Russian Mig-31 intercepts U.S. P-8 patrol aircraft near Russia’s Far East.

On April 21, a Russian Air Force MiG-31 jet intercepted a U.S. P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying in international airspace near Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia’s Far East, where a firing range also used to test intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from Borei-class strategic nuclear submarines is located.

The Russian Soviet-design supersonic interceptor flew within 15 meters of the U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane but unlikesome of the previous “close encounters”, the interception was conducted in a “safe and professional” manner according to Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for the Pacific Command, who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.

Indeed, the incident occurred one week after a U.S. Air Force RC-135 electronic intelligence gathering aircraft flying a routine mission (in international airspace) over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 that barrel rolled over the American spyplane.

https://theaviationist.com/2016/04/28/russian-mig-31-intercepts-u-s-p-8-patrol-aircraft-near-russias-far-east/

JAS-39 Gripen video shot with a special ultra-stable gyro camera.

http://theaviationist.com/2016/04/21/watch-this-awesome-jas-39-gripen-video-shot-with-a-special-ultra-stable-gyro-camera/

Japan’s X-2 “Shinshin” indigenous stealth jet makes first flight.

The first prototype of  the indigenous stealth war plane that Japan Air Self-Defense Force will operate in the air defense role, replacing the ageing Mitsubishi F-2, made its first flight on April 22 from Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works airport, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries facilities.

Previously designated Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X (ATD-X), the X-2, serialled 51-0001, is developed by the Japanese Ministry of Defense Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), the agency that has been working on the “Shinshin” (“spirit of the heart,” an early codename within the Japan Self Defense Force) for research purposes for more than a decade.

http://theaviationist.com/2016/04/22/japans-x-2-shinshin-indigenous-stealth-jet-makes-first-flight/

Did Russian forces in Syria fire on Israeli warplanes?

Several Israeli media outlets said that Russian forces in Syria have fired at least twice on Israeli military aircraft in the last weeks.

Although no specific dates or locations for the incidents were given, it looks like these close encounters occurred as Israeli Air Force jets hit Syria to prevent suspected arms handovers to Hezbollah.

According to Reuters, Israel’s Channel 10 TV said a Russian jet approached an Israeli warplane off the Mediterranean coast of Syria last week even though there was no contact between them.

Probably referring to the same episode, Debkafile reported of a “near clash” between four IAF F-15s and two Russian Su-30SMs on April 20: flying over the Med, the Israeli jets approached Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, in northwestern Syria, where the Russian Air Force contingent is headquartered, forcing the Russians to scramble two of their Sukhoi jets.

As of yet, the Kremlin has denied that Russian forces in Syria fired at Israeli military aircraft. It’s still not clear whether the “near clash” has occurred.

http://theaviationist.com/2016/04/22/there-are-conflicting-reports-on-alleged-clash-between-russian-and-israeli-aircraft-near-syria/

Pre-production photos HA8701 Bf 109E-4 "Hans Von Hahn"

New tooling! Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA8701 Bf 109E-4 "Hans Von Hahn" I./JG3, Granvillers, France, late 1940.

Pre-production photos HA4902 S-3A Viking VS-28 "Hukkers".

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA4902 Lockheed S-3A Viking BuNo. 159741, VS-28 "Hukkers" USS Forrestal, US Navy.

Final product photos HA3220 A-26B Invader "Monie".

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA3220 A-26B Invader 44-34517 "Monie", 37th BS, 17th BG, Korea. 

Douglas A-26B 44-34517 originally belonged to the 452nd BG but became the property of the 17th BG when they replaced the 452nd at K-9, Pusan, Korea. 

Now with the 37th BS/ 17th BG the aircraft was piloted by Lt. Robert Mikesh and crewed by Navigator First Lt. Middleton and Gunner A2C Kitchen. The aircraft name “Monie” was Mikesh’s pet name for his wife “Ramona”. 

Robert Mikesh went on to fly in Vietnam and eventually became an author and curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Russian Mi-28N Night Hunter gunship crashes in Syria killing both pilots.

A Russian Mi-28N Havoc combat helicopter, deployed to Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, Syria, has crashed near Homs on April 11, killing both crew members.

According to the Russian MoD the Night Hunter, a modification of the Mi-28 gunship optimized for night combat operations, was not shot down but crashed for reasons yet to be determined.

The Mi-28N is the third loss for the Russian forces in Syria: on November 24 2015, a Su-24 Fencer was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16;  during the CSAR mission launched to rescue the two pilots (one of those was killed by the Islamists rebels), a Mi-8AMTSh Hip helicopter was hit by ground fire and later destroyed. A naval infantry officer was killed.

http://theaviationist.com/2016/04/12/russian-mi-28n-night-hunter-gunship-helicopter-crashes-in-syria-killing-both-pilots/

Record formation of 30 U.S. Army’s Kiowa helicopters.

On Apr. 15, a formation made by 30 OH-58 Kiowa Warriors from 1-17 CAV, part of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, took to the skies of Fort Bragg and Fayetteville, North Carolina, for a farewell flight over the base and the local community for the years of support.

The unique formation marked the final U.S. training flight for the armed reconnaissance helicopters as the last Kiowa squadron in mainland America prepares to deploy to South Korea to join the only remaining OH-58 unit outside the U.S.: after the 9-month rotation in South Korea the squadron will return stateside and adopt other aircraft, both manned and unmanned.

The Kiowa Warrior, is the armed version of the Kiowa, employed by the U.S. Army from 1969. The new variant, that embedded new systems and weapons pod, were inducted into active service beginning in 1987.

Since then, the OH-58s have flown in the Persian Gulf as well as in Afghanistan, conducting scout and light assault missions in a configuration that included a mix of Hellfire missiles, rocket launchers, machine guns and Stinger missiles.

http://theaviationist.com/2016/04/19/record-formation-of-30-u-s-armys-kiowa-helicopters-perform-farewell-flight-over-fort-bragg/

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/04/13/army-kiowa-helicopters-fly-last-formation.html?ESRC=eb_160413.nl

Final product photos HA4312 F-86F "MIG MAD MARINE".

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA4312 F-86F Sabre 52-4584, "MIG MAD MARINE" Major John Glenn, 25th FS, Suwon AB, Korea, 1953.

USMC Major John H. Glenn Jr. had flown with VMF-311 but became an exchange pilot assigned to the USAF 25th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Group at K13 Suwon, Korea. 

He was equipped with an F-86F-30 serial number 52-4548 with the names of his wife and two children painted on it. Glenn had complained of a lack of MiGs and one morning came out to find “MiG Mad Marine” had been added. During the final two weeks of the war Glenn downed three MiG-15s.

Final product photos HA1992 RF-4EJ Kai 501st SQ, JASDF.

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA1992 McDonnell Douglas RF-4EJ Kai 87-6406, 501st SQ, JASDF.

The JASDF 501st Squadron was formed at Matsushima on December 1, 1961 equipped withRF-86Fs. In 1975 the 501st Tactical Reconnaissance Group moved to Hyakuri with their new RF-4Es. In 1992 seven RF-4EJs and eight RF-4EJ Kai had been converted and updated from the normal F-4E. 

The early 1980s saw the introduction of the F-15 so F-4EJs were heavily modified and could carry 3 types of external sensor pods of which one was the LOROP (Long Range Oblique Photography ) pod with KS-146B camera.

Hobby Master HA1949 433rd TFS F-4D with Pave Knife Pod.

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA1949 McDonell Douglas F-4D Phantom II 60-7709, 433rd TFS, 8th TFW, Ubon, AFB, Thailand. It is Pave Knife Pod equipped.

McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II 66-7709 was delivered to the USAF 432 TFW/13th TFS in early 1967. During the aircraft time in the Vietnam War it spent time with the 433rd TFS/8th TFW, 336th TFS/ 4th TFW, 49th TFW, 36th TFW. 

In 1979 the aircraft moved to the 12th TFS/18th TFW before transferring to the 457th TFS/301st TFG in 1984 and the 465th TFS/507th TFG in 1986. In April 1988 66-7709 was transferred to the RoKAF as one of the last of the 92 F-4Ds transferred to the RoKAF.

Hobby Master releases for June 2016.

June sees some interesting releases for HM. The splinter and desert camouflaged Iranian F-14 and EA-6B Prowler respectively have unusual schemes not yet done in die-cast.

There is also an Australian F-111 in the Farewell Scheme and two F-16s, a Turkish MiG Killer and a Singaporean example. In addition we see a Patrouille Suisse F-5E, North Korean MiG-15 and RoCAF F-86 Sabre. 

In 1/48 scale the P-51B "Ding Hoa" is all that's on offer.

CHiPs pursuit ends in SUV crash with Super Hornet!!!

Two people are dead after a Jeep Grand Cherokee collided with an F/A-18E Super Hornet in California. The female passenger in the Jeep died at the scene and the male driver died later in the hospital after the SUV ran into the horizontal stabilizer of the fighter on the ramp at Lemore Naval Air Station on Thursday. 

Lemore is one of three "master jet bases" run by the Navy to keep aircraft carriers supplied with crews and aircraft so the crash caused a stir. The Navy set up a temporary command center as a response to what was initially feared to be a targeted attack on the base but as details emerged it seems the dramatic incident was just a horrible accident.

At a hastily arranged news conference later in the day on Thursday, Capt. Monte Ashelman, the CO of the base, said there will be plenty of investigations about how the Jeep managed to smash through a gate and run amok on the base before hitting the Hornet. 

The drama began with routine inquiry by a California Highway Patrol officer on a state highway near the base. The Jeep took off and the CHP officer was joined by a CHP helicopter on the chase. The police helicopter followed the Jeep around the base with the help of air traffic controllers until the collision. The aircraft is damaged but repairable. Names of the two deceased haven't been released.

By Russ Niles