Operational Reports category for articles

RAF Special Paint Schemes 2015

The Royal Air Force are quite often criticised for the lack of “special scheme” celebratory or commemorative aircraft they produce compared to other air arms, but it’s fair to say that 2015 seems to buck the trend. As time marches on towards the 100th anniversary of the RAF, many squadrons are already celebrating their respective centenaries [...]

By | September 13th, 2015|Operational Reports|2 Comments

Vulcan XH558 Restoration Part 2

Having discussed the ‘Delta Lady's return to flight, James Innes interviews Kevin Rumens, one of XH558’s Display Pilots. Better known as Kev, he is lucky enough to have displayed the aircraft both in service with the Royal Air Force and in civilian hands post-restoration. Balancing his role of flying 558 with flying Airbus A340s, and [...]

By | July 6th, 2015|Operational Reports|9 Comments

Global Strike Deployment 2014

RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire is a key strategic forward deployment base for the United States Air Force Global Strike Command. Deployments of strategic bombers to the European theatre are considerably rarer today than they were only a decade ago. During June 2014, Global Strike Command deployed a number of assets for an exercise of their long [...]

By | June 18th, 2014|Operational Reports|3 Comments

Exercise Global Lightning

Every year, the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) undertakes training exercises incorporating their assets and Government agencies. One of these exercises is named GLOBAL LIGHTNING. Adam Chittenden looks at what aircraft are involved and what this exercise is designed to achieve. "Global Lightning 14 is designed to provide training opportunities and to test and validate command [...]

By | May 21st, 2014|Operational Reports|0 Comments

Exercise Joint Warrior 2014-1

Exercise Joint Warrior 2014 Serial 1 was the latest in the long-running series of multinational exercises of the name that have run in the UK, and also the largest tactically focused military exercise held in Europe during 2014. Over 13,000 personnel, 33 ships, 3 submarines and multiple ground, troop and air assets from 9 separate [...]

By | April 19th, 2014|Operational Reports|2 Comments

CP-140 Aurora – Canadian MMA

Externally similar to the widely used and highly successful Lockheed P-3 Orion, the CP-140 Aurora is in fact a different machine entirely. Named after the Greek goddess who restored Orion’s eyesight, Canada took delivery of the first of its 18 strong fleet of CP-140 Auroras in May 1980 (with the last delivered in August 1981) [...]

By | April 14th, 2014|Operational Reports|3 Comments

47th Flying Training Wing, Laughlin AFB

Laughlin AFB is one of USAF's five major primary training airfields, located in remote Del Rio, Western Texas it's is ideal for training flights. It is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing (FTW) that forms part of the Air Education Training Command (AETC). Ian French and Mark Forest visited the base to photograph flight [...]

By | April 5th, 2014|Operational Reports|0 Comments

RAF TriStar Retirement

Originally designed as a civilian airliner in the 1960’s the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar later become a vital asset to the Royal Air Force transport fleet. March 2014 brings to an end the RAF service of the famous ‘trijet’. History In the late 1960’s American Airlines released a specification for a wide-body airliner to fly their [...]

By | March 24th, 2014|Operational Reports|0 Comments