Afterburner - The Aviation Magazine

2 October 2026

AVIATION HISTORY

2 October 1918 – maiden flight of the Kettering Aerial Torpedo

On 2 October 1918, the experimental unmanned aircraft, officially designated the Kettering Aerial Torpedo (aka the Kettering Bug), performed its maiden flight. Development of this aircraft, at that time known as an aerial torpedo and being a forerunner of the [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

Boeing selected to develop U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX fighter

On 29 September 2026, the U.S. Navy announced that Boeing had been selected to develop and produce its F/A-XX, a new sixth-generation fighter intended to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet. The multi-billion-dollar contract will see Boeing design, build and [...]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK

IAv Bacau Iak-52

IAv Bacau Iak-52 (c/n 822710, OK-JAX), taking off for the flying display during an air show held as part of the 80th anniversary celebrations of Aeroklub Šumperk, Šumperk, September 2026. The Yakovlev Yak-52 (Як-52) primary training aircraft was developed in [...]
CIVIL AVIATION

Boeing wins major new orders from Korean Air, Turkish Airlines and Biman Bangladesh

Boeing has secured a series of major new orders from airlines in Asia and Europe. Korean Air, Turkish Airlines and Biman Bangladesh Airlines have all announced agreements covering more than 260 aircraft in total. The orders include both single-aisle and [...]
AVIATION HISTORY

25 September 1909 – La République disaster

On 25 September 1909, the French airship La République crashed near the Château of Avrilly on her return from a military exercise, killing the entire crew. La République was one of three semi-rigid military airships built as subsequent examples of [...]

Europe sets out new ambitions for human spaceflight and lunar exploration

FEATURED

23 September 2026

On 9 and 10 September 2026, the International Space Summit took place in Paris, bringing together world leaders, government ministers, representatives of the space industry and astronauts to discuss the future of global space activities. [...]

Marco Waltenspiel’s “Fairy Slalom” over Cappadocia

DREAMERS AND DOERS

24 August 2026

In early August 2026, Red Bull Skydive Team member Marco Waltenspiel turned the sky above Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with balloons, into a high-altitude slalom course. The project saw the Austrian skydiver complete [...]

DREAMERS AND DOERS