Military Archives - Page 147 of 180

On This Day in Aviation History

1883 – Birth of Jan Kašpar, first Czech aviator, aircraft constructor, designer and engineer. 1917 – A Curtiss H-12 Large America flying boat of the Royal Naval Air Service destroys the first hostile submarine to be sunk by an aircraft without any form of assistance. Flight Sub-Lieutenant C.R. Morrish on a patrol from Felixstowe sighted […]

Afghan Pilots Learn Air Assault from Army’s 101st

With Afghan troops increasingly leading combat operations on the ground, the Afghan Air Force’s fledgling helicopter fleet based in Kabul has learned new techniques to support them from the air. The U.S. Army’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade started a new training program at Bagram Air Field for Afghan helicopter pilots to learn how to perform […]

V-2 Rocket Added to Flying Heritage Museum Collection

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is selling some of his abstract art, and buying a historic rocket. The eclectic Seattle billionaire has procured a rare Wernher von Braun-designed V-2 rocket, the first human-made object to fly into outer space. Allen’s Flying Heritage Collection — located at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. — is taking possession of the rocket on Monday. The Mittelwerk […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1895 – Birth of Georg Wulf, German aviation pioneer, test pilot and aircraft designer. He was a co-founder of the Focke-Wulf aircraft company. 1924 – During its first aerial circumnavigation of the world, the westbound U.S. Army Air Service flight of Douglas World Cruisers arrive in northern Japan, completing the first crossing of the Pacific Ocean by airplane. 1943 – Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress “Memphis Belle” (shown above) of the […]

China’s ‘Sharp Sword’ UCAV is Spotted Taxiing

China’s first jet-powered stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), the Lijian or “Sharp Sword,” was recently spotted undergoing taxiing tests in that country. Analysts interpreted the sighting as indicating that the Lijian’s maiden flight is imminent. The Lijian prototype rolled off the assembly line late last year after three years’ joint development by Hongdu Aviation Industry […]

A Front-Row Seat to Aviation History: the X-47B

Any news photographer that has been in the business for a decent length of time may say to you that he or she has “seen it all and done it all” or that “there is nothing new that hasn’t been shot already.” Until this week, you could also paint me with that same brush. But […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1893 – Birth of Acheson Gosford Goulding, Canadian World War I flying ace and World War II instructor. 1919 – Three U.S. Navy Curtiss NCs, commanded by Albert Cushing Read, leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, Canada, for Portugal via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight, the longest leg of their journey. Only NC-4 (shown above) eventually […]

Indian Navy Receives First P-8I

India’s navy said it inducted the first of eight P-8I maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft it had ordered from Boeing this week. The twin-engined jet is based on Boeing’s popular 737NG airliner. India, the world’s top defense-equipment importer, had ordered the planes in January 2009 for about $2.1 billion. The order is among several defense contracts […]

The Lancaster Bomber: That Magnificent Flying Machine

The Dambusters raid, which took place on this day in 1943, could never have happened without the mighty four-engined Avro Lancaster, undoubtedly the greatest heavy bomber of World War II. The daring mission of the Royal Air Force 617 Squadron required a plane that was capable of both precision low flying in the face of […]

Warbird Group to Offer Glimpse of World War II-era Trainer

A World War II-era plane that once searched for enemy submarines is flying again. Royal Navy 605, a Stinson AT-19 derivative of the company’s Reliant monoplane, is based at Moore County Airport near Southern Pines, N.C., and is flown by the Carolinas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. The gullwing airplane originally was built in […]