Indian Air Force, HAL Chetak (Indian licensed version of the Aérospatiale Alouette III) light utility helicopter dressed as elephants, during the anual Republic Day Parade held in New Delhi on January 26, sometime in the 70’s.

Night evaluation flights of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II VTOL fighter jet aboard the Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour.

Full weapons load

When something has to be removed from existence.

(via Air Force finally retires 8-inch floppies from missile launch control system | Ars Technica)

we’ll miss you

Shark mouths masterpost

English Electric Lightning 

Luftwaffe, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. 

USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)

Russian Air Force, Ilyushin Il-20 electronic warfare aircraft.

Another favorite roundel, or in this case, favorites, the commonwealth trio: Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal New Zealand Air Force, guess which one is which! 

The original Royal Air Force rounder of which these are based on looks so plain in comparison:

Republic F-105 Thunderchief supersonic fighter-bomber, until the introduction fo the F-35, the biggest single-engine jet to ever serve in the American armed forces.

North American F-100 Super Sabre.

North American F-100 Super Sabre testing the experimental zero-length launch system or zero-length take-off system (ZLL, ZLTO, ZEL, ZELL), a system whereby jet fighters and attack aircraft were intended to be placed on rockets attached to mobile launch platforms for a quick take-off without the need of using a vulnerable airfield. 

Bell X-22 experimental tilting ducted fan V/STOL (vertical and/or short take-off and landing) aircraft.

Takeoff was to selectively occur either with the propellers tilted vertically upwards, or on a short runway with the nacelles tilted forward at approximately 45°.

The program started in 1966, and was eventually cancelled in 1988, with only two units produced, the second being made after the first crashed. 

General characteristics

Crew: two + six passengers Length: 39 ft 7 in (12.07 m) Wingspan: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m) Wingspan (front wing): 22.916 ft (6.98 m) Height: 20 ft 8 in (6.31 m) Empty weight: 10,478 lb (4,753 kg) Max takeoff weight: 17,644 lb (8,003 kg) Powerplant: 4 × General Electric-YT58-GE-8D turboshaft engines, 1,267 hp (945 kW) each Propellers: three-bladed propellers mounted in wingtip swivelling ducts, 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed: 221 kn (254 mph; 409 km/h) Service ceiling: 27,800 ft (8,500 m) Hover ceiling in ground effect : 12,000 ft (3,658 m) Hover ceiling out of ground effect : 6,000 ft (1,829 m)