Afterburner - The Aviation Magazine

14 August 2026

AVIATION HISTORY

14 August 1937 – the air battle of Jianqiao

The Battle of Jianqiao, also known as the 814 Aerial War, was part of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the first aerial combat that was a prelude to the Second World War. On 7 July 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

Three nations, one mission – historic RC-135 integration over France

During a unique multinational exercise over central France, an Airbus A330 MRTT Phénix of Armée de l’air et de l’espace (the French Air and Space Force) refuelled United States Air Force and Royal Air Force RC-135 aircraft, marking the first [...]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Flight Design CTSW

Flight Design CTSW (c/n 05-10-13, SP-STBO), taxiing on the runway at Świebodzice airfield, Świebodzice, July 2026. The CT (standing for “composite technology”) range of light aircraft was developed in the mid-1990s by Flight Design GmbH, a German company founded by [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

Boeing cleared to produce long-range JDAM

On 5 August 2026, Boeing announced that the company was granted a $75 million Undefinitised Contract Action (UCA) by the U.S. Air Force to acquire the BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit (PDU) for the new GBU-75 Joint Direct Attack Munition Long [...]
AVIATION HISTORY

7 August 1913 – death of Samuel Cody

On 7 August 1913, Samuel Cody died in an aviation accident when his floatplane crashed near Farnborough, England. Samuel Franklin Cowdery (later known as Samuel Franklin Cody and nicknamed the “Flying Cowboy”) was born on 6 March 1867 in Davenport, [...]

The world-first wingsuit formation flight over Mont Blanc

DREAMERS AND DOERS

5 July 2026

On 25 June 2026, Red Bull issued a press release announcing that a group of eight of the world’s best wingsuit pilots had completed the longest terrain formation flight ever, launching from above Mont Blanc. [...]

From active duty to history – a short review of military aircraft retirements in 2025

FEATURED

14 January 2026

The year 2025 marked aviation history with several notable farewells to iconic military aircraft. These included both well-known workhorses from the Cold War era and relatively newer designs that proved ineffective in the modern combat [...]

DREAMERS AND DOERS