Australian Army (A40-016) NHI MRH-90 taxiing at Wagga Wagga Airport

 

The Casablanca-class of escort carriers was one of the largest classes to be built for the United States Navy, with a total of 50 carriers built and in commission from about 1943-64. In this class was USS Thetis Bay which was commissioned in 1944 with Donald E. Wilcox as her captain. Normally, this particular class of ships would be able to carry around 24 to 27 aircraft and travel at a speed of 19 knots, but in today's feature, we can see her carrying 8 larger aircraft as well as some smaller ones in between those large ones on her main deck. During her service, she would be used for multiple tasks including transporting aircraft, spare parts, and personnel to certain areas.

 

Corsair and Firefly aircraft in the hangar of the maintenance carrier HMS Unicorn.

 

On this day in 1978 the Royal Navy ceased steam catapult launches from Aircraft Carriers, when the last ever Plane, an F4K Phantom was launched from HMS ARK ROYAL. A few hours earlier the last Buccaneer was launched too. Buccaneer and Phantom.

 

The RAF Typhoon Team and Armee de lair Rafale, together over Shropshire skies as they prepare for the Cosford air show.

 

The first operational cruise of USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) was history-making support of Operation High Jump in Antarctica in 1947, During which the carrier operated R4D Skytrain transports, the largest aircraft to ever launch from a carrier up until that time.

 

A US Army MH-47 Chinook assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) lands on the flight deck of USS Bataan (LHD 5).

 

10 American F/A-18 Hornet jets belonging to the U.S. Marine Corps will be landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland.

 

HMAS Melbourne (II) with Gannets and Sea Venoms ranged on deck.

 

Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye.

 

An RAF Avo Vulcan flies over HMAS Melbourne during exercises in SE Asia, 1965.

 

Handler on USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), signals an E/A-18G Growler attached to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140 during flight operations, June 4, 2022. The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is underway completing a certification exercise to increase U.S. and allied interoperability and warfighting capability before a future deployment. The George H.W. Bush CSG is an integrated combat weapons system that delivers superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America's adversaries in support of national security. Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 is the offensive air and strike component of CSG-10 and the George H.W. Bush CSG. The squadrons of CVW-7 are Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 143, VFA-103, VFA-86, VFA-136, VAQ-140, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, HSC-5, and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.

 

A Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter equipped with radar. 1944. It was the first U.S. military aircraft designed for night interception of opposing aircraft. It served in Europe and elsewhere throughout WWII.

 

Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 (XN959 103 E) of 800 Naval Air Squadron on the flight deck of HMS Eagle moments prior to take off.

 

View of damage to Midway (CV 41) and some of her embarked F-4 Phantom II aircraft after the carrier collided with the Panamanian freighter Cactus.1980.

 

USAF CV-22 Osprey on HMS Prince of Wales.

 

P51 Mustang on the Deck of the USS Shangri-La for Carrier suitability trials

 

Multinational vigilance activity on the Norwegian coast.

 

Vought SB2U Vindicator Dive bomber.

 

Merlin Mk4 of 845 NAS during Platinum Jubilee fly past over Buckingham Palace and the Mall, London.

 

PN-10 flying boat on USS West Virginia.

 

Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime aircraft.

USS Tarawa (CV-40) at her moorings with a Martin PBM Mariner alongside. 1946.

 

A British RC-135 'Rivet Joint', an electronic surveillance aircraft, is once again patrolling over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in order to keep an eye on Russia.

 

Norway Terminates its Contract for the NH90.

https://seawaves.com/?p=22332

 

Britain’s retired fleet of Sentinel aircraft was sold to the U.S. last year, one of the type has now been spotted in Arizona.

 

Over 15 Ka-52 attack helicopters have been lost in action to Ukrainian Air Defence, equating to 12% of their overall fleet - what's behind such a significant loss?

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/why-has-russia-lost-so-many-ka-52s-in-ukraine/

 

The first five USMC F-18s from VMFA-323 ‘The Death Rattlers’ have just arrived at Prestwick Airport with their KC-135 support tanker. Another five F-18s and tanker also due this evening.

 

Strike Fighter Squadron 211 (VFA-211), nicknamed the "Fighting Checkmates", is an aviation unit of the United States Navy established in 1945. The squadron is based at Naval Air Station Oceana and is equipped with the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

 

A Sea Harrier of 800 NAS on the flight deck of HMS Fearless after an emergency landing on 13 June 1982.

 

The Air-to-Air Missiles Program Office acquired Italy as its 28th Air Intercept Missile (AIM)-9X International Partner.

https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3035220/air-to-air-missiles-program-office-names-italy-as-28th-international-partner/utm_source/twitter/utm_medium/social/utm_content/100003106862124/utm_campaign/Fight/linkId/air-to-air-missiles-program-office-names-italy-as-28th-international-partner/ 

British jets are in Finland for exercises not long after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace made clear that the United Kingdom would defend Finland and Sweden regardless of NATO membership. ukdefencejournal.org.uk British and Finnish fighter jets conduct joint exercises

 

A USAF Piasecki HRP-1 Flying Banana lands on board a platform built over the after deck of USCGC Westwind (WAGB-281) in 1956.

 

King Air Avengers of 750NAS trainer.

 

American A-10 aircraft (and a KC-135 tanker) departing Glasgow's Prestwick Airport today on the way back to the U.S. via Iceland.