Comment - AFM's opinion on the hot topics in military aviation.
Arizona's fighter town - Kees van der Mark and Rob Conijn report from an action-packed Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, which hosted several deployments, exercises and a fighter pilot competition earlier this year.
French Lynx: endangered species - The French Navy has long been one of the main operators of the acclaimed Westland Lynx maritime helicopter. But it has recently been announced that the days of the faithful 'big cat’ are now numbered. Henri-Pierre Grolleau reports from Lanveoc-Poulmic, Brittany, home of Flottille 34F.
Search and destroy from the sky - French fighters have been active in the skies over Africa for many years. In the second part of his report from the Sahel, Jean-Marc Tanguy investigates the work of the Armee de I'Air's strike force at Niamey in Niger.
Royal Squadron rescuer - Thomas Newdick discovers how the RAF adapted one of its BAe 146 C3 transports for medical use in record time.
Russia's strategic warriors Part one - Together with intercontinental ballistic missiles based on land and aboard submarines, strategic bombers form part of the nuclear triad. For Russia, they comprise the most important component of the air force. In the first of a two-part in-depth analysis, Piotr Butowski expertly assesses the potential of Russia's impressive long-range strategic bomber fleet.
AMI Typhoon spreads its wings - The Eurofighter Typhoon is now well established in the Italian Air Force's order of battle. Mauro Zanotto looks back at the jet's successful path to the front line and its recent operational deployments, while Katsuhiko Tokunaga flies with the 36° Stormo at Gioia del Colle air base -Italy's biggest frontline F-2000 wing.
Dutch Lightnings over Arizona - From Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, Kees van der Mark reports on the training of Dutch F-35 pilots within the 308th Fighter Squadron 'Emerald Knights!
Wings of Gold - The US Navy runs a mammoth flight training programme to support its operational units as well as those of the US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard, as Dick Weis and Hans Drost discover on visits to Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida and NAS Meridian, Mississippi.
Postcard from Colombia - AFM contributors Elio Viroli and Stenio Bacciocchi share their photos from visits to four of the most important Fuerza Aerea Colombiana (FAC, Colombian Air Force) air bases - Palanquero, Apiay, Melgar and El Dorado.
Punching above its weight - Singapore is working through a major modernisation effort that will transform its small but powerful air force, as Roy Choo explains.
INTEL REPORT: European LIFT - The face of lead-in fighter training (LIFT) in Western Europe is changing, as Alan Warnes discovers, with a review of the current equipment and prospects for new programs and acquisitions.
COMMANDER'S UPDATE BRIEFING: Rotary operations - Within the UK Armed Forces, helicopters can be found in all three services. Having a range of different rotary types and missions in close co-operation via a joint command is a highly effective setup, as Air Power Association President, Air Marshal (rat'd) Greg Bagwell CB CBE explains.
Book reviews - AFM evaluates some of the latest offerings in aviation literature.
FORCE REPORT: Argentine Air Force - In the last few years, the Argentine Air Force has faced serious challenges in maintaining its diverse fleet. Horacio J Claria investigates how the service has tackled continuous budget cuts and a lack of funding for future acquisitions.
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Attrition - Dave Allport details the world's most recent military accidents.
Coming up - See what's featuring in your AFM next month.
Contents page picture: This month's Force Report examines the fortunes of the Argentine Air Force, an air arm that's suffered a fair few challenges in recent years. One enduring success story is the 'Huey' Meet - this is Bell 212 H-89 (c/n 31141), one of seven survivors. The first eight entered service from May 1978, a ninth was added in 1996, followed by another pair from Israeli Air Force stocks in 1998 and a twelfth from the civilian market in 2006. Of the five losses in service, two were captured by British forces during the Falklands War. Horacio J Claria
Cover: Looking every inch the Cold War warrior, this Russian Aerospace Forces Tu-22M3 'Backfire-C' carries an example of the delta-wing, Mach-4-capable Kh-22 (AS-4 ‘Kitchen ) cruise missile under the port fixed wing glove. As part of a large-scale upgrade of its Long-Range Aviation force, Russia is preparing its Tu-22M3 bombers for several more decades of service. Artyom Anikeev