Afterburner - The Aviation Magazine

1 April 2026

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Přikryl-Blecha PB-6 Racek

Přikryl-Blecha PB-6 Racek (airworthy, full-scale replica of PB-6 “OK-BPI”, OK-KUU 56), waiting for departure from the 29th edition of Aviatická pouť air show, Pardubice, May 2019. The aviation adventure of two Czech pioneers, Jaroslav Přikryl and František Blecha, began in [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

Two decades of Polish F-16 operations – A pillar of NATO’s eastern flank

In 2026, Siły Powietrzne (the Polish Air Force) celebrate twenty years of operating F-16 fighter jets. By choosing these aircraft, Poland has not only strengthened its own air force, but also bolstered NATO’s air power, enhancing its ability to deter threats [...]
AVIATION HISTORY FRIDAY

27 March 1994 – first flight of Eurofighter Typhoon

On 27 March 1994, the Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon performed its maiden flight, piloted by chief test pilot Peter Weger. The history of the European-developed 4th-generation air-superiority fighter officially began in 1985, with a multilateral agreement between West Germany, the United [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

Operation Poker – the French nuclear raid exercise

With the arrival of spring, Armée de l’air et de l’espace (the French Air and Space Force) conducted one of its major live-fly exercises of the year, codenamed Poker, which simulated a nuclear air raid. The training was carried out [...]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19PM

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19PM (c/n 651045, formerly “1045” of Československé letectvo / the Czechoslovak Air Force), on display at an intersection in Líně, near the Plzeň-Líně airfield, July 2025 At the beginning of the 1950s, the Soviet aviation industry began developing the [...]

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