Boeing's Dreamliner 787 has been out of service since January, when the FAA grounded it after the battery systems in two planes failed in quick succession.

While the batteries may not be up to par, the 787 is capable of some impressive moves, as this video proves.

According to the YouTube description, the 787 is being flown by Mike Bryan, a former F-18 fighter jet pilot, at last year's Farnborough International Air Show.

Bryan performs a combat takeoff, climbing steeply and banking hard, and then a tailwind landing (landing is easier going into the wind).

It's very impressive, as you rarely get to see a big jet do tricks like these:

SEE ALSO: This Bizarre Plane Flies Jumbo Jet Parts Around The World

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Already obsessed with drones, the U.S. military is looking for new ones to fill a vital role.

America needs drones to guard its aging fleet in foreign waters, extend a ship's strike distance using standard aircraft carrier ordnance, and do all of it based from the carrier itself. That will allow flight deck operations 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week with no pilots at risk, and no huge jets to re-fuel.

It's a tall order that demands an array of technology that just barely exists and is scattered among various vehicles. Some drones are great at surveillance, some at blowing stuff up, and some at water-based landings, but one that will do all three is yet just a dream. 

When the military wants its dreams made real it often goes to the place with a history of doing just that, Lockheed Martin's Skunkworks. The California-plant has been knocking out super-advanced military tech for decades, and it is one of four facilities in the race to produce this new drone.

Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and General Atomics round out the groups expected to compete against Lockheed. While each have a portion of the technology already in use, Lockheed alone is bringing technology from the most expensive weapons program in the history of the world.

By including elements of the F-35C vertical lift model, with proven components of the RQ-170 drone, Lockheed and Skunkworks may have a leg up on the competition.

To prove it the company released a concept video of its design. Called the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) the video lays out its impressive plans.

SEE ALSO: The future of micro drones could get downright scary >

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Equipped with new P1E software, a Eurofighter Typhoon in a multirole configuration featuring both air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons (2 GBU-16 plus 1 Laser Designation Pod plus 2 AIM-9L plus 2 underwing tanks) recently conducted the first laser guided, self designating, simultaneous guided bomb drops: in other words, the European jet attacked and destroyed two different targets at the same time.

According to Eurofighter, further successful tests were conducted using the same two-seater plane with 2 x SRAAM, 4 x AMRAAM, 2 x underwing tanks, 4 x GBU-16 and 1 x LDP pod;  approximately double the F-16 weapons load.

The tests were aimed at proving that the Typhoon is not only an air dominance fighter capable to achieve some F-22 kills in mock aerial combat during last year’s Red Flag Alaska, but is also an effective precision air-to-surface platform, as proved by the Libya Air War.

“P1E brings full simultaneous multi-role capabilities to the Air Forces currently operating the Eurofighter Typhoon with full integration of the Litening II Laser Designation Pod and Precision Guided Munitions. P1E also delivers Mode 5 IFF, improved Radios and Direct Voice Input, Air-to-Surface integration of theHelmet Mounted Sight System, improved Air-to-Air capabilities including digital integration of Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles, updated MIDs functionalities for enhanced interoperability with coalition forces, and many aspects from the popular UK Radar and Drop programmes which delivered improvements to the Tranche 1 aircraft” Eurofighter says.

Future enhancement programmes will integrate even more weapon systems and capabilities to the aircraft such as Storm Shadow, Brimstone and the Meteor missiles.

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An Air Force F-15 crashed off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, early today, reports the Associated Press.

The pilot ejected, kept in contact with authorities, and was picked up in the water by a Japanese Air Force helicopter. The F-15 was flying out of Kadena Air Base, one of the largest in the region.

Okinawa is home to 50,000 American troops, including seven camps of U.S. Marines. American presence in the area has been a growing source of tension in recent years, and Japan is seeking to reduce the amount of American bases.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated.

SEE ALSO: The F-15 is one of the best fighters ever built >

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On Jun. 10, six Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets of the Italian Air Force deployed to Iceland to provide air policing of the airspace around the northern European island.

Supported by two KC-767A aerial refuelers and a C-130J cargo plane, the Italian jets will provide QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) duties for the NATO from Keflavik airbase.

About 150 military deployed to Iceland within Operation Icelandic Air Policing 2013.

Image credit: The Aviationist/Alessandro Fucito

The Italian Air Force, that already provides air policing of Slovenia and Albania airspaces, will take over the control of the airspace in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in January-April 2015.

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The following image, found by Chinese military aviation expert Andreas Rupprecht, shows the shape of what could be a future Chinese stealth bomber plane.

True or false? A model plane or just the base of a future radar evading attack plane?

Hard to say.

For sure, the shape of this alleged LRS (long range strike) stealth aircraft is intriguing and shows input from several existing U.S. planes, including the F-117 Nighthawk and the YF-23.  Furthermore, some of Beijing’s works were leaked in the form scale models during local exhibitions hence, even if unlikely, it is not completely impossible that the one depicted in the photographs and artwork above is the Chinese answer to the Russian sixth-generation pilotless strategic bomber based on the PAK-DA or the American X-51, Falcon HTV-2 and other hypersonic development programs on which U.S.’s perspective strike capability will be based.

China is working a lot on stealth planes.

Last month, few hours before the U.S. Navy launched the the Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator off the deck of an aircraft carrier for the first time, images of China’s first weaponized stealth drone emerged from the Chinese Internet.

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The Su-35 (NATO designation Flanker E), Russia’s latest version of the famous super-maneuverable multirole fighter jet has demonstrated its stunning capabilities during the first day of the 50th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget.

During its display, the 4++ generation aircraft has showcased some almost impossible manoeuvres, demonstrating unbelievable low-speed handling authority.

Ok, it’s not stealth (even if some sources say it can detect stealth planes like the F-35 at a distance of over 90 kilometers), but once engaged in a WVR (Within Visual Range) air-to-air engagement, it can freely maneuver to point the nose and weapons in any direction, to achieve the proper position for a kill.

Some weeks ago, someone was impressed by a (quite normal) F-35′s High AOA test flight video.

Bill Flynn, Lockheed test pilot responsible for flight envelope expansion activities for the JSF recently said that all three variants of the Joint Strike Fighter will have better kinematic performance than any fourth-generation fighter plane with combat payload, including the Eurofighter Typhoon and theBoeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

The F-35 maneuverability shown in the video seems far to be special. Unlike the Su-35′s impressive one.

SEE ALSO: The X-47B drone ushers in a brave, scary new world

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This year's Paris Air Show has seen the debuts of some amazing aircraft and technology, but it's not the newest Boeing, Airbus, or Bombardier jet that has everyone turning their head.

It's the roar of the Sukhoi SU-35, the augmented fourth generation of a Soviet-designed fighter jet that first flew in 1988 — which may just be the best fighter on the market.

To show off the incredible maneuvering capabilities of the single-seat, twin-engine fighter, test pilot Sergei Bogdan — named a Hero of the Russian Federation in 2011 — has flown it every day at the air show. It's an amazing display.

The SU-35 is built to change direction suddenly while maintaining control, meant for avoiding missiles. In Paris, Bogdan has been pulling off barrel rolls, flying upside down, and going into "falling leaf" mode — where the jet looks like it's going to fall out of the air.

It's incredibly loud, a ton of fun to watch, and after a week of demonstration flights, it hasn't gotten old yet.

Watch it fly, and jump to the 1:00 mark for some crazy moves:

Here are a few photos from the show:

PHOTOS: Qatar Airways Made Its Boeing Dreamliner Look Totally Awesome

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According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets were scrambled nine times against North Korean military aircraft between April and June, Japan Times reported on Jul.10.

These alert launches of Japanese fighter jets against North Korean planes were the first since 2009.

Kim Jong Un planes flew over the Sea of Japan, but did never violate the Japanese airspace, according to the ministry, that went on to say that the North Koreans were probably gathering information (using which kind of planes?) after the Japanese Navy deployed its AEGIS destroyer in the area against the missile launch threats by Pyongyang.

Interestingly, between April and June, much more scrambles were launched by the JASDF against Chinese aircraft, 69, and 31 times the cause of the alert take off were Russian aircraft. From January to March, China’s Air Force aircraft caused 146 launches by the Quick Reaction Alert cells, amid tensions caused by the Senkaku Islands dispute in the East China Sea.

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Everyone knows Princess Juliana Airport in St. Maarten, the Caribbean island: Essentially, planes on short final for landing pass on top of beach goers on Maho Beach, that is always flooded with tourists and photographers.

If you look for images of aircraft landings at St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana Airport online, you’ll literally find thousands of close up photographs showing planes flying extremely low over bystanders at Maho Beach.

However, such an exciting experience can also be found near military airports.

Watch the video below.

It shows a Royal Air Force Typhoon flying a bit lower than usual during final approach at Waddington on the weekend of the 2013 airshow.

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Reports are coming in that a "QF-4" drone fighter jet has crashed near U.S. 98 in Florida, via eyewitnesses on Twitter and local news station WHJG.

The drone was from Tyndall Air Force base and represents the second crash in the last 30 days.

From WHJG:

Eye witnesses say the large drone, presumed to be a QF 4 came in hard and fast, exploded and sent up a large black cloud.

Traffic is blocked on Tyndall on US 98 and is being turned around.

Though pilots can and sometimes do fly in the cockpits of these drones, WHJG confirms this crash was of an unmanned drone. The military told WHJG that a self-destruct explosive charge is usually attached to these drones, just in case.

The QF-4 is a conversion of excess Vietnam-Era F-4 Phantom by BAE systems in California. The company has performed roughly 200 drone conversions of this model since 1995.

Tyndall's last drone crash was out over the Gulf of Mexico.

The base was also home to an F-22 Raptor crash late last year, also near U.S. 98.

BREAKING: Report of Drone has crashed along US 98 near Tyndall AFB in Florida. http://t.co/TW3ak1l1Ky - @WJHG_TVpic.twitter.com/xAnrO8DJKo

— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) July 17, 2013

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The United States military said Monday it had jettisoned four unarmed bombs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef during a training exercise only because civilian boats had strayed into the drop zone.

The US 7th Fleet had earlier said only that the planned target range was "not clear of hazards" at the time, forcing the two Harrier jets to dump their ordnance within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off Queensland state.

But Commander William Marks revealed Monday that the crews had made the decision, which has been criticised by environmentalists, because civilian vessels were detected inside the drop range.

"The approved area where they could do some of this live training with these 500-pound bombs, it was not safe to drop the bombs," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"There were civilian boats right below them."

The joint Australia-US training which began on July 15 involves 28,000 troops and Marks was unable to say how civilian vessels had strayed into the Shoalwater Bay military training area.

"I don't have any more information about what they were doing and why they were there," Marks said.

"But it's part of our procedures just to do that safety check and if we do see that, then for safety reasons we do not drop any ordnance."

Officials on Sunday said the fighter jets had conducted an "emergency jettison" of two BDU 45s, which are inert ordnance, and two GBU 12s, which were dropped in an unarmed state on the iconic reef's marine park on July 16.

The two AV-8B Harrier planes had intended to drop the bombs on a range on a nearby island but were unsuccessful despite several attempts. Running low on fuel, and unable to land carrying such a large load, they decided to jettison the bombs.

"Their priority was to get to a place which would create the least impact, which we believe we did -- dropping them in between 50 and 60 metres of water in a place where it is not a hazard to shipping and not a hazard to navigation," Marks said.

The drop was coordinated with Australian authorities, he said, adding that the environment was a priority for the US military.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which will work with the defence department to recover the bombs, said they were considered low risk and about 30 kilometres from the nearest reef.

But the Queensland Greens Sunday described the incident as outrageous.

"Is this how we look after our World Heritage area now? Letting a foreign power drop bombs on it?" asked Senator Larissa Waters.

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The two MiG-21s that were intercepted on their way from Cuba to North Korea should not concern anyone: the bird is the airborne equivalent of your grandfather's old Buick.

Yes, the MiG 21 is no longer the scourge it used to be, especially in the hands of a North Korea (DPRK) wracked to strangulation with international sanctions.

Even Grandpa's Buick is probably in better order than the DPRK's fleet of approximately 150 or so MiG 21 flying jalopies — the country's most numerous fighter jet.

Which leads us to believe that the two MiGs were destined to either be cannibalized, or set up in a North Korean propaganda museum.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 first appeared in the air in the late-50s, and the Soviets later produced more than 10,000 of them.

In 1963, when the DPRK began building its fleet, the MiG 21 was a total beast in the air, one U.S. F-4 Phantom pilots were wary of encountering over Vietnam.

The MiG had serious advantages in that war, leading the Navy to develop the Top Gun school (pictured).

The Russian military's most advanced fighter is fast, maneuverable, lethal and versatile.

The Russian-made Su-35 has been grabbing headlines after an incredible performance at the Paris Air Show back in June. 

It's a fourth generation fighter really making a name for itself in a time when next-gen fighters like the F-35 and the F-22 seek to rule the market.

Air Power Australia, an independent think tank, calls the Su-35 "the pinnacle of current conventional fighter design, blending a superb basic aerodynamic design with advanced engine, flight control and avionic technology."

The pictures and information laid out here make it easy to see why. 

The Su-35 is produced by Russian aerospace company Sukhoi.

Source: Sukhoi.

It is a multi-role fighter piloted by a single person.

Source: Sukhoi.

It has a 50-foot wingspan.

Source: combataircraft.com.

Every now and then it's necessary to put a quick list of cool things together.

Today, it's military birds from around the globe.

And they could be cool for whatever reason: stealth, long range, armaments, maneuverability or ... Rule #1: Looking Cool.

Whether it's a sleek design, or pure unadulterated deadliness, these are the best and baddest in the air. 

The Sukhoi Su-35 is one of the most maneuverable birds in the sky, and recently wowed the crowds at the Paris air show.

The Chengdu J-20 is China's first 5th-Gen fighter. Little is known about it other than that it has stealth ... and looks like a spaceship.

Though problematic, the F-35 has vertical take-off and landing capability, stealth, and beyond visual range targeting capability.

Considering how unpleasant commercial air travel tends to be these days, it's easy to forget how amazing modern jets really are.

In case you forgot that a metal tube hurtling through the air at hundreds of miles an hour, tens of thousands of feet above the ground, is impressive, just watch this two-minute video.

Produced by Wolfe Air Aviation, which offers aircraft equipped with aerial camera systems, it shows off footage shot from the company's modified Learjet 25.

It includes everything from fighter jets to the Boeing Dreamliner, taking off, landing, and firing weapons.

It's awesome. And beautiful. Now watch, and stop complaining about your legroom.

Wolfe Air Reel from 3DF on Vimeo.

H/t: Jalopnik

SEE ALSO: 21 Photos That Will Make You Grateful For Your Commute

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Russia's biennial International Aviation and Space Airshow, also known as MAKS, kicked off last week, and it's an impressive show.

The first few days of the show, held near Moscow, were reserved for plane makers and businessmen to display their wares and cut deals.

On Friday, it opened to the public.

While Russian president Vladimir Putin did not make an appearance (an unusual move, according to Pravda), Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was on hand.

More impressive than the politician, however, were the aerobatic flying demonstrations by Russian, Swiss, and Chinese pilots, who took to the skies in an array of fighter jets and military helicopters.

Two Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets, part of the Russian Knights aerobatic team, performed.

The team also included Sukhoi Su-27 jets.

They put on an impressive show.

As the youngest branch in the military, the Air Force gets a bad rep.

Other service members are often critical of the relative comfort and higher standard of living afforded to airmen and airwomen.

But they're no runt of the litter — the Air Force has the highest budget of the four branches, and its operational capabilities are robust and exciting. 

In short, the Air Force is way tougher than you think. 

SEE ALSO: Take An Inside Look At The 60-Year Old Behemoth That Would Bomb Syria

Typically, when people think about the Air Force, they think planes and cushy jobs.

But it's much more complicated than that.

Yes, there are lots of planes.

The Air Force is entertaining the idea of getting rid of the A-10 Thunderbolt 2 as if it were a lump of financial cancer in the service's fiscal body.

The idea is that the aging bird is a tool with only one major use — close air support of ground units — in a time of budget cuts when the military is increasingly looking for multi-purpose tools, Brian Everstine of the Air Force Times reports.

Everstine writes:

Several Air Force officials have confirmed the A-10 is a likely target for eliminating an aircraft fleet under continued budget pressure. Removing the entire fleet instead of continuing to retire squadrons, called a “vertical cut” is more likely to save money in the long term because it also removes the infrastructure behind the jet.

“You only gain major savings if you cut an entire fleet,” [Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark] Welsh said. “You can cut an aircraft from a fleet, but you save a lot more money if you cut all the infrastructure that supports the fleet.”

Richard Sisk of Military.com reported that old Warthog pilot, Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III spoke of the aircraft in "near woeful tones."

Sisk reported that Clark said the Air Force “has to have a fifth generation force out there” of stealthy, fast and maneuverable aircraft, and the low and slow A-10 just didn’t fit in.

Fifth generation fighters are notoriously expensive, but, aside from potential dogfights, bombing runs, and area denial, can also serve as close air-support to infantry on the ground — in tandem with a number of already existing helicopter systems.

Still, if it goes through, the bird's retirement will be a nostalgic one.

"The A-10, developed by Fairchild-Republic in the 1970s, was credited with destroying more than 900 Iraqi tanks in the first Gulf War and has been a close air support mainstay in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars," wrote Sisk.

SEE ALSO: This is the face of salvation when you're outgunned in the infantry

SEE ALSO: The coolest military birds in flight right now

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According to the recently published RFI (Request for Information), the ARFL (Air Force Research Laboratory) is looking forward to the development of laser weapons for next generation fighter jets.

Even if this is an Air Force initiative, it is possible that the Navy and U.S. Army will run similar independent research programs.

The U.S. Air Force plans to employ laser-based weapons by 2030.

Based on requirements, weapon elements will have to be ready for laboratory test by October 2014, while they must reach readiness for test on a plane and in a simulated operational environment by 2022.

Three new laser devices are to be created: a small power marking laser, that would act as a marker and as a blinding weapon against the optical sensors of the enemy planes; a medium power laser that is to be used against air-to-air missiles; and a high power device to act as an offensive weapon.

The weapon is to be operable at up to 65,000 feet of altitude and within a speed envelope of Mach 0.6 – 2.5.

Northrop Grumman is developing a solid state laser for the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin is on a 30-month contract to develop a prototype turret in an aircraft for the Aero-Adaptive/Aero-Optic Beam Control (ABC) system, while Boeing works on ground forces solutions, including HEL MD cannon that is to be vehicle mounted. Some solutions have been tested already, e.g. the USS Ponce self-defense system against small vessels.

It must be remembered, though, that the laser program is not going to be the first USAF experience with this kind of weapon, since the U.S. Air Force already used ABL on a 747.

That laser was an anti-tactical missile weapon, based on Chemical Oxygen Iodine lasers, developed within a Boeing program.

Cancellation of that program does not mean nothing has survived. NOTAMs issued since the YAL-1 was retired prove that airborne laser testing has not ceased.

ABL used a laser range finder, tracking laser (TILL – Track Illuminator Laser) and finally BILL (Bacon Illuminator Laser) and it was after that that the target was finally destroyed by the main weapon.

USAF tested a chemical-laser weapon using Lockheed C-130H back in 2009.

The laser weapon that is to be developed will probably be employed first on the F/A-XX aircraft that will constitute a replacement for the Super Hornet.

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