France Caught a Rare Russian Spy Jet

France Caught a Rare Russian Spy Jet

Share this story Somewhere over the Baltic this summer, a French Rafale slid into formation beside a Russian jet that almost never lets itself be seen. The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-214PU — a rare, specially-equipped command aircraft that open-source analysts link to...
Combien y a-t-il d'avions dans le monde ?

Combien y a-t-il d'avions dans le monde ?

Share this story Ask most people to picture “the world’s aircraft” and they imagine airliners — rows of jets at a busy airport. Yet airliners are a tiny slice of the real total. Add up everything with wings and an engine, from a two-seat trainer at a...
The Friendly Jet Trainer That Went to War

The Friendly Jet Trainer That Went to War

Share this story Most fast jets seat their crew one behind the other, the passenger staring at the back of the pilot’s helmet. The BAC Jet Provost and its armed cousin, the BAC Strikemaster, do it differently. In these aircraft you sit shoulder to shoulder with...
L'avion espion à une aile noire

L'avion espion à une aile noire

Share this story Here is a strange way to predict a North Korean missile test. Open a flight-tracking website, and watch for a single, ageing American jet to take off from Nebraska, cross the Pacific, and start flying long racetrack patterns over the Yellow Sea. When...