Features:
At the top - Stefan Petersen visits the German Air Force base at Laage to observe how the rejuvenated Weapons School course is seeing Eurofighter, Tornado and A400M aircrews working together for the first time
Anatolian allies - Konya's 3rd Air Jet Base, Turkey, organised the combat search-and-rescue exercise Anatolian Phoenix in late May, along with full-blown air exercise, Anatolian Eagle, in late June. We take a look at some of the varied and interesting participants
Hercules lowdown - With the Royal Air Force now set to retire its remaining C-130s by the end of 2023 -after more than 60 years of experience flying the Hercules - Fit Lt Peter Marshall of 47 Squadron explains to Paul Eden how the key to effective, safe operations has been constant practice
Putin’s prize - President Putin first presented the Kinzhal high-speed missile to the Russian parliament in 2018. Now, Vladimir Trendafilovski delves into the background of the formidable munition after it was recently deployed to Syria fora Russian anti-shipping exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, to coincide with HMS Queen Elizabeth being in the region
100 not out! - The Royal Australian Air Force turned 100 on April 1, 2021. Today, it is a world-class air arm, capable of leading joint and coalition operations around the globe, as Nigel Pittaway discovered
Choppy waters ahead? - As HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) and her Carrier Strike Group heads east, there may be trouble in store. We chart the carrier’s progress since its departure from the UK
China’s maritime threat - Over the last decade, China’s naval power has been greatly modernised and expanded. David Axe explores the country's new aircraft carrier fleet and how the US and its allies are positioned to deter the threat it poses
Leaving Afghanistan - All US and coalition troops are to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11 - a decision that has come after two decades of conflict. Tim Ripley looks at the role of airpower in the evacuation and the possibility of follow-on missions
Secret guardians - Jean-Marc Tanguy takes a closer look at some of the vital work being undertaken by French Special Ops helicopters that are operating covertly in the Sahel region of Africa. Here, the mission is simple - track down the leaders of terrorist networks
Should it stay or go? - Launched in June last year, the NATO initiative to create a military pilot training network across the continent of Europe is still being regarded as an undertaking with uncertain prospects. Alexander Mladenov looks at the evolving business case, aimed at offering cost-efficient multinational training solutions

Regulars:
Comment - AFM's monthly opinion on the most recent and hottest military aviation topics
News - Stay up to date with the latest news from air forces around the world
Mildenhall’s mad month - Sam Pilcher provides an insight into some of the more exciting military aircraft to have visited the UK during June 2021
Attrition report - Dave Allport reveals the month's significant military aviation mishaps
Next month - A quick look at what's on the modern military aviation agenda in next month’s issue of AirForces Monthly

Cover: British and American F-35Bs have completed more than 1,000 vertical landings on the HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) during the three months that the aircraft carrier and its strike group have been on deployment MOD Crown Copyright
Far left: A French Army Special Operation Forces team jumps into a 4e RHFS Cougar Jean-Marc Tanguy
Top left: A 47 Squadron C-130J Hercules C4 flies by HMS Queen Elizabeth (ROS) during Exercise Strike Warrior in mid May
Main image: While a German A400M Atlas turns away, the escorting Eurofighters drop flares and turn hard towards the enemy Stefan Petersen