David Cenciotti
@cencio4
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Military aviation blogger and the man behind @TheAviationist . Journo, IT Sec pro, Computer Eng., Ret. AF officer, speaker, pilot. Former blue check.
Rome, Italy
Joined July 2009
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#母の日
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ヴィクトリアマイル
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テンハッピーローズ
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#鉄腕DASH
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Pinned Tweet
You can study and read everything but nothing can match the learning you get by taking part in a real mission. This was yesterday flying with the Tornado ECR of the 155th Gruppo ETS of the
@ItalianAirForce
doing SEAD/DEAD. Much more to come at
@TheAviationist
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Yesterday we finally got a first look at the B-21 () that will fly for the first time in 2023. What puzzles me is that we still don’t know which aircraft flew over Amarillo and Wichita in 2014. (Story here: )
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Six F-35s, 8 Eurofighters and 8 T-346 drew the number 100 over Rome today to celebrate the
@ItalianAirForce
100th Anniversary. Virtute Siderum Tenus.
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This has just been released and it's much interesting. Close up view!
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Here are some photographs taken from U-2 pilot and friend who took
@TheAviationist
patch to 70K feet (69,068 ft actually based on the altimeter…) in a Dragon Lady recently. No better way to celebrate Skunk Works 75th anniversary!
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Another day, another civil plane that gets intercepted by the Italian Air Force QRA after a loss of radio communication with the ATC. This rate of alert scrambles caused by civil traffic is unbelievable.
For the records: this time it was a Japan Air Commuter ATR72-600.
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No idea what this symbol above the nose landing gear is. Any clue? Interesting. H/T
@GreyWhale89
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Commenting my tweet about the mysterious "flying doritos" spotted in 2014 some have suggested that those were the RQ-180, the B-21, F-117 etc. Here's what's confirmed (B-21 Raider), unconfirmed but likely (RQ-180 White Bat), and still unknown despite the speculations.
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F-35 pilot gives me the “shaka” sign as I take photos of his jet from the ramp of a C-130J. Shot with the 150-600mm lens in 2019.
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I’ve just received from a friend this awesome clip of the Italian Cavour aircraft carrier leaving the Maritime Military Arsenal of Taranto this morning after about 10 months of works. F-35B integration tests next.
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ItAF plan to retire the Tornado: “Your kind is headed for extinction”
Tornado: “Maybe so, sir. But not today”
Filmed yesterday as a 9-ship Tornado formation flew over Lake Garda during local airshow.
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What a crazy formation!!!!! How many fighter generations in one shot!
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This is something you don’t see every day: eight Tornado aircraft (4x Tornado IDS + 4x Tornado ECR) take part in the flypast for the 100th Anniversary of the
@ItalianAirForce
in Rome, on Mar. 28, 2023. Love the Tonka. More about the flypast here:
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Commuting home after a +5 hr mission. Time to enjoy the stunning view. Filmed on Oct. 3, from the backseat of Wolf 31, Italian Navy’s last TAV-8B.
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This gives an idea of what it looks like when two F-35s approach the camera ship over Iceland. Filmed yesterday after shooting many crazy cool shots from that ramp. Thanks to the
@ItalianAirForce
and
@SHAPE_NATO
.
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Have you ever seen a “tanker break”? Here’s the one I filmed on Apr. 1, 2021: an
@ItalianAirForce
KC-767 breaks formation after buddy refueling with another KC-767 (the camera ship I was aboard).
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20 years ago today, on Nov. 27, 2000, I fulfilled a dream, flying in an F-104 Starfighter. What a ride!
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RED2 formation made of 2x C-130J, 4x C-27J and 1x P-72 aircraft over Rome for the 100th Anniversary of the Italian Air Force.
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This is one of the most interesting paths I've ever spotted on a flight tracking websites/apps. In this case was on
@flightradar24
USAF MC-12W out of Bagram AB flying an ISR mission near Kabul (some background about this aircraft here: ).
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I promised to share some more shots of the
@ItalianAirForce
F-35As flying over Iceland I took from the ramp of a KC-130J in October last year. Here they are.
#icelandicairpolicing
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Enjoying a privileged view during a mission with
@thef35
of the
@ItalianAirForce
supporting
@SHAPE_NATO
Icelandic Air Policing 🇮🇸🇮🇹
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I filmed this last week from the KC-767’s RVS station as we performed buddy refueling to another
@ItalianAirForce
KC-767. Believe me, when the boom plugs into the receiver’s receptacle you hear a loud thump and the aircraft shakes a bit.
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I took this photo from the backseat of a Tornado ECR during a SEAD mission that saw the participation of two F-35As and one Tornado IDS of the
@ItalianAirForce
on Feb. 16, 2022. Stay tuned for more on the Italian Wild Weasels. Magnum!!
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One year ago today, I was sitting on the ramp of a KC-130J shooting photos at two
@ItalianAirForce
F-35 deployed to Iceland to support NATO Icelandic Air Policing. Time flies.
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This photo turns 18 today. It's one of my all time favorite shots (a scan from a 35mm slide) taken on May 13, 2003, flying alongside this F-104S/ASA-M of the X Gruppo, "Picca 11", inside R-62 area. Sweet memories to wish you all a good "Top Gun Day"
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Enjoy the view from the cockpit of a Blackbird at 83,000 ft over the Atlantic in 1974. The SR-71 set the record for flying time between New York and London, traveling 3,461 miles in 1 hour and 54 minutes, at an average speed of 1,806 mph. Pic via SAC Museum.
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Today I had a chance to fly the F-35 simulator at the
@lockheedmartin
booth at the
@ItalianAirForce
AeroSpace Power Conference in Rome. I took off from Nellis AFB and shoot down two MiGs. Then I made a successful trap landing with an F-35C. Not bad.
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As highlighted in this report, one of the Dutch F-16s deployed to Eastern Europe in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine happens to be a MiG killer. It's the airframe J-063 that shot down a Serbian MiG-29 on Mar. 24, 1999, during Op. Allied Force
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Some random images from the Pratica di Mare airshow that celebrates the
@ItalianAirForce
's 100th anniversary.
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"It's not a secret we are here, and we don't want it to be a secret," Technical Director aboard NATO E-3 AWACS. Pretty clear no?
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Do you remember the shot of an F-117 over Nevada with the pilot giving the “hang loose” gesture to the photographers? Well, that is the scene that came to my mind when the pilot of this F-35 did the shaka hand signal to me as I photographed him from the ramp of a C-130J in July.
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The new
@ItalianAirForce
Tornado special color scheme to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of RSV is simply stunning. Well done!
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Tom Cruise’s P-51 Mustang and the special colored F/A-18F Super Hornet used to film Top Gun sequel spotted at NAS Lemoore on Sept. 14.
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The First Ever Video Filmed Inside A U.S. Air Force B-2 Stealth Bomber's Cockpit While In Flight Exposes Several Interesting Details. There are also some interesting radio frequencies, Have Quick and Link 16 details. Here's my take:
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The postman delivered this beauty yesterday. It’s not an official patch (at least, not yet, since someone told me pilots at TTR could receive a few of these soon...) but it’s truly awesome.
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Brilliant way to prove that ADS-B spoofing can be used to inject fake tracks into flight tracking websites/apps.
🇺🇦
#Ukraine
No joke... On FR24 right now apparently circling
#Kyiv
😂👇
UR-82060 - Antonov An-225 'Mriya'
#StandWithUkraine
#StopRussia
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Short clip I filmed from the backseat of a
@Eurofighter_1
Typhoon returning home through some broken/overcast weather. 🤙
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Some days are more exciting than others. Very close and very personal with
@thef35
of the
@ItalianAirForce
and
@RoyalAirForce
working together for the first time. Much more to come!!
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I filmed this two hours ago. Festa della Repubblica flyover. 🇮🇹🇮🇹
@ItalianAirForce
@FrecceTricolori
#2giugno
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You don't happen to see such a mixed formation of aircraft of the
@ItalianAirForce
too often. This was last Thursday, when a C-27J, a Typhoon, a Tornado ECR, an MB-339, an M-346 and two F-35s flew over Pratica di Mare airbase.
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Happy Birthday to the
@ItalianAirForce
for its 97th anniversary. I’m so proud to have served with the Aeronautica Militare. 🇮🇹
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Some really stunning footage was filmed today from aboard the Frecce Tricolori jets during the Liberation Day flyover over a desert Rome under lockdown. This is the one I like the most.
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Genius! The chemtrail patch I’ve posted yesterday includes a funny Easter Egg: in the darkness, the conspiracy theorist will see the giant penis drawn in the sky by U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler pilots over Okanogan Highlands in Washington state last year! 🤣🤣🤣
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Nice, romantic shots of the EasyJet A319 intercepted yesterday because of a COMLOSS event by the
@ItalianAirForce
@eurofighter
Typhoons in QRA at Grosseto AB.
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Italian Wild Weasels. I took this from a Tornado ECR while flying a SEAD mission as part of a 5 ship, including three Tornados and two F-35As, in February 2022. The ItAF has decided that the SEAD/DEAD mission will transition to the F-35A when the ECR is retired.
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Exclusive: Check Out These Incredible Photos Taken Last Week of the Massive Stratolaunch Space Plane At Mojave Air & Space Port. Story and pics:
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During Operation Neptune's Spear (the Osama Bin Laden raid) an E-6B Mercury was flying some unusual orbits over the UK. A friend reminded me about this mix and the article I wrote in 2011: The E-6B was in contact with B-2s flying through the Med.
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This photo is doing the rounds on social media and is said to come from Bergamo, in Lombardy, where the Italian Army has started moving coffins to other towns. The death toll in the region has reached 1,959 (Italy’s total is 2,978) with 319 today only.
#COVID2019
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Interesting footage. Note: I don’t think these were MANPADS though.
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Photography-wise, 2019 has been a pretty hectic year with some memorable trips. However, undoubtedly, the best session was the air-to-air photo shooting with the F-35s over Iceland.
@ItalianAirForce
@thef35
@SHAPE_NATO
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Yesterday I took part in an epic mission aboard an
@ItalianNavy
Harrier: 5 hours, 4 vertical landings on Cavour carrier; rejoin with F-35B; mission and rejoin with F/A-18F/Es of USS Ford; ultra low level flying; landing after sunset. Full
report coming soon at
@TheAviationist
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Nice shot of a Russian Su-27 Flanker as seen from the cockpit of an
@ItalianAirForce
F-2000A Typhoon. It looks like the Su-27 was escorting an Il-20 intercepted by the Italians scrambled from Siauliai, Lithuania.
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Today I’ve had a very good day. +5 hours aboard an
@ItalianAirForce
tanker refueling F-35, Tornado and Eurofighter aircraft involved in a COMAO. Photos and report to come...
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This B-2 generating its own “cloud system” is mind blowing.
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This is the first thing that has come to my mind when I've read the news that the U.S. Air Force has secretly flown a full-scale demonstrator of its Next Generation Fighter:
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The Monza F1 GP 2020 flyover as seen from the cockpit of "Pony 5". Awesome footage released by the
@ItalianAirForce
.
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19 years ago today I took this photo flying on the backseat of another TF-104 Starfighter.
That mission is described here:
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This cool shot shows Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey generating Kopp-Etchell's effect in the dust
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The launching ceremony of the multipurpose amphibious unit "Trieste", the largest Italian Navy ship since WWII (213mt/33 tons), took place today. It's a LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock) but it will be equipped with a ski-jump and will host the Italian Navy's F-35B jets.
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"The last Starfighters". I took this in May 2003 as we chased a three-ship RTBing to Grazzanise. I asked them to "break" because the background, with the white clouds, was promising. I took two or three shots, with this being the first. Scan from 35mm slide.
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Hint: you have to look at the right side of the shot (belly area), not at heat wave on the left.
Check Out This Shot Of An F-35 Flying Through The Star Wars Canyon And Generating Shock Wave Light Distortion
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This gives me shivers. Always. Amazing video doing the rounds on Whatsapp of the Frecce Tricolori celebrating Liberation Day.
@ItalianAirForce
@FrecceTricolori
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Some days are much more exciting than others. Taken earlier today over Iceland.
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Join the challenge of posting an aviation photo. Just a photo, no description. The goal is to post positives instead of spreading negativity. Just copy the text and post it with a nice picture.
#AvGeekChallenge
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Selfie I took from the backseat of an
@ItalianAirForce
@Eurofighter_1
Typhoon returning home after a training intercept mission.
#backseatexperience
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Here's another air-to-air phot I've taken over Iceland. It was a great trip: you don't happen to shoot the F-35 from the ramp of a C-130 near the Arctic Circle too often.
@ItalianAirForce
@thef35
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Hey
@TwitterSupport
@jack
please fix
@CivMilAir
asap. He’s a world leading flight tracker whose insightful updates have made
@Twitter
more interesting and useful for many of us. The account is maliciously reported, flagged, shadow banned & blocked out! It’s a shame!
@ADSBTweetBot
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I’ve made my own cut of the 360-degree video of the Frecce Tricolori flyover over Rome (story and link to the whole video at this link: ). Here’s a 140 sec version of it.
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Look at the B-52's skin buckling clearly visible in this photo. The skin panels between the forward and center fuselage buckle because mechanical forces and flexing of the structure. This is normal and particularly evident on some types of aircraft (including the B757). Cool.
B-52H Bomber Engine Emits Sparks in Remarkable Photo with Miraculous Timing:
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Today, four
@eurofighter
Typhoons carried out the flyover of the F1 GP. Here’s a cool
@ItalianAirForce
clip. Interestingly, leading the formation was the Special Color TF-2000A of the XX Gruppo OCU, the jet prepared in 2018, for the squadron’s 100th anniversary.
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Awesome image released by the
@ItalianNavy
showing an SH-90 helicopter dropping an MU90 advanced lightweight anti-submarine torpedo
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Ok, you have probably seen the photo of the B-2 with the grocery store bags in the cockpit (here: ). It happens all around the world with travel pods etc. This is a pix of a Eurofighter that circulated online few years ago becoming also a meme....😂
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Since you have appreciated my “best of 2019” video, here’s another clip from the same trip. The one “looking out of the window” is myself. Unbelievable experience over Iceland.
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2008: “good bye F-117”
2014: “hey, look, an F-117!"
2014: “it’s true, we haven’t completely retired the F-117”
2017: “we are permanently retiring the F-117”
2017: “look, an F-117 on a trailer!”
2017: “look, an F-117 chased by an F-16!”
What’s next? Latest:
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The Italian Air Force has released some interesting shots of the
@eurofighter
Typhoons during Red Flag 20-2. Interesting to see the F-2000s loaded with seemingly Live GBU-16s for swing role missions...
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If you want to understand what is happening these days, you should start from here.
@Aviation_Intel
's reporting on this has been incredible.
Big revelations this week about balloons spying on US. These aren't really revelations. Two years ago I laid out exactly this was happening, why it was happening, its historical precedent, that it was directly conflated with UAP, and that was a big problem
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45 secs out of a +4 min video inside the Caproni Ca.3 replica at Pratica di Mare (full video on IG). Sorry in Italian only but you get an idea. More about this impressive aircraft here:
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A friend sent me these shots coming from Ukraine of what looks like a munition. It looks very unusual to me and doesn't match any Russian munition I know. Maybe some kind of towed decoy? Any idea?
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Scary.
Our people are highly trained & professional, but not always able to complete the mission on first try.
This video shows how heavy smoke from bushfires has prevented some C27J & C130J flights from reaching
#Mallacoota
&
#Merimbula
#AusAirForce
#AustralianFires
#YourADF
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Happy Birthday to the
@ItalianAirForce
on its 100th Anniversary. I'm so proud to have served in the Aeronautica Militare! Virtute Siderum Tenus
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Nice shot of the
@ItalianAirForce
F-35A jets deployed to Decimomannu for a 3-week firing campaign.
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Multiple close calls here.
9.18.2019 | BRUSH FIRE AT THE SANTA FE RECREATIONAL AREA | Quebec-1 & Quebec-2 (the SuperScoopers) were on-scene with
@LACoFireAirOps
and
@LACOFD
. The fire was quickly taken care of. //
@KTLA
@WelkAviation
@Sky5Tim
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Several interesting things worth of remark here:
1) closest F-35 deployment to mainland Russia;
2) first time a 5th gen. aircraft supports NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission;
3) first time Italian Air Force F-35s deploy to Estonia.
Read more:
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