The Aviationist
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The B-29 Goes Atomic: A Look at Operation Silverplate
Departing in the predawn darkness of Aug. 6, 1945, a modified B-29, designated with radio call sign ‘Dimples 82’, was carrying a single bomb. Enola Gay was about to change the world. Approximately a year and nine months earlier, on Dec. 2, 1943, a lone Boeing B-29 Superfortress bearing serial number 42-6259 had secretly taken […] -
UAE’s AH-64 Apaches Swat Down Iranian Shahed Drones with M230 Chain Gun
The UAE showed that its AH-64 Apaches and F-16s are actively flying in the counter-drone role, tackling Iranian drones before they can reach their targets. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) released on Mar. 8, 2026, a video showing footage from an electro-optical system of eight Iranian Shahed-type One-Way Attack (OWA) drones being shot down. Based […] -
DARPA’s High-Speed VTOL SPRINT Aircraft Receives X-76 X-Plane Designation
DARPA has assigned the designation X-76 to the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) project, a Bell proof-of-concept technology demonstrator for a high-speed tiltrotor. DARPA (Defense Advance Research Project Agency) has announced on Mar. 9, 2026, that it has assigned the new X-76 designation to the X-plane being developed as part of the Speed and […] -
B-52H Bombers Join B-1Bs Deployed to RAF Fairford
Three B-52H Stratofortress bombers deployed to RAF Fairford, joining B-1B Lancers deployed in the previous days and bringing to 11 the number of bombers now in Europe. After two flights of B-1B Lancer bombers, now also a flight of B-52H Stratofortress bombers arrived in Europe for a deployment to RAF Fairford as part of Operation […] -
NH90’s Special Forces Variant Completes First Round of Operational Tests
France completed a first operational test campaign of the NH90’s Special Forces variant, also called Standard 2, ahead of the first deliveries this year. France’s Directorate General of Armaments (Direction Générale de l’Armement – DGA) released on its Instagram account on Mar. 5, 2026, new images of the prototype of the NH90’s special forces variant, […]