USAF jets attack Iran in Operation "Epic Fury"

A small selection of images from the war against Iran, from FB photographers at Fairford and the CENTCOM website image gallery.

EF-18G Growler (a specialised, anti-air defence USN fighter/bomber) getting airborne from Muwwaffaq Salti AB in Jordan loaded with four AGM-88 anti-radar missiles…

 A U.S. Air Force F-15E takes flight in the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 2, 2026. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

Lakenheath-based F-35 seen getting airborne in a recent USAF image posted on the CENTCOM image gallery. RAF Lakenheath in the UK hosts two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II squadrons under the 48th Fighter Wing: the 495th Fighter Squadron ("Valkyries"), which was the first overseas USAF F-35A unit, and the 493rd Fighter Squadron ("Grim Reapers"), which transitioned from F-15s to F-35As during 2025. Both squadrons have achieved full operating capacity.

pre-flight checks on an F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 37, on the flight deck of the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, March 2, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)

 An F-35C Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, is chained down on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, Mar. 3, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)

 An F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 3, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)

A U.S. sailor performs a visual inspection on an F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)

four General Electric F101s seen in full burner mode as this RAF Fairford-based  B-1 gets airborne on 15 March. (HL PowerHunting photos)

 
..and, on 19 March, through the haze high in the skies over Somerset, a USAF KC-135R fuelling a B1 over Launceston (Anna Wheeler photo)

Also on 19 March a B-52 from Minot AFB gets airborne from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire toting 12 AGM-158 cruise missiles each with 1000 lb armour-piercing warhead. Brilliantly captured by Adrian Webster Photography on FB (low-res copy shared here with the FB code..)

For an assessment of Iran's air defence capabilities see Tom Cooper's Substack page here

The Wing Walk Company at Headcorn, Kent

 

A few months ago I spent a day watching the activities of Aero Legends and the 'Wing-Walk Company' at Headcorn airfield in Kent. And no, I wasn't tempted at all - although a steady stream of intrepid 'wing-walkers' were! The day started dark and drizzly but by 10:30 the cloud base had lifted sufficiently for a whole queue of 'wing-walkers' to start getting ready for their flights. Senior pilot Richard (over 5,000 wing-walking flights experience..) and his colleague 27-year old Callum Collins (flying since age 15) then spent the next 4-5 hours taking up a succession of clients - old and young - for what must have been the experience of a lifetime (..it says here).

 I met Haiden (photo top, alongside the tail of  G-WGWK) and his mum and dad. Haiden was first up. Mum and Dad both looked frankly terrified at the prospect of young Haiden going up on the upper wing of a venerable Stearman biplane. Obviously he'd be strapped in - but the 'wing-walkers' are not attached directly to the aircraft but rather belted into a seat that is attached to a short pole bolted onto the top of the wing directly behind the prop. Haiden himself had just recently completed his first sky dive and had been 'inspired' to go wing-walking at Headcorn after watching the latest Tom Cruise film - if you've not already seen it just check out the stupid crazy Stearman flying sequences! Why hasn't that film won a gong for the flying ? 

 But the groups of people around The Wing Walk Company caravan on the airfield all appeared ultra-keen to have a go at wing-walking! The first flight lasts about 10 minutes and is always sans aerobatics - health and safety gone mad I say! But the steeply banked turns right over the airfield and roller-coaster 'bumps' would have been enough to get the punters screaming I reckon. And all of this going on while the parachutists of 'Go Skydive!' and the Spitfire twin-seater of 'Aero Legends' and the Stampe aerobatic team were doing their things. Check out the wing walk company website and click once on the red square to watch the short  2-minute video below.. Only £450 for a 10-minute flight. Thanks to TWWC senior pilot Richard for the Tom Cruise stories ..

Finnish Buffaloes - B-239 in the Continuation War (part 1)

 

Brewster 239 coded BW-354 flown by SSgt Heimo Lampi of 2/LeLv 24 seen during April 1942 in Tiiksjarvi.

Some Finnish pilots actually preferred the Buffalo - or the 239-  over their later 109 Gustavs received from Germany. SSgt Heimo 'Hemmi' Lampi later recounted his attachment to the Brewster to historian Dan Ford;

 

“The old friend Messerschmitt, who was a real hard fighter, was my next plane after the Brewster, but it totally lacked in humaneness.. [..]... “I could not love it the way I loved my friend Brewster. Nor any other plane for that matter.” 

Having scored during the Winter War, Lampi became an ace on day 1 of the Continuation War - 25 June 1941 - then later became an ace on the Brewster 239 and added eight more victories in the 109. 

 Warrant Officer Juutilainen (with 34, second-highest scoring ace on the Brewster Model 239) referred to the 239s as “fat hustlers, just like bees. They had speed, agility and good weaponry, too.…We were happy to take them anywhere to take on any opponent.” The top three Buffalo pilots - Lt. Hans Wind (with 39 victories in a Brewster), and 1st Lt. Jorma Karhunen (26.5)—claimed 23 Polikarpov I-16 monoplane fighters, 18 Polikarpov I-153 biplanes and 11 Hawker Hurricanes. Encounters with more modern Russian fighters—Yaks, MiGs and LaGGs—were rare until the Finns began the conversion to Messerschmitts in early 1943.

Lampi poses alongside the tail of his BW-354 '6' after downing two Soviet Hurricanes on 30 March 1942.

Lt. Jorma Savanto of 2/LeLv 24 in Selänpää during June 1941 at the start of the Continuation War.

BW-374 was one of a handful of ski-equipped B-239s seen in Nurmoila, March 1942

Malmi, May 1943 - Bf 109 G-2 and Ms 406 alongside B-239

2/ LeLv 24 pilots Jorma Savanto (second left) and Veikko Rimminen (second right) in front of Rimminen's BW- 367 in Selänpää. 

These images selected from the Finnish Aviation Museum archive @ https://ilmailumuseo.finna.fi/

Pepsi blue Concorde F-BTSD

 

An Air France machine, the 'blue' Pepsi Concorde was unveiled during April 1996 at London Gatwick airport. Ironically Air France had already closed down their LGW operations several years previously - I was one of those staff members (ground crew/dispatch) made redundant. ( Staff members were given the option of transferring to LHR but I chose to leave). We had seen AF (and British Airways) Concordes on several occasions during the late 1980s at LGW. The spectacular 'blue' repaint was part of a $500m re-branding project by Pepsi Cola but in the end it lasted barely a fortnight. 2,000 hours of painting work were needed at Paris Orly for the surprise unveiling at Gatwick in the presence of a number of show business and sports stars. A promotional tour of 10 cities across Europe and the Middle East followed. Supersonic flight above M1.70 over 20 mins in the blue paintwork was not allowed due to heat concerns. (Vandervord via Wiki commons)

Louisville UPS MD-11 crash 04/11/25 - latest video stills

 

Some terrible stills from dashcam footage shown on the "jeffostroff" youtube channel depict the final moments of UPS Flight 2976, a scheduled domestic cargo flight from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport that went down on 4 November 2025. The aircraft struggles to clear the perimeter fence, its landing gear ploughing through the roof of a storage building before the wing clips high tension cables. Minus its port engine the heavily laden machine is already well ablaze and slowly veering to the left..

The MD-11F (N259UP) lost the port no. 1 engine presumably after a catastrophic failure as the aircraft was passing V1 (rotate speed) as it hurtled down runway 17R. Forced to continue with its takeoff, the aircraft rotated off the active runway, as the number one engine departed the aircraft, coming to rest next to runway 17R. The MD-11F reached a maximum altitude of only 175 feet and a highest ground speed recorded of 186 knots. By this stage the aircraft was uncontrollable and, seconds later, impacted a semi truck parking area, destroying multiple buildings and vehicles. Sadly, three crew members on board, along with 11 people on the ground, were killed. Another tragic and cruel accident. A small extract from 'freight dog' Chris van Heijst on FB;

".. Without going into deep speculation, it seems obvious the aircraft experienced a catastrophic engine separation just after V1 speed. No possibility to stop the aircraft anymore: they had to continue. And engine number 2 failed just during rotation, quite possibly due to ingestion of debris from the fiercely burning wing, sealing their fate. I can’t help thinking what I would or could have done in such a scenario. My only conclusion is: nothing at all. A typical black swan event; an extremely rare, unpredictable occurrence with massive impact..."

Sometimes there is simply nothing that can be done.

and from Nico Wissink to provide some context -engine separations are not unheard of; 

 "..This accident when I first saw it gave me flashbacks to the National crash in Bagram, one I had on my schedule for weeks and escaped because we were 2 days behind schedule. I finally can watch the videos again. There are several similarities between the 2 accidents, everything is fine until after V1 or rotation, and all of a sudden things happen that make the airplane completely unable to fly, with a crew fighting for their lives but really just along for a very short ride. Many accidents have a crew component as for the cause, these two don't have that. Engine separations are not unheard of, but quite unusual. At one airline in 2004 a classmate had been the captain of a L1011 out of MIA that had an engine separation right after rotation. They came back around, and that incident is long forgotten. The DC10 accident at ORD has been mentioned a lot. Maintenance people used incorrect procedures to change an engine, by removing the pylon with engine attached, which is a no-no. You leave the pylon attached to the wing. Kalitta had a 747-200 lose one over Lake Michigan. ELAL had the crash in AMS on a 747-200 where an engine separated, rolled under the wing and knocked its neighbor off. Weak shear pins were the cause for both of these, and ever since we have not had any. This UPS MD11 just came out of heavy check, and I think we will find the answer there. The delay before departure was from excessive vibration on the previous flight. We shall wait and find out. But yes, the cargo community is shocked..."

Ukrainian Zlin crop-duster carrying air-to-air missiles

 

From the 'Ukrainian News' FB page

 "..Ukrainian Crop-Duster Turned Drone Hunter. A Ukrainian tractor driver has captured rare footage of a Zlin Z-137T AgroTurbo agricultural aircraft — normally used for crop spraying — now modified to intercept and destroy Russian UAVs. The plane has been fitted with R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles, turning a civilian workhorse into an improvised air defense asset.This innovative adaptation reflects Ukraine’s ongoing ingenuity on the battlefield, where every available resource is re-purposed to counter Russia’s relentless drone attacks.."

From the Eduard Info page;

 ".. one option [ for combatting increased numbers of Russian drones..] is to give light aircraft the ability to strike Russian Shahed drones from a greater distance. This is how the agricultural aircraft of Czech (or Czechoslovak) origin, the Z-137T, has appeared in Ukrainian skies. It is a successor to the famous family that began with the Z-37 Čmeliak (Bumblebee). The aircraft was captured on a short video. It sports green-grey camouflage and two white stripes on the rear fuselage, which are the Army Aviation markings. Under the centre section, there are two additional fuel tanks, and two R-73 missiles under the wings. At the location of the missile pylons, two dark bands are visible encircling the wing, apparently reinforcements of the skin. The R-73 missiles use infrared guidance with a range of 30 to 40 kilometers depending on the version. On the Z-137T they are mounted on AKU-73 pylons. The aircraft itself has no radar or other equipment for targeting drones. The pilot must therefore be guided into the proper area by a ground control station. From there the missile takes over, being fully autonomous and able to find the target on its own. For this, however, it requires electrical power. It is therefore likely that the Z-137T has been fitted with an additional generator for this purpose. Voices were raised questioning the authenticity of the video on the grounds that the Z-137T lacks standard camouflage and the blue-yellow identification markings used at the front. It can only be said that none of the known photos of Yak-52 aircraft show a standard camouflage pattern either. They usually retain their original civilian paint, and some have even sported attempts at the wild camouflage schemes. The blue-yellow identification elements required in the combat zone are carried sparingly on Yaks as well, usually on the rudder only. These light aircraft do not operate near the frontline, but rather fight Russian drones in the interior..."

ВКС России получили четвёртую в 2025 году партию истребителей Су-35С - Russian Air Force accepts another 'batch' of Su-35S

 

The Russian Air Force has just received the fourth batch of Su-35S fighters this year. PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec State Corporation) announced on August 21, 2025 that it has handed over the next batch of new Su-35S multi-role fighters to the Russian Air Force. The 4++ generation aircraft passed a full cycle of factory tests, were accepted by the technical staff and tested in various operating modes by pilots of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

One of a batch of new Su-35S fighters built by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Gagarin Aviation Plant (KnAAZ) of the United Aircraft Corporation, which were handed over to the Russian Air Force in August 2025. The onboard number is obscured (c) United Aircraft Corporation PJSC

UAC announced the transfer of the first batch of Su-35S fighters to the Russian Air Force in 2025 on March 29, 2025, the second batch on May 12, and the third batch on June 25. As usual, UAC reports from 2022 onward do not disclose the number of aircraft delivered, and the fighter aircraft's flight numbers are retouched on the official photos and videos distributed.The third batch handed over on June 25 reportedly consisted of three aircraft. According to "bmpd" on LiveJournal, during 2024, KnAAZ transferred four batches of Su-35S fighters to the Russian Ministry of Defense with a total estimated number of 15 aircraft. Presumably, the now transferred Su-35S fighters are manufactured under the additional (fifth) contract signed by UAC for the supply of Su-35S aircraft to the Russian Ministry of Defense. In total, taking into account previous contracts, the Russian Air Force has received an estimated 135 serial Su-35S fighters between 2012 and the end of 2024.

A review of RIAT 2025 - not a classic!

 

RIAT 2025 was not a classic! That is the general sentiment, reiterated in the report published in the current issue of Air Forces Monthly. While RIAT may still be the leading airshow in Europe in terms of aircraft participants, fast jet displays and international support, RIAT 2025 faced challenges like unexpected aircraft cancellations, including after the aircraft had actually arrived at Fairford - like the B-1. The missing Czech Gripen and Spanish Harrier were big disappointments. This also left static displays sparser than usual - full of holes in fact. Then there was the controversial £15 parking charge, which contributed to some attendees feeling the event was not its best. Despite these issues, the show also featured significant moments like the British airshow debut of the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, along with the Egyptian and Pakistani participation. There were strong flying displays from various teams and nations, including the Polish F-16. Just weeks after RIAT the Polish Air Force F-16 crashed during a rehearsal for the Radom Air Show, killing Major Maciej “Slab” Krakowian, a 36-year-old NATO veteran and award-winning airshow performer and one of the country's top fighter pilots. Back to RIAT, the U2 in flight was a first and the Atlantique display was worth watching. I liked the comments of 'capercaillie';

" ..Well compared to last year I found Friday very underwhelming, not really going to be up with the recent excellent post COVID shows I'm afraid to say. Yes there are some superb attendees (Thank you Pakistan and Egypt), but they're few and far between and after you take them away, the secondary supporting cast you can usually find are completely absent. Static fast jets to watch powering out on departure days are so low in numbers, the massive void of space that greeted you Friday from where the U-2 is parked to the west end was something I never expected to witness at Fairford and never encountered previously since 1985. I enjoyed the Portuguese Merlin and Swedish Blackhawk, the Polish F-16 was very good (some of the hype on here was a little extreme - I've been watching Dutch and Belgian displays since the 80s) and I'm still puzzled as to why two Finnish F-18 displays were utilised as opposed to something different in the air - Atlantique, Tifon, M346 etc, but apparently that gets weirder today with two Danish F-16 displays???? I thought originally the plan was the U-2 to fly all three days..."

And 'binbrook87' on Flightline;

"...to me RIAT is about fast jets and to only have Typhoons, F-18, Gripen and F-16 in the flying programme this seemed well short on the norm. There just needed a couple more 'star' items. I know that the Harrier cancelled but it still needed more. Another Gripen wouldn't have made up the difference. Too many helicopter displays? Which unless you're at crowd centre you cannot appreciate at all. Maybe it's my age but the 'wow' factor just seemed to be missing this year. The flying seemed to stop earlier than previous years and it just sort of petered out rather than finishing on a high like most years..."

In the end RIAT 2025 probably just about met its aims of bringing in aircraft people would not see elsewhere, and the level of participation was perhaps -just-  the best of any airshow this year compared with other 2025 airshows in Europe. I certainly found plenty of highlights in both the static displays as well as the flying. This blogger was in Paris in June and while the static was not bad with a big US participation, the flying display was a little tame mid-afternoon on the Saturday afternoon with one prop warbird after another. Although these did include Bronco, Yak, Flamand, P-40 etc etc. And Paris did have a Lakenheath F-35 in the air - this was an amazing display seen from the runway end car-park fence! And somewhat bizarrely I thought, although F-22s were at Lakenheath during the month they couldn't get airborne for RIAT...

RAF Fairford is one of the main European bases of the legendary U-2 Dragon Lady Spy Plane so it was only fitting for the United States Air Force put on a display of how this aircraft gets in and out of the air with the aid of the Dodge Charger chase car being driven by another U-2 pilot. Dafydd Phillips video of the U-2 embedded via youtube coding. A single click on the red triangle to watch here. Thanks Daf!

RAF Beechcraft Shadow R.1 surveillance flights over Gaza

Above; Beechcraft Shadow R1 of  14 Squadron based at RAF Waddington from Ryan Kirkpatrick "RAF Waddington Spotting". The Shadow is part of the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) group of systems.

According to published sources RAF Shadow R.1 aircraft are still flying surveillance flights from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus over Gaza, primarily to assist in locating hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 attack. These flights have been ongoing since December 2023, have totaled hundreds of missions, and have continued through the summer of 2025 as recently reported on 'The Aviationist' blog.

A written'Parliamentary answer' published on 24 March 2025 confirmed that the UK has been flying unarmed surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean, including Gaza, with a mandate strictly focused on hostage recovery (UK Parliament). Various independent defence reporting (UK Defence Journal blog) noted that Shadow R.1 aircraft continue operations from RAF Akrotiri toward Gaza, with the same limited mandate to “secure the release of hostages”. According to Wiki and other analyses, there have been:

Over 250 flights from December 2023 to June 2024;

And by March 2025, more than 500 flights had taken place.

A Times report in early August 2025 revealed the UK Ministry of Defence outsourced some flights to Sierra Nevada Corporation (US contractor). The move followed maintenance or deployment issues affecting the UK’s Shadow fleet; none of the eight RAF Shadow R.1s were stationed at Akrotiri at that time. 

The 'Shadow' was developed from the Beechcraft King Air by Raytheon to improve intelligence gathering and the RAF's aircraft - based at Waddington - carry a bank of sophisticated electro-optical and electronic sensors with satellite communications links for inflight data transfer.

Permission at http://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk for reuse under the OGL (Open Government License).

Screen captures from Ryan Kirkpatrick Waddington Spotter video (April 2025) of Shadow R.1 coded ZZ 507.

Breguet 1050 Alizé - Alizé Marine not at Duxford next weekend

 

Also due at Duxford next weekend was another French owned and registered 'warbird' the only flying Breguet Alizé. But as the IWM just posted on FB; 

 " We regret to announce that the 1050 Alizé will no longer be displaying at the Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show next weekend. While we always aim to deliver a full and exciting flying programme, aircraft participation is subject to a range of operational as well as logistical factors and subject to change. We’re continuing to work hard to bring together the best possible flying list for the show and look forward to welcoming you to IWM Duxford..." 

Back in April though the Alizé Marine Association already announced the premature end of operations by its rare Breguet Br-1050 Alize ex-French Navy carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft as reported on the European airshows website; 

"..The Association Alizé Marine, owner/operator of the world’s last remaining airworthy Breguet Br-1050 announced that as of 30 April 2023, Alizé No.59 (F-AZYI) will be grounded. The Association is being forced out of its hangar at Nîmes Grande Provence Méditerranée airport by the municipal authority, which owns the airport and has not provided any alternative accommodation..[..] Alizé Marine will hold an extraordinary general meeting, at which it will consider the possibility of liquidation... "

Then in May Key Aero reported that the historic anti-submarine warfare aircraft had found a temporary new home. On 19 May, it was ferried to Base Aérienne 701 at Salon de Provence, where the French Air Force offered hangarage for a limited period. The Alizé appeared at the Patrouille de France aerobatic team’s 70th anniversary airshow the following weekend. In a statement on Facebook, Alizé Marine added that, “for operational reasons”, it will probably have to move to Cuers-Pierrefeu airfield at “an undetermined date”, this being the location where numerous current French Navy aircraft types receive major maintenance. The association went on to say that it still hopes to negotiate “a permanent hangarage solution” back at Nîmes, where serial 59 — which has been flying as a civilian aeroplane since 2013 — was based during its active Aéronautique Navale career. 

 So there was a very good chance all along that the Alizé was not going to make it to the UK, which is a shame. For one, there are very few aircraft still flying powered by the Rolls Royce Dart. Having said that, the Breguet was at Le Bourget back in June, which is where I took this photo..

Mistral Warbirds F-86 Sabre in the UK, summer 2025

As you may have noticed, a number of UK air displays have announced the French based Canadair CL-13B (F-86E) Sabre Mk 6 operated by Mistral Warbirds will be attending their events. The aircraft is flown by well known French display pilot, Frédéric Akary. The aircraft will be using IWM Duxford as a temporary base during much of the summer.. Martin Eames photos from the Duxford Flying evening held on 16 August in the setting sunshine and, bottom, some shots from Paris Le Bourget in June where the aircraft was on static display. The aircraft will be flying at the Battle of Britain airshow Duxford on 6-7 September..