Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) Pierside

06/15/2015
06/15/2015: NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (June 8, 2015) Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) moored pierside at Newport News Shipbuilding as work on the ship continues. Credit: Navy Media Content Services:6/8/15 For a look at CVN-78 and a comparison with the two other Western large deck carriers see the following:…

56th Fighter Wing F-35 Refueling Mission

06/15/2015
06/15/2015: F-35's from the 56th Fighter Wing took flight with two KC-135's for an aerial refueling mission over Arizona. Credit:56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs:6/5/15   And the perspective from MCAS Beaufort: Fueling a fighter jet mid-mission isn’t as easy as exiting a highway to top off your tank. It’s really…

Arctic Challenge 2015: Fighter Jets at EFRO

06/13/2015
2015-06-13 RVNspotting has an interesting video showing some NATO jets taking off from EFRO. Rovaniemi Airport (Finnish: Rovaniemen lentoasema) (IATA: RVN, ICAO: EFRO) is the fifth biggest airport in Finland by annual number of passengers (in 2012), located in Rovaniemi, Finland, about 10 kilometres (6 mi) north of Rovaniemi city centre. The…

Global Hawk and NATO

06/11/2015
06/11/2015: The first of NATO’s five unmanned air vehicles rolled off the factory line in San Diego on Thursday, 4 June 2015.  The Global Hawk Block 40 is part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance Program (AGS).  The NATO-owned and -operated AGS core capability will enable the Alliance to perform persistent…

2D LAAD Live-Fire Exercise

06/10/2015
06/10/2015: U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua C. Price, a gunner with Alpha battery, 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense (2D LAAD) Battalion, fires a Stinger Weapon System during a live-fire exercise at Onslow Beach, Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 19, 2014. 2D LAAD conducted the exercise to familiarize Marines with the…

Belleau Wood Aerial Views

06/10/2015
06/10/2015: A quad copter is used to capture aerial footage in the village of Belleau, France and around the Belleau Wood Cemetery May 29 to June 1, 2015. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa:5/31/15   For those who are not Marines, the meaning and importance of at Belleau…

B-2s in the UK

06/08/2015
06/08/2015:B-2 Spirits land June 7, 2015 at Royal Air Force Fairford, England, with both active duty and Air National Guard Airmen from the 509th and 131st Bomb Wings participating in hot-pit refueling and an engine-running crew change.   These skills tests validate the vital importance RAF Fairford plays in projecting the…

KC-135s Arriving for BALTOPS

06/08/2015
06/08/2015: KC-135R's from the 100th Aerial Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England arrive in Powidz, Poland during BALTOPS 2015. BALTOPS is an annually recurring multinational exercise designed to enhance flexibility and interoperability, as well as demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region. Credit:65th Air Base Wing:6/5/15…