For the month of March 2012, Combat Aircraft Magazine is featuring the beautiful Mig 29 AS with digital camouflage from the Slovak Air Force. The issue features beautiful pictures and a must read article. In case you didn’t know, our ‘Popular’ block on our index page has been featuring the Academy 1:48 Mig-29 AS Slovak Air Force for quite sometime. The reason why the Academy Mig 29 AS is among the the other two featured builds, is because is the most searched model kit within the site and search engines from readers and visitors like you. So I thought that this magazine issue might be of your interest too. You can find the Combat Aircraft Magazine at your local news and magazines stand or buy it directly from them.
Volume 13 Number 3
March 2012
World News
FRONT LINE
Our hard-hitting regular column by Robert F. Dorr
GLOBAL REACH ON A SHOESTRING
Jon Lake evaluates the UK’s Carrier Strike program that many believe may threaten to distort UK defense spending and risk the ability to maintain a balanced air force
AIR POWER OVER LIBYA: THE FINAL ANALYSIS
What began as a multi-national mission to enforce a no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians from Col Gaddafi’s forces ended last October 31 with the collapse of the Gaddafi regime. David Cenciotti assesses what worked and what didn’t in the air war against Gaddafi
SLOVAK FIGHTER TOWN
Cees-Jan van der Ende flies with the Slovak AF for a stunning report on its MiG-29s and L-39s — both of which are based at the former Soviet air base of Sliač
TRAINING TOWN TEXANS
The T-34C Turbo Mentor has long served as an excellent platform for teaching new Naval Aviators. Ted Carlson/Fotodynamics heads to NAS Whiting Field, Florida, to see the replacement trainer in action, the Hawker Beechcraft T-6B Texan II
JUNGLIES IN THE SNOW
Neil Pearson joins the Royal Navy’s ‘Clockwork’ detachment in northern Norway during the Commando Helicopter Force’s winter training regime, and previews Exercise ‘Cold Response’
THE LAST OF THE ‘FOXBATS’
Most are long-retired, but a handful of MiG-25 ‘Foxbat’ reconnaissance jets remains active in Russia, as Ivan Voukadinov reports
MARINE ROTORS OVER HELMAND
In the second part of our coverage of US Marine Corps air assets in Afghanistan, Neil Dunridge joins the rotary-wing transport contingent of the busy 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) — 2nd MAW (FWD) — at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province
KANDAHAR PHOTO FILE
A photo report from Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, is one of the busiest air bases in the world, that hosts a fascinating diversity of types that support the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission
KANDAHAR KING AIRS
A photo report on the fascinating diversity of Beech-based special mission aircraft currently operates in Afghanistan in support of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) missions
‘IMMELMANN’ LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
Alexander Golz and Stefan Büttner head to Jagel and report how the resident Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 (Reconnaissance Wing 51) ‘Immelmann’ will enjoy a leading role in the 21st century Luftwaffe
JAPAN’S FADING PHANTOMS
Japan may be known as the Land of the Rising Sun, but the service career of its F-4 Phantom IIs is now in its twilight. With the F-35A now chosen to replace the F-4 under the drawn-out F-X competition, Rich Cooper brings a timely tribute to the prolific Phantom in Japanese service
CUTTING EDGE
Combat Aircraft’s monthly column reporting from the front line of aerospace technology, by David Axe
