Afterburner - The Aviation Magazine

11 July 2025

AVIATION HISTORY

11 July 1891 – Joseph Sadi-Lecointe is born

On 11th July 1891, the French aviation pioneer and test pilot Joseph Sadi-Lecointe, was born in Saint-Germain-sur-Bresle, Somme department in France. In his early years, Sadi-Lecointe worked as mechanic in one of aviation factories near Paris. There, he developed his [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

FANC to rescue Rushour crew

On 17th June 2025, the Australian catamaran Rushour capsized while leading Groupama Race around New Caledonia. All on board were saved due to quick rescue operation carried out by Forces armées en Nouvelle-Calédonie – FANC (the French Armed Forces in [...]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Airbus H145M

Airbus H145M LUH SOF and Airbus H145M LUH SAR (c/n 20136 and c/n 20360, ´76+14´ and ´77+08´ of the German Armed Forces), rehearsal for flying displays at 2025 edition of Tag der Bundeswehr open doors event, Internationales Hubschrauberausbildungszentrum Bückeburg, June [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

´Platinum Wolf´ howls in Serbia

Between 12th and 27th June 2025, this year´s edition of multinational tactical exercise ´Platinum Wolf´ (Платинасти вук) took place at Base South training grounds, in the vicinity of Bujanovac, Serbia. The training was organised by the Serbian Armed Forces with [...]
AVIATION HISTORY

4 July 1753 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard is born

On 4th July 1753, the French inventor and aviation pioneer, as well as the first professional balloon pilot in the world, was born in Les Andelys, France. Since the childhood, Blanchard, a son of a lathe-operator, showed his mechanical skills, [...]

Operation K – the longest bomb raid at the time

AVIATION HISTORY

26 May 2025

Between 3rd and 5th March 1942, the naval aviation of the Japanese Imperial Navy performed the long-range bomb raid on Oahu Island, commonly known as the second attack on Pearl Harbor. Officially codenamed Kē-Sakusen (K作戦 [...]

20th anniversary of Gripen service with the Czech Air Force

FEATURED

21 April 2025

Twenty years ago, on 18th April 2005, the first Swedish-made supersonic jet fighters arrived to 21. základna taktického letectva (the 21st Tactical Air Force Base) in Čáslav, therefore opening the Gripen era in the Czech [...]

AVIATION HISTORY