Afterburner - The Aviation Magazine

12 February 2026

AVIATION HISTORY

13 February 1923 – Chuck Yeager is born

On 13 February 1923, Charles Elwood “Chuck” Yeager, a USAF officer, combat ace, and test pilot, was born in Myra, West Virginia. Chuck Yeager was born into a farming family. He spent his youth in West Virginia, where he attended [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

RNoAF expands its SAR capability with new Tromsø AW101 base

At the end of January 2026, the Norwegian government officially announced its decision to exercise the option for two additional AgustaWestland AW101 SAR Queen helicopters. This decision will allow a permanent rescue helicopter base to be established in Tromsø in [...]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Aerotechnik WGM.21

The Aerotechnik WGM.21 prototype, exhibited at Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg (Bückeburg Helicopter Museum), June 2025. In the 1960s, the German company Aerotechnik Entwicklung und Apparatebau GmbH (Aerotechnik Development and Equipment Manufacturing Ltd.), based in Frankfurt am Main, began the development of a [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

MH-139A Grey Wolf programme grows with new USAF order

At the end of January 2026, Boeing announced that it would produce four additional MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters for the United States Air Force (USAF). The latest order, concluded between the company and the US military, will bring the total [...]
AVIATION HISTORY

6 February 1916 – airstrike on Zonguldak

On 6 February 1916, the Russian naval aviation carried out an airstrike on the Turkish port of Zonguldak and sank the German cargo vessel SS Irmingard, the largest ship to be sunk by an air attack during the First World [...]

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 [...]

First ever wingsuit foil soaring flight with altitude gain

DREAMERS AND DOERS

26 November 2025

In its press release published on 19 November 2025, the Red Bull company announced that Austrian wingsuit pioneer Peter Salzmann had once again pushed the boundaries of what is possible in human flight. This time, [...]

FEATURED