Military Aviation News Archive
06/13/2019
Over the past several years, U.S. Defense Department leaders have gone from citing technical problems as their biggest concern for the F-35 program to bemoaning the expense of buying and sustaining the aircraft. But the reality may be worse. According to documents exclusively obtained by Defense News, the F-35 continues to be marred by flaws and glitches that, if left unfixed, could create risks to pilot safety and call into question the fighter jet’s ability to accomplish key parts of its miss
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06/13/2019
The Spanish navy and air force are still interested in the American F-35 fighter jet, even though the government is about to join a Franco-German program to develop a new European plane.
The two services are in the beginning stages of an analysis in which the Lockheed Martin-made aircraft is emerging as a key contender, officials told reporters on the sidelines of the FEINDEF defense expo here in late May.
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06/13/2019
The US Air Force (USAF) plans to move $57 million in FY2020 funds from the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refuelling tanker programme to support the cost of flying and maintaining its fleet of older KC-135 Stratotankers longer than it expected.
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06/13/2019
The UK wants to adopt a new partnership arrangement with international participants in its Tempest next-generation combat aircraft programme, in an effort to avoid the rigid workshare model employed during previous joint efforts.
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06/12/2019
The Defense Ministry will resume flights of F-35A stealth fighter jets that have been suspended since an April crash off Aomori Prefecture, with pilots to undergo training for spatial disorientation to prevent similar accidents. “We will carefully provide an explanation to related local governments,” Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on June 10, when the ministry released the results of its investigation into the crash.
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06/12/2019
Greece is among the potential buyers for new F-35 fighter jets from the United States, according to Admiral Mathias Winter, head of the Pentagon office for the F-35s. The information was made public in a Reuters report which came out on Tuesday. According to Admiral Winter, Greece, Singapore, Romania, Spain and Poland are all among the future potential buyers of the aircraft.
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06/12/2019
“The U.S. Air Force has deployed one squadron of F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, Airmen, and associated equipment to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, at Hill AFB, Utah, to participate in exercises and conduct training with other Europe-based aircraft as part of a Theater Security Package,” the Air Force said on Tuesday.
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06/12/2019
Sikorsky was awarded a $542 million contract from the US Navy (USN) to build six production VH-92A Presidential Helicopters, an aircraft which will be known by the call sign “Marine One” when the president of the USA flies aboard.
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06/12/2019
Wellington has selected the Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transport as the preferred candidate to replace its five C-130H aircraft. It will seek pricing information on the aircraft via the US government’s Foreign Military Sales mechanism, says a defence ministry statement. Replacing the C-130Hs with a new type is “the highest priority project” for the government’s Defence Capability Plan in 2019.
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06/11/2019
In what is billed as the largest procurement contract in the history of the Department of Defense (DoD), Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon reached a $34 billion “handshake agreement” for hundreds of F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters.
The agreement covers the purchase of 478 F-35 aircraft over low-rate initial production lots 12, 13 and 14. The Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin are negotiating on the final details of the contract, which would cover aircraft delivered to the USA, as well
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06/11/2019
Lockheed Martin was building several F-35A Lightning IIs for Turkey on its production line in Fort Worth, Texas when FlightGlobal toured the factory on 9 May. A small version of the country’s flag, red with a white star and crescent moon, was optimistically posted in front of each fuselage being assembled.
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06/11/2019
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) believes pilot disorientation caused the crash of a Lockheed Martin F-35A on 9 April. A Reuters report quotes defence minister Takeshi Iwaya as saying that it is “highly likely the pilot was suffering from vertigo or spatial disorientation and wasn’t aware of his condition.” In addition, no distress call was received from the pilot, nor has the investigation into the crash revealed that he tried to eject.
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06/10/2019
New weapons and technologies arming the Air Force’s stealthy B-2 bombers are expected to bring “massive firepower to even the most heavily-defended targets,” according to an official service acquisition report. Specific adjustments, as outlined by the report, include the expected delivery of a new “earth-penetrating” upgraded B-61 mod 12 nuclear bomb for the aircraft - to arrive as soon as this year.
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06/10/2019
The aerospace units of United Technologies - Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney - are to be merged with Raytheon. The boards have approved the all stock merger of the two companies, according to a joint statement from the two companies. “The transaction will create a premier systems provider with advanced technologies to address rapidly growing segments within aerospace and defense,” say the two companies.
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06/08/2019
The Pentagon on Friday told Turkey that it is cutting off Ankara’s purchase of F-35 fighter jets if the Turkish government goes ahead with plans to buy a Russian missile defense system, ratcheting up what has been a lengthy, heated dispute between the two NATO allies.
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06/08/2019
InstantEye has launched a new long-endurance variant of the Mk-3 GEN4D quadcopter that can fly for more than 50min. Called the Mk-3 GEN4-D1, the new surveillance drone uses a proprietary battery to increase its flight time by 20min, says InstantEye. The small unmanned air vehicle (UAV) is designed to be carried by a soldier in a backpack and then rapidly launched to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information for tactical-level situations.
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06/08/2019
With the Pentagon wavering over the number of F-35s it wants to buy, Lockheed Martin has turned its gaze on Europe. The company is bullish on selling the aircraft to America’s European allies. It believes that by 2030 there will be more than 500 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters deployed in Europe – more than the number of Eurofighter Typhoons currently in operation worldwide.
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06/07/2019
Lockheed Martin, US military aviation giant that is offering its F-21 fighter jet to India, says it will make the jet locally and is already working to tie up with Indian suppliers. The firm along with six other global companies is in the tender to produce 110 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.
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06/07/2019
A Sikorsky UH-60A that was retrofitted with fly-by-wire controls and an autonomous flight control kit made its first manned flight on 29 May in West Palm Beach, Florida. Sikorsky is conducting follow-on flight testing throughout the summer of 2019 to expand the optionally piloted helicopter’s flight envelope. It plans to conduct a fully autonomous flight without any pilots in 2020.
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06/06/2019
The Royal Jordanian Army and Air Force (RJAF) is attempting to sell more than two dozen aircraft, including six recently delivered Rainbow CH-4B unmanned air vehicles (UAV) built by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The country’s armed forces posted its intent to sell the aircraft online on 3 June without explanation. It will close bidding on 1 July.
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06/06/2019
Saab will later this year conduct a first test flight of a Gripen C/D carrying a pod-housed electronic attack jammer, as it eyes potential sales opportunities with European air forces. A product of the Swedish company's Arexis family of electronic warfare equipment, the low-band jammer is contained within a demonstrator pod that is 4m (13.1ft) long and weighs 350kg (770lb).
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06/04/2019
The Indian Air Force is considering arming its fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole air superiority fighter jets with the Israeli-made Rafael Advanced Defense Systems I-Derby extended range (ER) beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) by 2022, according to local media reports.
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06/04/2019
An Indian Air Force transport aircraft has gone missing after taking off from an airbase in Assam. The last contact with the aircraft -- an Antonov An-32 military transport aircraft - was at around 1pm today. 13 people were onboard the plane, including eight crew members and five passengers.
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06/04/2019
The tactical UAVs are expected to all be delivered by March 2022, according to a Department of Defense notice online. In addition to the aircraft, the orders provides for spare payloads, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools, training, technical services and labour of field service representatives.
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06/04/2019
Boeing is working on potential international deals related to its KC-46A tanker and the 737-based E-7 airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft. The company has delivered 11 KC-46As to the US Air Force, and aims to have 18 delivered by the second quarter and “somewhere between 36 and 40 by the end of the year,” says Boeing vice-president Jeff Shockey, speaking with reporters in Singapore in late May.
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