Author: TheDesignHangar
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50 Years of Turkish Air Force F-4 Phantom II
Text, illustrations & Photography by Max Zammit With an unforgettable celebration featuring close-range fly-bys and an “elephant walk” at the type’s last main operational station in the country, Turkey has commemorated 50 years of operations of the legendary F-4E Phantom. The Legacy goes on Eskizehir is a city that embodies Turkish aviation in its purest…
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AMX – Phase-Out 2024
Text & Photography by Max Zammit To commemorate the retirement of the AMX “Ghibli” aircraft, the Italian Air Force held a special ceremony at Istrana Air Base in northern Italy on April 5, 2024. The retirement of the 35-year-old A-11 signaled the end of an era. A cold war icon By the early 1970s Italy…
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Base Aérea Monte Real
Text & Photography by Simone Marcato Fast-jet aircraft of the Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP – Portuguese Air Force) have been based at Base Aérea n. 5 (BA5) since it opened in October 1959 in Monte Real, Leiria, 150 km north of Lisbon. It has housed the only two fighter squadrons of the FAP for more…
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Malta’s Alouettes
Photos & text by SpotterMagazine The three SA316B Alouette IIIs in service with the Armed Forces of Malta have had a colourful history, and although they may seem outdated compared to the AW139s with which they share the flightline, they are still an important element in the island nation’s armed forces, performing vital coastal and…
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The Italian way of fast jet training: 61o Stormo
Photography by Max Zammit. Text by Max Zammit, Simone Marcato & Fabrizio Capenti Pilot training has a very long and illustrious history at the 61o Stormo (Wing) at Lecce-Galatina Air Base in southeast Italy. As of right now, it has 3 squadrons (212o, 213o, and 214o Gruppo) and 3 flight lines (T-339A, FT-339CD, and T-346A),…
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The end of the USMC Prowler’s era
Text & Photography by Simone Marcato On the 8th of March 2019, with the Sundown Ceremony at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, the Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Two (VMAQ-2) “Death Jesters” was deactivated. The event also marked the end, after 42 years and 260,000 flying hours, of the Northrop Grumman EA-6B…
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Kunsan Air Force Base
Text & Photography by Simone Marcato Kunsan Air Base (Kunsan AFB), also known by the military designation K-8, is – along with Osan AFB – one of the two main USAF installations on the Korean Peninsula. It is located at Gunsan Airport, about 10 kilometers west of the city of the same name, an important…