The UK Royal Air Force finished 30 years of operations with its E-3D Sentry airborne early warning fleet, with a trio of replacement E-7s to arrive from 2023
Source: Crown Copyright
Spain ended the use of its C-130H transports and tankers, with new A400Ms taking on their duties
Source: US Air Force
Berlin’s rotorcraft renewal continued, with the German army saying ‘Goodbye Huey!’ 62 times. Thailand’s army also stood down its remaining 76 UH-1s
Source: AirTeamImages
Japan retired its last F-4EJs, with the interceptors sporting subtle ‘Phantom Forever’ markings
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The UK’s Global Express-derived Sentinel R1s were axed after just 14 years of service
Source: Crown Copyright
Austria’s removal of its air force Saab 105s leaves Sweden as sole operator of the tandem-set jet trainer
Source: Bundesheer
The Royal Thai Air Force stopped flying the L-39 trainer, permanently withdrawing 33 examples
Source: Komenton/Shutterstock
Cyprus stored its 11 Mi-35 assault helicopters, and is reportedly offering them for sale
We mark some of the most notable national fleet retirements recorded since we published our last World Air Forces directory.
Once combined, our selection of deleted entries – which cover eight aircraft types, drawn from all six of our directory role categories – total some 257 airframes.
The UK Royal Air Force finished 30 years of operations with its E-3D Sentry airborne early warning fleet, with a trio of replacement E-7s to arrive from 2023
Source: Crown Copyright
Spain ended the use of its C-130H transports and tankers, with new A400Ms taking on their duties
Source: US Air Force
Berlin’s rotorcraft renewal continued, with the German army saying ‘Goodbye Huey!’ 62 times. Thailand’s army also stood down its remaining 76 UH-1s
Source: AirTeamImages
Japan retired its last F-4EJs, with the interceptors sporting subtle ‘Phantom Forever’ markings
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The UK’s Global Express-derived Sentinel R1s were axed after just 14 years of service
Source: Crown Copyright
Austria’s removal of its air force Saab 105s leaves Sweden as sole operator of the tandem-set jet trainer
Source: Bundesheer
The Royal Thai Air Force stopped flying the L-39 trainer, permanently withdrawing 33 examples
Source: Komenton/Shutterstock
Cyprus stored its 11 Mi-35 assault helicopters, and is reportedly offering them for sale
The US Mitchell Institute contends that the US Air Force (USAF) needs a new generation of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) to effectively deter and fight major powers such as China and Russia.
It was the second test flight of the scramjet vehicle known as the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, which Lockheed is developing in conjunction with the Pentagon’s secretive research branch.
The US Air Force placed an order worth $2 billion with Boeing for 15 new KC-46 air tankers, just as the Pentagon’s test office identified new faults with the troubled jet.
Susan Ying has transformed a series of unfortunate events – including losing all her possessions in a flood and a cancer diagnosis – into a stellar career that now finds her at electrification innovator Ampaire.