Military Archives - Page 52 of 180

Russians Get Updated Bombers

Russia’s air force on Friday received the first examples of a number of modernized strategic bombers – a Tu-160M and Tu-95MSs – following upgrade work performed by manufacturer Tupolev. Enhancement activity on the supersonic Tu-160 includes “partial replacement” of the aircraft’s avionics and weapons systems, says Tupolev. First flight of the initial example took place on Nov. 16. A […]

UK Taking Bids on Avro Shackleton

Aviation enthusiasts have launched a campaign to save a Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft threatened with destruction. The Avro Shackleton MR2C has stood guard at the entrance to RAF St. Mawgan near Newquay, England, for more than 25 years. The Ministry of Defense has invited bids for the WL795 aircraft, which is not airworthy. The Save our Shackleton group said […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1898 – Birth of Maurice Lea Cooper, Irish World War I flying ace. 1934 – Boeing Airplane Co. subsidiary Stearman Aircraft, located in Wichita, Kan., delivers its first Stearman Kaydet to the military. It will become the most common preliminary trainer in service, and 10,346 Kaydets will be built during World War II. 1947 – First flight of the Chase YC-122 […]

Army RC-12 Being Prepped for Display

A U.S. Army Chinook helicopter delivered a 14,000-pound signal intelligence aircraft from Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport to the Tobyhanna Army Depot on Wednesday. The RC-12 Guardrail is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Beechcraft Super King Air. It is used for special missions for the Army, according to a news release. Originally stationed in Korea, where […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1894 – Birth of Leopoldo Eleuteri, Italian World War I flying ace. 1941 – Boyd David “Buzz” Wagner becomes the first U.S. Army Air Forces World War II flying ace. While strafing a Japanese airfield near Vigan, Philippines, with his Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, he shoots down a Mitsubishi A6M Zero after takeoff from the field […]

Despite Filing, Oregon Museum Keeps Going

Directors of McMinnville’s Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum were surprised by the timing of last week’s bankruptcy filing by Evergreen Vintage Aircraft, a for-profit entity that owns about 25 of the aircraft on display at the museum. Even so, the museum is operating on a “sustainable” basis and expects to continue to do so, its attorney said Tuesday. “We’re […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1896 – Birth of Grigory Eduardovich Suk, Russian World War I flying ace. 1941 – More than 50 Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines; Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off. Pilot César Basa is killed. 1945 – Death of William Dolley Tipton, American World War I flying ace […]

Thunderbirds, Blues Post ’15 Schedules

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels have finalized their 2015 show schedules as the International Council of Air Shows met this week in Las Vegas. The Thunderbirds will open their 62nd season Feb. 22 at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The team will perform at 39 locations and end the season Nov. […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1915 – Death of Gaston Caudron, French aviation pioneer and aircraft designer along with his brother René; he is killed in the crash of the Caudron R-4 he was testing at Lyon-Bron. 1941 – Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army Air Forces, operating from the Philippines, attack Japanese shipping; this is the first […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1894 – Birth of Karl Pech, German World War I flying ace. 1951 – First flight of the Fiat G.80 (-3 variant shown), Italian military trainer and that country’s first true jet-powered aircraft. 1961 – U.S. Air Force Major Robert M. White takes the Bell X-15 to a height of 101,610 feet. 1970 – Death of Artem […]