Air International 2018-04
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Airscene
An unusual close-up night-time study of Vulkan Air Antonov An-26B UR-CQD (c/n 10101) on the ramp at Antwerp. It was a rare visit by the Ukraine-based turboprop freighter to the Belgian airport, the first in three years, although the aircraft has also been spotted at other European airports including Porto and Birmingham on its charter flights across Europe.
A series of take-off shots featuring RSK MiG's MiG-31 592 loaded with a variant of the 9M723 Iskander missile developed by KB Mashinostroyeniya in Kolomna, which looks to be about 8m long. The age of these images was not given by the Russian Ministry of Defence.
An animation showing the Kinzhal missile's separation from a MiG-31.
Merlin HM2s on the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Hovering alongside HMS Queen Elizabeth underway close to the English south coast.
Currently on trial at Tengah Air Base, the automated aircraft inspection was able to differentiate the F-15SG from the F-16C.
Defects are shown on the computer interface, allowing engineers to have an immediate view of the various abnormalities on an aircraft model.
Twelve KC-135 Stratotankers, assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, taxi down the runway at RAF Mildenhall, England on February 27, 2018. Dubbed as an elephant walk, the show of force manoeuvre is undertaken to demonstrate the readiness of the wing to provide air refuelling support at short notice. The term Square D refers to the tail badge carried by B-17s assigned to the predecessor 100th Bombardment Group during World War Two and the KC-135s assigned to the current 100th ARW.
One of the two Belgian Air Component NH90 helicopters at the Gao base in Mali.
Cubana Ilyushin Il-96-300 CU-T1250 (c/n 74393302015) at Madrid on March 2, 2018 operating one of the twice-weekly services to the Spanish capital from Havana. This aircraft, which had been in long-term storage and not visited Europe for around five years, was reactivated last year and is one of four Il-96-300s operated by Cubana.
Recently-delivered Luftwaffe Tranche 3A Eurofighter 31+44 from TLG 71 'Richthofen' lands back at Wittmundhafen Air Base in early March after one of its first operational missions.
After production of the 14 new CH-47Fs for the DHC, Boeing will remanufacture the six CH-47F(NL)s - including this Fort hood-based example of 302 Squadron - to the same MYII CAAS configuration as the newly-built helicopters.
This photo shows the current GOES-451 targeting system produced by the UOMZ company at Yekaterinburg in the working position.
A Ka-52 Alligator fitted with Hermes-Klevok missile launch tubes.
The new, smaller OES-52 targeting system turret.
Ataka (bottom) and an Khrizantema air-to-ground missiles.
The Ka-52's current L370-5 directional infrared countermeasures sensor.
A graphic showing the twin-antenna Phazotron-NIIR FH02 radar destined for the Ka-52M.
The Ka-52’s new L418-5 directional infrared countermeasures sensor.
On February 27, 2018, Alenia Aermacchi announce the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (Italian Air Force) had received its 18th and final M-346 Master advanced jet trainer six years after deliveries began in November 2011. M-346 M.M.55224/61-23 will serve with 61° Stormo at Lecce-Galatina on the Adriatic coast.
The Leonardo Falco, used by five operators worldwide including the UN, has now passed 15,000 operational hours.
Hawaiian Airlines' colourful livery will adorn the Boeing 787-9 after the carrier placed an order for up to 20 examples.
Rooivalk 676 painted in white paint typical for UN-assigned aircraft and helicopters.
Airbus has announced production of the A400M is to be scaled back from 15 aircraft in 2018 to only eight in 2020.
It was announced last December that 300 Squadron is saved from the axe after all and the Cougar will stay in service until 2030.
The initial Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra-Long-Range) variant, Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) A350-941 msn 216 (9V registration to be confirmed), left the Toulouse final assembly line early in March 2018.
Airbus A350-1000 A7-ANA (msn 18) is the first of 37 examples that will be delivered to launch operator Qatar Airways.
Airbus Helicopters Inc builds UH-7A Lakotas at its Columbus, Mississippi, facility, from where it will deliver 35 additional examples under a contract announced early in March 2018.
Singapore's first A330 MRTT seen after painting at Manching, Germany.
One of the first two T-6C Texan Ils, ZM325, delivered to RAF Valley, Anglesey, on February 16, 2018.
Visual pre-flight inspections would be a thing of the past, with the introduction of automated aircraft inspections, which is likely to shorten aircraft turnaround times.1
The Leonardo SW-4 Solo during its recent initial autonomous flight at Taranto-Grottaglie, Italy.
Japan Air Self-Defense Force E-767 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft 64-3501 taxis before take-off at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, during Exercise Red Flag-Alaska.
After receiving fuel from a 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron KC-135, an RAAF E-7A Wedgetail departs in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in July 2017.
Bronco Combat Systems is offering a version of Paramount Aviation's AHRLAC COIN aircraft to customers in the United States and worldwide as the Bronco II.
Key flightdeck features are the FalconEye combined vision system and Honeywell Primus avionics.
The Falcon 6X will have the widest, longest and tallest cabin of any business jet.
A 5,500 nautical miles range capability means the Falcon 6X will be able to fly direct from San Francisco to Beijing and from Hong Kong to London.
Boeing has received US Federal Aviation Administration approval for the 737 MAX 9. Lion Air will be the first operator.
Boeing has delivered Icelandair's first 737 MAX 8, TF-ICE (c/n 44353), pictured departing Seattle bound for Reykjavik. This is the first of 16 737 MAX family aircraft Icelandair will receive. The airline's plans call for two more deliveries in 2018 before six in 2019, five in 2020 and two in 2021.
The E190-E2 was certified after a 2,000-flying hour test campaign.
More taxi tests have recently been carried out on the world's biggest aircraft, Stratolaunch, at Mojave, California. The huge six-engine jet, designed to launch payloads for launch into low-Earth orbit, undertook a series of taxi tests at speeds ranging from 10 to 40kts (18 to 74km/h). Stratolaunch, backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, plans to fly the aircraft in 2019.
Star UAV’s Star Shadow model on display at its booth during Singapore Airshow.
The Royal Canadian Navy is to use the Puma II AE aboard its maritime coastal defence vessels.
Close up of the Star Satire 380HD targeting system and the Seaspray multimode radar.
The GlobalEye airborne early warning aircraft was unveiled at Linkoping, Sweden on February 23, 2018, in the markings of the United Arab Emirate Air Force.
Sierra Nevada Corporation supplied the US Customs and Border Patrol with 12 Multi-role Enforcement Aircraft based on a highly-missionized version of the King Air 350CER. Yet to be confirmed, but the Kuwaiti aircraft are likely to be similarly configured.