COMBAT AIRCRAFT VOL 21 Nø05 MAY 2020 . CBT000

N° EN COURS : Janvier 2019

Volume 20 n°1

HEADLINE NEWS
Hill F-35s in surge operations and Tyndall disperses Raptor missions

US NEWS
Prowlers return from last combat deployment, USAF bombers train in ‘denied environment’, plus all the latest unit and deployment news

WORLD NEWS
News from Europe and around the globe, including Belgium’s future fighter decision, plus all the latest military losses

FEATURES

J-20 SHOWS ITS TEETH
Andreas Rupprecht evaluates the undoubted star of the 2018 Zhuhai Air Show - the J-20, which on the final day showed off its internal weapons bay and a clever external configuration

EYE ON THE EAST: CHINA’S STEALTH BOMBER
China’s stealth bomber, under development at Xi’an, has been the subject of much recent speculation. Andreas Rupprecht considers when this new warplane might emerge from the shadows

OPS DESK: USAF PILOT TRAINING
Scott Wolff’s regular column looks at how the US Air Force is looking to revolutionize its pilot training

ROTARY REVOLUTION
The Marina Militare (Italian Navy) has been operating the SH-90A since 2011 and the complementary MH-90A since 2017. Francesco Militello Mirto and Luca La Cavera were granted special access to these new helicopters

AIR WING EVOLUTION
US Navy aficionado Mike Crutch examines the status of US Navy strike fighter squadrons amid major readiness concerns and looks at how this fits into the future face of the carrier air wing

MOUNTAIN MASTERS
Philippe Rey reports from a spectacular ring range high in the Alps, Switzerland’s Axalp-Ebenfluh, where Swiss fighter pilots hone their skills

‘FOXHOUND’ TURNS SATELLITE-KILLER
A MiG-31 is apparently testing Russia’s new anti-satellite missile and more jets have been adapted for carriage of the weapon, as Thomas Newdick reveals

CALL OF DUTY
Exercise ‘Clear Sky’ teamed the US Air Force with the Ukrainian Air Force in an area of great strategic interest. Rich Cooper and Frank Crébas were there, with exclusive access

LAST PUSH FOR THE PUCARÁ
In 2019, the FMA IA-58 Pucará will mark 50 years since its first flight. Santiago Rivas finds that this rugged close air support aircraft may not reach that milestone, as its final operator prepares to fly the type’s last missions

CANBERRAS IN CONTACT
Warren E. Thompson provides a fascinating insight into the success of the B-57 in battle over south-east Asia during the Vietnam War as it rained down bombs with accuracy in support of ground troops

EXERCISE REPORT: ‘TRIDENT JUNCTURE’
Giovanni Colla and Remo Guidi join Norway’s biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War and discover how ‘Trident Juncture’ sent a powerful message from NATO

‘SWAMP FOXES’ BACK HOME
In October, the 157th Fighter Squadron returned home to South Carolina following an Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ deployment, as Jamie Hunter details

TRAIN AS YOU FIGHT
Joe Copalman joins US Marine Corps reservists as they train as a Marine Air-Ground Task Force at Twentynine Palms

HAWGS OF WAR
Norman Graf reports from the biennial ‘Hawgsmoke’ A-10 weapons competition, held this year in Missouri

CUTTING EDGE
Our monthly column reporting from the front line of aerospace technology, by David Axe

FLASHBACK
Combat Aircraft’s regular feature looking at highlights of the recent past - this month it’s the OV-10 Bronco

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