modern aviation
MILITARY AVIATION
Canadair CL-415: The Firefighting Flying Boat That Can Refill in 12 Seconds
The Canadair CL-415 is part of the only family of aircraft specifically designed to scoop water from bodies of water in seconds, standing apart from other firefighting aircraft that are repurposed from their original roles.
The E-6B Mercury: A Repurposed Boeing 707 Airliner That Controls U.S. Strategic Forces
The Boeing E-6B Mercury is based on the 707 airliner and ensures the US President remains in contact with strategic forces, even when traditional means of communication are unavailable.
Scaled Composites Model 437 “Vanguard”
A look at a unique jet aimed at developing autonomous flight software.
Lockheed S-3 Viking Flying Laboratory
A Lockheed S-3B Viking performs one of its last public displays before retirement.
Air-to-Air Formation with a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
A massive Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, photographed in flight from a Lockheed C-141 Starlifter.
Coordination Onboard an Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck
Deck handlers, wearing colors that correspond to their duties, reposition a T-45C Goshawk onboard an aircraft carrier flight deck.
OA-1K Skyraider II – A Simple, Inexpensive Tactical Aircraft Taking on Complex Missions
One of the US Air Force’s first crop duster-derived OA-1K Skyraider II aircraft displays various weapons and sensors on underwing pylons.
Second Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Test Aircraft Takes Flight
A second Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider strategic bomber is added to the test program to accelerate development and entry to service.
Holiday Hornet Adds Cheer to the USS George H.W. Bush Aircraft Carrier
Massive for its day and, with a greater wingspan than a Boeing 757, airliner-sized even today, the Doriner Do-X flying boat served as a luxurious means of interconental travel for up to 100 passengers in the early 1930s.
McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender Refueling Aircraft
The McDonnell-Douglas KC-10 Extender demonstrates its unique ability to refuel various dissimilar military aircraft with multiple refueling systems.
US Navy CMV-22B Osprey Tiltrotor
The Bell-Boeing CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor takes on US Navy aircraft carrier cargo and personnel transport duties as it replaces the Grumman C-2 Greyhound fixed-wing aircraft.
The US Navy’s Unique Gulfstream G550 Business Jet, Modified for Military Use
Based on a standard Taylorcraft taildragger, the Larson Speed Bird was an experimental testbed built to evaluate a unique, all-metal wing design.
A-10 Thunderbolt II
Rolling inverted after receiving fuel from a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, A Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II or “Warthog” returns to its duties supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, 2017.
2016 NIFA Distinguished Visit with the United States Navy: An Unforgettable Ride
An inside, behind-the-scenes look at the operation of an active-duty US Navy aircraft carrier
F/A-18 Hornet Lightning Bolt
A US Navy F/A-18 is illuminated by a single bolt of lightning. Painted in aggressor colors, these Hornets are used to replicate the tactics of potential adversaries at the Naval Fighter Weapons School, or Top Gun. Shot at f/8 with a 30-second exposure time with a Nikon D90 and Nikkor 180mm prime lens.
Grumman Turbo Tracker – WWII-era Sub Hunter Reborn into Aerial Firefighter
A Grumman/Marsh Aviation S-2FAT Turbo Tracker returns from a training flight in Ramona, California. Originally constructed as a US Navy carrier-borne anti-submarine warfare aircraft, it has been remanufactured with entirely new systems and upgraded, more powerful turboprop engines and is now utilized as a firefighting aircraft in California.
