On September 12, 1961, a landmark event took place in the history of the R.1127: the second prototype (XP836) completed a flight through the full profile – vertical takeoff, transition to horizontal flight, transition to hover, and vertical landing. This confirmed in practice the viability of the VTOL concept with thrust-vector control incorporated into the R.1127’s design. […]

The post The Birth of the “Harrier,” Part 5: Testing and Prospects appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

France continues flight testing of the Airbus H160M Guépard, its next-generation multirole military helicopter. On July 31, the program reached another milestone as the second prototype completed its maiden flight. The first prototype has been in the air since July 24, 2025. The H160M is being developed for the French Armed Forces under the HIL (Hélicoptère […]

The post “Medium-Weight” Helicopter: Everything You Need to Know About Airbus H160M Guépard appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

The recent announcement by the Ukrainian Army Aviation Command identifying the UH-60 Black Hawk as the preferred future helicopter for Army Aviation brigades has sparked debate among defense analysts over the merits of this decision and the potential alternatives. Today, we take a closer look at one such alternative – the Italian-built Leonardo AW149 multirole helicopter. Development […]

The post Black Hawk Alternative: Everything You Need to Know About Leonardo AW149 Multirole Helicopter appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

For six decades, aspiring U.S. Air Force fighter pilots have completed advanced jet training in the supersonic Northrop T-38 Talon before transitioning to frontline combat aircraft. During that time, several generations of fighters have entered service: the third-generation F-4 Phantom II gave way to the fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon, while today the Air Force is […]

The post Replacing a Veteran: Everything You Need to Know About the Boeing–Saab T-7 Red Hawk Trainer Aircraft appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

I recently covered the Turkish Hürjet trainer-light attack aircraft, whose first export customer turned out to be Spain. But four decades earlier, Spain had nearly developed an aircraft of the same class itself. The project, known as the CASA AX, appeared to be a realistic proposition. So why did the Spanish effort ultimately fail? Concept […]

The post Aircrafts That Never Existed: The CASA AX Training and Combat Aircraft appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

Today, we’ll take a closer look at the combat trials of the YFQ-44A unmanned fighter, developed by Anduril Industries. Over the Mojave Desert, the aircraft accomplished something no operational U.S. Air Force drone had done before: it launched a live air-to-air missile at a target under the command of a remote operator who was not […]

The post First Shot Without a Pilot: What the YFQ-44A Flight Tests Mean for the Future of Air Combat appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

Following Germany, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom has also begun reorganizing its Army Aviation capabilities in light of the lessons learned from the Russia–Ukraine war. The British Ministry of Defence has announced plans to retire all 34 Wildcat AH.1 helicopters starting as early as 2027. So, what exactly are these aircraft […]

The post Taking Lessons from the Russia–Ukraine War into Account: The British Army to Retire the Wildcat AH.1 appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

In June of this year, the J-8 was officially phased out of service – the first jet fighter designed in China and accepted into operational use. Its path toward full maturity was long, but ultimately remained unfinished. How It All Began By the early 1960s, China had established licensed production of Soviet-designed jet fighters, including […]

The post First One Down: The Shenyang J-8 Fighter’s Career Comes to an End appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

Recently, the Turkish aviation industry has been undergoing rapid development. In addition to an exceptionally broad range of unmanned aerial vehicles and several types of helicopters (I recently wrote about one of them – the T625 Gökbey), it is establishing production of the Hürjet jet-powered advanced trainer and light combat aircraft, while also conducting flight […]

The post “Free Bird” from Türkiye: Everything About the TAI Hürkuş Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft appeared first on AERONAUT.media.

On June 3, 2026, a notable event took place at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, as the United States Marine Corps officially retired its last AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft from active service. This provides an opportunity to revisit the history of the AV-8B Harrier II program. A British-American Project In 1972, the American […]

The post End of an Era: The Retirement of the American AV-8B Harrier II appeared first on AERONAUT.media.