PHOTOS: USAF-RMAF mixed formation air-to-air photos at Cope Taufan

Now this is something you don't see every day. A mixed formation air-to-air photo shoot comprising of United States Air Force F-15C Eagle and F-22A Raptor alongside Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Su-30MKM Flanker, MiG-29NUB Fulcrum, F/A-18D Hornet and BAe Hawk 108 over Georgetown, Malaysia, on June 18, 2014. USAF F-15s from the 131st Fighter Squadron, 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass and F-22s from the 154th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii sre currently in Malaysia for Exercise Cope Taufan 14, a biennial large force employment exercise taking place June 9 to 20 designed to improve U.S. and Malaysian combined readiness. (All photos U.S. Air Force by Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson/Released)

Click on thumbnails to view high-resolution imagery

More images at DVIDS

PHOTO: Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind gunship with seldom-seen 23mm cannons

Associated Press/Manu Brabo. Click on thumbnail to view high-res image.

An excellent study of a Ukrainian Army Aviation Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunship as it overflies a Ukrainian army column near the town of Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, April 24, 2014. Interestingly this Hind carries a rarely-seen flexible twin-barrel 23mm cannon in the nose of the Mi-24VP which was built in very small numbers in the late 1980s and the Mi-35M export version, as opposed to the more common four-barrel 12.7mm machine-gun or the fixed twin 30mm cannon on the starboard side of the nose.

A pair of B-8 rocket pods carrying 20 S-8 80mm unguided rockets and four tubes of the 9K114 Shturm (AT-6 Spiral) anti-tank missiles complete this helicopter's offensive loadout, while a pair of external fuel tanks are carried to increase endurance. It's not clear if this Hind is an exception, but most of the photos I've seen of Ukrainian Hinds during the current crisis lack the Artem ASO-2V-02 decoy dispensers fitted (although I've seen Ukrainian Mi-8 Hip transport helicopters carry it on their tailboom).

Two Ukrainian Hinds were shot down near the town on the morning of Friday, 2nd of May, when the Ukrainian Army attempted to dislodge pro-Russian Ukrainian rebels and Russian agitators from Slovyansk. Two pilots were killed and another captured as a result of the shootdowns, with the fate of the other crew unknown. A Ukrainian Hip helicopter was also damaged by small arms fire in today's clashes.

It is not known what weapon(s) were used to down the Hinds, but it is suspected to be shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles such as the Russian Igla-series MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defence Systems). There have been no previous sightings of MANPADS in eastern Ukraine, but apparently the "concerned citizens" of eastern Ukraine are concerned enough to somehow acquire weapons to down helicopters with such seeming ease.

Ukraine's defence ministry has issued a news release saying both helicopters were "shot down by unknown persons" using PZRK (Perenosnoj Zenitno-Raketnyj Kompleks or literally translated from Russian, Mobile Anti-Aircraft Missile Complex) An alleged video of one of the Hind shootdowns has been uploaded onto Youtube:

PHOTO: Republic Of Korea AF C-130J-30 Super Hercules inflight

Lockheed-Martin photo. Click on thumbnail for hi-res image

A photo released by Lockheed-Martin shows a C-130J-30 Super Hercules of the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) in flight. The first two RoKAF C-130J-30s have been delivered, making the Republic of Korea the 14th country to fly the C-130J. The ROKAF has ordered four C-130J-30s, which are the longer fuselage or “stretched” combat delivery variant, and all aircraft are expected to be delivered this year.

The RoKAF currently flies a dozen C-130H/H-30s, some of which have been assisting with the ongoing search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

The full Lockheed-Martin press release can be found here.

PHOTO: RoKAF Black Eagles performing at the Singapore Airshow

Republic of Korea Air Force photo

Jaw dropping. And that's only one of many superlatives I can use to describe this air-to-air photo of the Republic of Korea Air Force's T-50B Golden Eagle advanced trainers of the Black Eagles Aerobatics Team going through their paces over the Changi Exhibition Centre, where the recently concluded Singapore Airshow was held. During the 6-day airshow, the Black Eagles wowed crowds with their precision flying and manoeuvres. More photos like these can be seen on this album on their Facebook page.

And if you can't get enough, there are also videos about their Singapore sojourn on Youtube here and here.

This air-to-air photo of a Singaporean Chinook almost didn't happen!

Click for hi-res image

I was invited to the Republic of Singapore Air Force's Family Day, as part of its 45th Anniversary celebrations held in conjunction with the RSAF's involvement at Singapore Airshow 2014. As part of the event, we were given a ride on a CH-47SD Chinook helicopter on Saturday the 8th of February. Arriving at Changi East Airbase that morning, it was obvious from the number of people going for the ride that there were to be two helicopters provided for the flight, which meant that I would get a rare chance at an air to air photo of the other Chinook.

I had assumed that the only way I would be able to get the shot would be to sit on board the lead ship near the rear, and shoot the No.2 aircraft out of the (open) rear ramp. Now at this moment we had no idea which was the lead Chinook and which was No.2 so I had to take a punt and chose one of the Chinooks to board. As it turned out I had gotten on board No.2 ship, and to top it off I ended up sitting somewhere near the centre of the helicopter. As we departed the base I rued what I thought had been a missed opportunity as both helicopters headed to the waters south of Singapore's Central Business District for a flight at 500ft AGL in loose echelon formation.

It was during this portion of the flight that I spied the lead Chinook, visible off the open port front window of our Chinook. Flying on a roughly northerly heading at that point, it also meant the morning light was falling perfectly on the lead helo. What luck! I hurriedly snapped off a series of photos, thankful that I had mounted a 70-300mm lens on my camera so I would have enough reach to zoom close enough and confident I would get a few useable shots. As you can see, the lead Chinook had its rear ramp closed, so even if I had boarded the lead Chinook, the closed ramp would have meant no photos of the second aircraft would have been possible!

As it was, I did get a number of photos of the lead Chinook which I'm really happy with. And as a bonus, the rear ramp of our Chinook was open as well, which meant that shots like this were also possible:

Click for hi-res image

Special thanks to the kind folks at Singapore's Ministry of Defence Public Affairs Directorate and the Air Force Information Centre, who made the event possible

PHOTO: Republic of Singapore AF Black Knights F-16C six-ship air-to-air

© Republic of Singapore Air Force/Photo by Katsushiko Tokunaga (DACT). Click on thumbnail for hi-res.

A fantastic air-to-air photo of the F-16Cs of the Republic of Singapore Air Force's Black Knights Aerobatic Team over the waters off southern Singapore, photographed by the one and only Katsu from an RSAF F-16D photo ship.

The Black Knights have recently been re-formed, and will perform at the upcoming Singapore Airshow, to be held at the Changi Exhibition Centre from 11-16 February 2014. They will be joined by the Republic of Korea Air Force's Black Eagles team flying the T-50 and the TNI-AU (Indonesian Air Force) KT-1 trainers belonging to the Jupiter Aerobatic Team.

PHOTO: China's Shenyang J-16 in high resolution glory

A nice military aviation present for 2014! A high-res photo of Shenyang Aircraft Corporation's prototype J-16 multi-role fighter has been making the rounds on the internet. Believed to be based on the Sukhoi Su-30MKK/MK2 which is currently in service with China's Air Force and Navy, the prototype J-18 first flew in 2011 and reports from China indicate that the first pre-production batch is entering service .

Photos of 2nd Singapore Air Force F-16D with anniversary tail art

Remember this story from mid-November about the Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16D based in Luke Air Force Base, Arizona being painted with colourful tail art commemorating 20 years of RSAF training at Luke? Well it turns out there is a second F-16D (S/N 96-5035) that got a special paintjob marking the occasion, and it's just as striking too!

Luke AFB has also released this image showing the tails of both commemorative aircraft side-by-side. Both aircraft were painted with unique tail flash designs by the 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron.

USAF Photo via Luke AFB's Facebook page. Click on the thumbnail to view the high-res version.

The 425th Fighter Squadron, also known as the Black Widows, was reactivated at Luke AFB in late 1992 and started training Republic of Singapore Air Force pilots on the F-16 soon after, initially using leased USAF F-16A/Bs before switching over to leased F-16C/Ds and finally transitioning over to the RSAF's own Block 52 F-16C/Ds when deliveries of the latter began in 1998.

The squadron is a mixed USAF-RSAF training squadron, and is one of several RSAF training detachments in the United States. The RSAF maintains several training detachments based overseas due to a lack of training areas at home, as well as monsoonal weather patterns over Singapore which frequently restricts training. Singapore operates 60 F-16C/Ds spread among 3 Singapore-based squadrons and the 425th FS at Luke AFB.

And this is an image of both aircraft sitting tail-to-tail, on the 425th Fighter Squadron's Facebook page.

via the 425 Fighter Squadron's Facebook page. Click on the thumbnail to view the high-res version.

PHOTO: Chinese Nanchang Q-5 ground attack aircraft

Via Chinese Internet. Click on thumbnail for high resolution image

It's not the most capable combat aircraft out there, but I really like the lines of the Nanchang Q-5 ground attack jet. Based on the MiG-19/J-6, the Q-5 mated the MiG-19/J-6 rear fuselage and wings (incorporating improvements) with a basic radar in the nose and a more conventional intake design. This aircraft, a precision strike-enabled Q-5L variant serving with the Chinese Air Force's 5th Ground Attack Division, 13th Air Regiment at Weifang-Weixian in Shandong Province, represents the zenith of the design. In this high-quality photo from the Chinese Internet, Q-5L 10368 is pictured landing while carrying a K/PZS-01 targeting pod on one of its fuselage pylons.

Singaporean F-16D gains colourful tailflash to mark 20 years at Luke AFB

U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Grace Lee. Click on thumbnail for high-resolution image

Airmen from the United States' Air Force 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron painted this colourful artwork on the tail of a 425th Fighter Squadron F-16D fighter jet (S/N 96-5034) to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Republic of Singapore Air Force partnering with Arizona's Luke Air Force Base and the 56th Fighter Wing in training fighter pilots. The 425th Fighter Squadron, also known as the Black Widows, was reactivated at Luke AFB in late 1992 and started training Republic of Singapore Air Force pilots on the F-16 soon after, initially using leased USAF F-16A/Bs before switching over to leased F-16C/Ds and finally transitioning over to the RSAF's own Block 52 F-16C/Ds when deliveries of the latter began in 1998.

The squadron is a mixed USAF-RSAF training squadron, and is one of several RSAF training detachments in the United States. The RSAF maintains several training detachments based overseas due to a lack of training areas at home, as well as monsoonal weather patterns over Singapore which frequently restricts training. Singapore operates 60 F-16C/Ds spread among 3 Singapore-based squadrons and the 425th FS at Luke AFB.

PHOTOS: Air-to-air images of RAAF Hornet in warbird photoshoot

I'm not a fan of using over-the-top superlatives to describe everything, but I think these photos are really stunning. On the 2nd of November, the Temora Aviation Museum in New South Wales, Australia held their second ever Warbirds Down Under airshow.

In addition, an air-to-air photoshoot was conducted from out the back of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society's ex-Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) DHC Caribou, photographing some of the historical aircraft participating in the show. They were joined by a couple of RAAF F/A-18A/B Hornets and the photoshoot itself, along with some dusk/sunset photos were captured from the back seat of an F/A-18B.

More images can be found at this Gallery. Click on the thumbnails below for high resolution images.

© Commonwealth of Australia

© Commonwealth of Australia

PHOTOS: Taiwanese AH-64E Apache being "wrung out" after assembly

Couple of photos of a Republic of China (Taiwan) Army Boeing AH-64E Apache being test flown at Tainan in southern Taiwan after being assembled. Six of the 30 helicopter gunships on order were delivered by ship to Taiwan in disassembled form last week. Click on thumbnails for high-resolution.

PHOTO: Air-to-Air of Singaporean PC-21 with Aussie PC-9, Hawk 127

© Commonwealth of Australia. Click on thumbnail for high resolution version.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) recently conducted a joint flight over the city of Perth in celebration of 20 years of Singapore Flying Training at RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia. A RSAF Pilatus PC-21 trainer flew in conjunction with a RAAF BAe Hawk 127 Lead In Fighter Trainer of 79 Sqn RAAF and a Pilatus PC-9 of No.2 Flying Training School.

More images by the RAAF's photographers in this Photo Gallery

PHOTO: USAF F-16s under the Northern Lights in Alaska

U.S. Air Force Photo by SSgt. Kurtis Hoar. Click on image for high-resolution version

Not too sure how come I missed this back in 2011, but here it is anyway...

Airmen and Aircraft from the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, South Korea, deployed to Alaska for five weeks in the fall to participate in both the Red Flag-Alaska and Distant Thunder exercises at Eielson AFB, Alaska. This image, taken on 17 October 2011 shows six Wolf Pack jets on the Eielson ramp illuminated by the Northern Lights.

Red Flag-Alaska is a realistic ten-day air combat training exercise held four times a year. The focus of the exercise is to bring Airmen together from all different platforms and backgrounds to execute in a multi-service environment. Distant Thunder is a regularly scheduled multi-unit coalition exercise.

PHOTO: RAAF C-130Js carry out low-level training

© Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence. Click on thumbnail for high resolution image.

Four Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed-Martin C-130J Hercules transport aircraft conducted an early morning tactical training flight on 21 June 2013. Departing RAAF Base Richmond at dawn, the aircraft flew a simulated airdrop mission in central New South Wales (NSW), before flying at low level for the NSW coast and tracking along the coastline, before heading inland to the Blue Mountains and returning to base. The Hercules crews, from No. 37 Squadron, were practicing their ability to navigate whilst flying in a tactical formation, similar to what they may do if conducting an airdrop of paratroops and cargo loads to a drop zone.

More Images are available in this Australian Defence Force Gallery

PHOTO: Awesome view of Marine Hornet launching Sparrow AAM

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Capt. Christopher Prout. Click on thumbnail for high resolution image.

This photo is awesome on so many levels. It provides us with an insight into something we seldom have a chance to see as U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Christopher Prout with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing shoots a AIM-7 Sparrow missile from a F/A-18C Hornet airplane while participating in a deployment for training (DFT) near Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., May 16, 2013. The DFT prepared the squadron for future combat and contingency operations.

On a side note, the Red Devils of VMFA-232 were deployed to the Asia-Pacific last year when they were spent six months at Marine Combat Air Station Iwakuni, Japan on rotation as part of the Marine Corps' Unit Deployment Program (UDP). Their stint in this part of the world included the squadron's participation in the multinational Exercise Pitch Black in Australia, which saw these other photos taken.

PHOTO: USAF Aggressor F-16 air-to-air with RAAF Hornet

As has been reported previously, the USAF Aggressor F-16s of Eielson AFB (Alaska) have been in Australia supporting the RAAF's ongoing Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI) course by providing adversary support. They have since left, but not before going for a photoshoot with the RAAF's Hornets, resulting in this spectacular Photo Gallery.

Click on thumbnail for full size image

PHOTOS: F-22 Raptor at the Avalon Airshow

Some photos from the excellent USAF Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor demonstration that was the highlight of this year's Avalon Airshow. Piloted by Major Henry 'Shadow" Schantz, the demonstration showed off the capability of this extremely capable air dominance fighter. What struck me about the demo was that it was less about the power and the noise of traditional fighter airshow demonstrations, but the amazing maneuverability bestowed upon the F-22 by its powerful engines and thrust vectoring nozzles. Indeed, as the fourth photo in this set shows, the F-22s nose, and its afterburner plumes are at different planes from one another.

A totally amazing experience, which has been sadly put on hold indefinitely after the USAF cancelled all aircraft flybys, demonstrations and airshow support in the aftermath of sequestration in the United States government following its budget woes.

Click on the thumbnails below for high res imagery, or follow this link.

PHOTOS/VIDEO: RAAF KC-30 MRTT refuels F/A-18 Hornets

Viking 61 and 62. Click on thumbnail for hi-res imagery.

On the 27th of February 2013, members of the media at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, Victoria were given a unique opportunity to go on board a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Airbus KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) on a flight to refuel two F/A-18A Hornets of 77 Squadron, arriving from their base in Williamtown, New South Wales for the airshow. The mid-air refueling took place in the skies over Victoria's Gippsland region and the Bass Straits.

Viking 62 was F/A-18A A21-49 in the colourful 77 Sqn 70th Anniversary scheme. Click on thumbnail for hi-res imagery.

This publicity flight was a unique in the sense that it was the first time media have been invited on board a KC-30 conducting a refueling mission. About 30 media personnel boarded the KC-30, serial number A39-003 and operating under the callsign DRAGON 21, from the civil aviation terminal at Avalon Airport and departed under leaden skies at approximately 1400. After a short flight, we rendezvoused with VIKING 61 and 62, a two-ship Hornet flight over the East Sale Restricted Airspace where the Hornets joined up on the KC-30's left wing before "plugging into" the refueling baskets trailing from the HDUs (Hose Drum Unit) mounted on each of the tanker's wingtips.

Viking 61 was F/A-18A A21-48 in the RAAF's 90th Anniversary scheme. Click on thumbnail for hi-res imagery.

At this point, I would like to add that I would have been perfectly happy if the Hornets were regular "line birds" in standard squadron livery, however the fact that both Hornets were painted in various special commemorative schemes was an added (and much appreciated) bonus. To top it off, both "receivers" were carrying a mix of AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM) and 500-lb Joint Direct Attack Munitions along with wing tanks and Elta EL/L-8222 ECM pods. The Hornets and tanker and receivers circled among the clouds while the media pack had a field day shooting photos and video. After a few minutes, refueling was complete and both Hornets slid over to the tanker's starboard wing before breaking off towards Avalon, landing just before the KC-30, which touched down at 1505 local.

The RAAF has five MRTTs on strength with 33 Sqn at RAAF Amberley, with one aircraft currently with manufacturer EADS conducting boom certification which is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

The Base Leg would like to express our deepest appreciation to the RAAF, our crew and Eamon Hamilton, Public Affairs for the RAAF's Air Lift Group for making this amazing event happen. A video of the highlights of the flight can be assessed below (available in HD/720p)

VIDEO & PHOTO: China's Y-20 airlifter makes first flight

Click on thumbnail for larger image

A videograb off a CCTV news blurb and high-res photo of today's first flight of the Xian Y-20 airlifter, which made a 1-hour flight from Xian-Yanliang airfield in Shaanxi Province, China this afternoon starting from 1400 Local.

The photo caption says "China's first large transport aircraft the Y-20 conducts successful first flight".