander Nathan Gray flies F-35B BF-05/SD65 in mode 4 flight abeam HMS Queen Elizabeth prior to making the first landing onboard.

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS announced further successes for its H145 helicopter in September 2018, with orders from Aramco Overseas Company and the Philippine Coast Guard for a total of six aircraft.

Winner of the US Air Force T-X programme is the Boeing model BTX-1.

A new Multi-Function Computer has been introduced for ATR turboprops.

The Praetor 600 is one of two new business jets launched by Embraer in October 2018.

The Milkor Aerospace MA80 is one of three UAVs recently launched by the South African company.

UNITED STATES-based start­up company Zunum Aero is developing a hybrid-electric commuter passenger aircraft. The Zunum ZA10 will be a 12-seat aircraft with 700 miles (1,126km) range, designed to offer low operating costs and "unprecedented door-to-door travel times that are two to four times faster than today". The ZA10 will have two power sources: propulsion batteries and an engine. Early in October 2018, Zunum announced it had selected Safran to provide a new 1,700 - 2,000shp (1,267 - 1,491kW) powerplant from the company’s Ardiden engine range called the Ardiden 3Z. This engine will be coupled to an electric generator to supplement the battery packs. Zunum claims the ZA10 "will deliver breakthrough operating costs of 8C per available seat mile or $250 per hour for the aircraft, which is 60-80% lower than conventional aircraft of comparable size". It says the ZA10 aircraft is designed to cruise and land on turbo-generator power alone, offering full redundancy. The first delivery is planned for the early 2020s.