Aviation

Skywalker’s above Cayan Tower

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The Cayan Tower is a luxury apartment building with a striking helical shape, turning 90 degrees over the course of its height. Each floor is identical in plan, but is set 1.2 degrees clockwise from the floor below, giving the tower a distinctive form by way of an innovative, efficient, repeatable structure. Its shape is pure expression of the relationship between a building’s form and the structural framework that supports it.

Britain’s Breitling SkyWalkers Aerobatic Team members perform aerial stunts atop a Boeing Stearman Biplane

This was shot during the World Air Games in Dubai 2015.

Power and Prosperity

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Dubai is one of the most recognisable Arab country in this region. Come here and you will be mesmerised by the amount of construction going on here. Most of them are the largest, biggest, longest , widest etc etc..

It is said that world’s 1/3 construction cranes are here in this region. They are a legend on their own right, can been seen almost every where, part of Dubai skyline.

Here is the, UAE Aerobatic team, Al Fursan doing an aerobatic manoeuvre during the World Air Games 2015 in Dubai Marina. Right above those magnificent machines made all these superlative iconic structures.

In a way, saluting the way the country has come up.

Boeing P-8 Poseidon

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One of the most versatile Anti Submarine & Surveillance aircraft from Boeing. Shot during the last Dubai airshow.

They were back in the news recently for the search of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370

Eurofighter Typhoon

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Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of three companies; BAE Systems, Airbus Group and Alenia Aermacchi, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which also acts as the prime customer.

Development of the aircraft effectively began in 1983 with the Future European Fighter Aircraft programme, a multinational collaborative effort between the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Due to disagreements over design authority and operational requirements, France left the consortium to independently develop the Dassault Rafale instead. A technology demonstration aircraft, the British Aerospace EAP, first took flight on 6 August 1986; the first prototype of the finalised Eurofighter made its first flight on 27 March 1994. The name of the aircraft, Typhoon, was formally adopted in September 1998; the first production contracts were signed that same year.The Typhoon was introduced into operational service in 2003. Currently, the type has entered service with the Austrian Air Force, the Italian Air Force, the German Air Force, the Royal Air Force, the Spanish Air Force, and the Royal Saudi Air Force. The Royal Air Force of Oman has also been confirmed as an export customer, bringing the procurement total to 571 aircraft as of 2013.

These images were shot during the Al Ain Airshow 2013

Dassault Rafale

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One of the aircraft I was looking forward to see in the last Dubai Air-show was the Dassault Rafale

The Dassault Rafale (French pronunciation: ​[ʁafal], squall) is a French twin-engine, canard delta-wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Dassault describes the Rafale as an omnirole fighter, with a high level of agility, capable of simultaneously performing air supremacy, interdiction, reconnaissance, and airborne nuclear deterrent missions. The Rafale is distinct from other European fighters of its era in that it is almost entirely built by one country, involving most of France’s major defence contractors, such as Dassault, Thales and Safran.

India has shortlisted them for their mainstream aircraft. However as usual the deal is getting delayed and long because of the slow bureaucratic setup.

As of January 2014, the MMRCA contract is still being negotiated. In addition to the primary aforementioned disagreement, another point of contention is a provision where Dassault will have to reinvest 50 percent of the deal’s earnings into India’s defense sectors, either through purchases or technological expertise. Although negotiations were initially expected to end in March 2013, the Rafale deal is unlikely to be signed until April 2014 due to defense budget cuts. The first aircraft would arrive in 2017.

In March 2014 the two sides were reported to have agreed that the first 18 aircraft would be delivered to India in flying condition and that the remaining 108 would be 70% built by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautical Limited).

In the air-show they did impress everyone with their manoeuvres. Would really look forward to see them in IAF colours.

The Saudi Hawks Aerobatic Team

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Saudi Hawks

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A frequent visitor to the Al Ain Airshow, The Saudi Hawks Aerobatic Team was formed in June 1998 at King Abdulaziz Air Base (Dhahran).

They fly the BAE Hawk Mk.65 and 65A jet trainers.

Their first show was in January 1999 in the Saudi kingdom’s capital, Riyadh, as part of Saudi Arabia’s 100th anniversary celebrations. They flew at the 1999 Malta International Airshow and in February 2000 they displayed in Bahrain. From June 2002, the team toured the kingdom for four months and performed at civil and military shows. The team performed its first ever display in Europe at the Air Power 2011 in Zeltweg.

Good Bye Reds

RAF’s Red Arrows had a fantastic busy 2013. This year they undertook an extensive Middle Eastern tour of the region. During the tour, the team completed 15 displays and performed in Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and three locations in the United Arab Emirates – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. They also visited Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

On 6th of December all eleven of the team’s distinctive BAE Systems’ Hawk jets returned to their base at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire successfully completing their tour of ME region.

The above shot is from their last performance in the region in Dubai as part of Dubai International Parachuting Championship (DIPC 2013)

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