Antonov confirmed the scale of damage following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in a presentation provided to the Worldwide Project Consortium (WWPC), which held its 20th annual membership conference last week in Vienna. According to Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International, the airline’s home base at Kyiv-Antonov airport in Hostomel has been destroyed, as has the AN-225, an AN-74 and an...
AC-130A crew reunited with “Spectre 17” Gunship 50 years after it was hit by 57mm round over Vietnam – The Aviation Geek Club
Collectively, members of the “Spectre 17” aircrew would say Mar. 4, 1972, was both the luckiest and unluckiest day of their lives. “I’ve lived most days of my life since then just being happy that I’m alive,” Gary Chandler recalled. As explained by Airman 1st Class Natalie Fiorilli, 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs, in the article From boring to unimaginable: Vietnam-era crew recalls...
Romanian Air Force MiG-21 Lancer that crashed on Mar. 2, 2022 Reportedly Mistakenly shot down by Ukrainian … – The Aviation Geek Club
Do you remember the Romanian Air Force (RoAF) MiG-21 Lancer fighter jet that crashed on Mar. 2, 2022? According to Avia-Pro.net, it seems that the Lancer was mistakenly shot down by a Ukraine S-300 SAM. Romania’s defence ministry said the aircraft was part of a formation of two MiG-21 Lancer planes performing air patrol missions over Dobrogea in order to prevent violations of the country’s...
The story of the XB-52 and YB-52, the prototype B-52s scrapped after First Lady Lady Bird Johnson’s ̵… – The Aviation Geek Club
After it became operational in 1955, the B-52 remained the main long-range heavy bomber of the US Air Force during the Cold War, and it continues to be an important part of the USAF bomber force today. As explained by Scott Lowther in his book Boeing B-47 Stratojet & B-52 Stratofortress Origins and Evolution, the winning design for the XB-52, Model 464-49, transitioned to Model 464...
The Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne was more advanced than today’s AH-64 Apache, but it never went in production… – The Aviation Geek Club
In the 1960s, the Army tested the Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne, an attack helicopter that might have revolutionized warfare. Had a civilian version existed, it might have changed aviation. Instead, as explained by James C. Goodall in his book 75 years of the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, the Cheyenne became a “might have been.” It was costly and technologically challenging. It may have been too...
Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker lands in Romania after having been intercepted by Romanian Air For… – The Aviation Geek Club
On Feb. 24, 2022 two F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters belonging to the Romanian Air Force (RoAF) were scrambled to intercept an unauthorized flight approaching the national airspace, Aerotime.Aero reported. The aircraft was identified as a Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO reporting name: Flanker) belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force by the F-16s that escorted it to the RoAF 95th Air Base in the northeastern...
After a Nuclear Weapon Test a B-36 was So Radioactive that it had to be Parked Away from other Peacemaker B… – The Aviation Geek Club
The tale of some of the B-36 bombers used for Peacemaker’s operational procedures for nuclear strikes established via realistic tests with actual bombs. Conceived during 1941 in case Germany occupied Britain, when US bombers would then have insufficient range to retaliate, the B-36 was to be primarily a ‘10,000-mile bomber’ with heavy defensive armament and a performance that would prevent...
Watch the Royal Australian Air Force video that commemorates the end of F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet service – The Aviation Geek Club
After more than 30 years of dedicated service to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Australia’s fleet of F/A-18A/B Classic Hornets has been farewelled, to make way for the fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II fighter. The remaining few active Classic Hornets—that have been employed in the defence of our nation since 1985—were retired on Nov. 29, 2021 by Minister for Defence, the Hon Peter...
Against Ukraine, Russia is deploying its Sukhoi Su-34 attack aircraft armed with Dumb Bombs because it lack… – The Aviation Geek Club
Pay attention at the warload carried by the Sukhoi Su-34 featured in the main picture of this post: this aircraft is a Russian light bomber, the price tag of which is US$40-50 million. Yet, due to the lack of PGMs, the Russians are deploying it exclusively armed with ‘dumb’ bombs. Another point: while many in the West continue to insist that Su-34 is ‘multi-role’, and...
From High Operating Costs to Low Production Run: all the Shortfalls that Killed the F-22 Raptor Programme – The Aviation Geek Club
With low-observables stealth, supercruise (sustained supersonic flight without afterburner), high rates of agility, data fusion and enhanced manoeuvrability, the US Air Force (USAF) considers the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor to be its first filth-generation fighter. Winner of the prestigious Collier Award, this aircraft is arguably the most effective air dominance asset in the arsenal of Western...
