In Turkey this week
Royal Air Force Typhoons from XI Squadron, based at RAF Coningsby are taking part in Exercise ANATOLIAN EAGLE working alongside the Turkish Air Force at 3rd Air Force Base Konya, Turkey.

The two week multi-national complex air exercise provides the opportunity for the RAF to train jointly with the Turkish Air Force aiming to increase interoperability in the event of contingency operations. Also taking part in the exercise are Jordanian, Omani, Qatari and Spanish Air Forces.

Picture's by: SAC Helen Farrer.
13/06/2014.






And over The Baltic
Royal Air Force Typhoons Intercept Russian Aircraft
18 June 2014

RAF Typhoons were yesterday (Tuesday 17 June) scrambled to intercept multiple Russian aircraft as part of NATO?s ongoing mission to police Baltic airspace.

The Typhoon aircraft, from 3 (Fighter) Squadron, were launched after four separate groups of aircraft were detected by NATO air defences in international airspace near to the Baltic States.

Once airborne, the British jets identified the aircraft as a Russian Tupolev Tu22 ?Backfire? bomber, four Sukhoi Su27 ?Flanker? fighters, one Beriev A50 ?Mainstay? early warning aircraft and an Antonov An26 ?Curl? transport aircraft who appeared to be carrying out a variety of routine training. The Russian aircraft were monitored by the RAF Typhoons and escorted on their way.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/b...icing-18062014



France
20 June 2014 Press Release

With the first flight today of A350 MSN005, the five-strong development fleet is now complete. Being the second passenger cabin-equipped A350 and tasked with route proving and ETOPS validation, MSN005 embodies the operationally definitive configuration for Type Certification duties. This milestone means that the A350 XWB development programme is at full speed and on track for certification in the third quarter of this year, to be followed thereafter by delivery of the first customer aircraft to Qatar Airways in the fourth quarter.

As of today, the A350 XWB programme has already achieved more than 2,000 flight-test hours in around 500 flights, and with this the programme is demonstrating the highest flying rate ever achieved in Airbus flight tests, with around 80 flight hours per aircraft per month.

And for you lucky buggers going to "Legends"
A wonderful bonus

LINK - http://www.globalaviationresource.com/v2/2014/06/20/aviation-news-boeing-p-26-peashooter-announced-for-flying-legends-2014/

Turkey.
The Spanish Air Force, have also sent 6 Typhoons & 6 F-18's to participate in ?nternational Anatolian Eagle .




(photos courtesy of SAF)

Lufthansa's Super Connie's new glass cockpit

LINK - http://www.dlbs.de/en/59/SuperStar-News/2014/Ein-neues-Flightdeck-fuer-die-SuperStar

Meanwhile down under

In New Zealand


A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion drops a bomb during high explosive aerial bombing testing on the Kaipara Air Weapons Range on June 25, 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand. The New Zealand Defence Force opened the bombing training facility up to media following reports last week that sounds and vibrations from an exercise were heard and felt as far as 70 kilometers away.

South China Sea


SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 24, 2014) A Royal Malaysian Air Force MiG-29N Air Fighter and Interceptor, middle, and an Su-30MKM Multirole Fighter, top, fly in wingtip formation with an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Diamondbacks of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102 during a photo exercise. VFA-102 is assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 on patrol with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group in the 7th Fleet area of operations supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Jason Denny/Released)

AV-8B no gear landing on USS Bataan
LINK - http://theaviationist.com/2014/06/26/no-nosewheel-landing-av8/

KC-130 Air Refueling Mission with MV-22 Osprey, AV-8B Harrier II

Boeing Delivers 1,500th 747

EVERETT, Wash., June 28, 2014 ? Boeing (NYSE: BA) has delivered the 1,500th 747 to come off the production line to Frankfurt, Germany-based Lufthansa. The milestone airplane is a 747-8 Intercontinental.

The 747 is the first widebody airplane in history to reach 1,500 deliveries. This special logo was painted on the airplane to mark the milestone.


And this past weekend in the UK - OUCH !!