Military Aviation News Archive

US Senate spending bill less bullish on F-35 buy

11/22/2017

The chair of the US Senate Appropriations committee has approved the chamber’s version of the fiscal year 2018 defence spending bill this week, a move that pushes the legislation closer to final passage.

USAF releases F-16 service life extension solicitation

11/22/2017

The US Air Force has released a request for proposals for a contract to beef up the structures on on a subset of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet to keep the single-engined fighter in service for at least 30 more years.

USAF doubts new JSTARS could fly in contested airspace

11/22/2017

The US Air Force does not believe recapitalising the Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) fleet will give the service the capability it needs for contested environments, the head of Air Combat Command says.

KC-390 arrives in USA for flight testing

11/22/2017

In a sign that testing activity has resumed since an incident six weeks ago, Embraer’s KC-390 arrived at the company’s US base in Jacksonville, Florida on 20 November to begin a series of flight tests before certification.

ANALYSIS: Key challenges in the race to develop hybrid-electric aircraft

11/22/2017

Two United Technologies competitors – Rolls-Royce and Honeywell – teamed up in 2015 to design and build the 1MW-class hybrid-electric propulsion system for the Aurora Flight Sciences’ XV-24A Lightning Strike, a pioneering unmanned air system funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Dennis Roberts: Buying old F-18 jets is a bad idea. It just makes our existing problem worse

11/21/2017

Purchasing used F-18 Hornets cannot close Canada’s fighter capability gap. It’s simply more of the same problem. Replacing an old aircraft with more old aircraft is not the answer. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially took the right steps to protect our borders and defend North America.

Strikes on Taliban opium facilities first major use of new bombing authorities in Afghanistan

11/21/2017

U.S. and Afghan warplanes bombed 10 Taliban-controlled opium production facilities in Helmand province Sunday in the first major use of new White House-approved authorities to target the insurgents’ revenue stream, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan said Monday.

Tejas and beyond: How short the IAF is of fighters, what options it has now

11/21/2017

Beyond the politics of last week's Congress-BJP squabble over the deal to purchase Rafale fighters for the IAF lies the grim reality of an emaciated force that is well short of the strength required to face up to a two-front threat.

Tupolev rolls out first new-build Tu-160 bomber

11/21/2017

Tupolev on 16 November rolled out the first new-build Tu-160 strategic bomber from the Kazan Aviation plant, with first flight of the supersonic aircraft scheduled for February 2018. The Tu-160 was last produced in 2007 and the latest example is a key test of Tupolev's ability to restore final assembly, as well as modernising the type with new Kuznetsov NK-32-02 engines.

Norway takes first SAR-roled AW101

11/21/2017

Leonardo Helicopters has delivered the first of an eventual 16 search and rescue-configured AW101s to Norway. Acquired under the Norwegian all-weather search and rescue helicopter (NAWSARH) programme, the AW101 departed Leonardo's Yeovil, UK, manufacturing facility on 17 November for Sola air base in southern Norway.

ANALYSIS: Why A330 tanker sales boomed

11/18/2017

At the start of this century, the then-EADS began exploring the potential for its A330 widebody to deliver air-to-air refuelling (AAR) services for military operators. In doing so the European company replicated its strategy for the airliner market, by going head to head for international sales with Boeing, which held a virtual monopoly in the tanker sector.

Northrop flies first E-2D for Japan

11/18/2017

Northrop Grumman has performed the first flight of Japan's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning and surveillance aircraft. Completed in early October from the US airframer's facility in St Augustine, Florida, the milestone was announced by the company on 15 November.

Bell considers autonomous flight of V-280 tiltrotor

11/18/2017

Being developed for the US Army's future vertical lift programme, the V-280 is due to make its maiden sortie before year-end. But, says Vince Tobin, Bell's vice-president of military business, the manufacturer is now considering possible future applications for the tiltrotor. "With the help of the US government, we hope to look at flying the V-280 autonomously, hopefully in the next year or so," he says.

OPINION: UAE fighter contest will be one to watch

11/18/2017

A Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and a Sukhoi Su-35 shared a common runway ramp for the first time at the Dubai air show. As reports heat up of a budding competition between the Su-35 and the Lockheed F-35 for a United Arab Emirates air force contract, that unlikely pairing at Al Maktoum International seemed appropriate.

British-built Hawk training jets to be maintained by BAE

11/16/2017

London-based BAE Systems Ltd. announced an agreement on Wednesday to maintain and support Hawk training planes in the United Arab Emirates. BAE will contract with the UAE-based Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center, or AMMROC, to provide repairs and upgrades to Hawk Mk61, Mk102 and Mk63 aircraft at a facility in Abu Dhabi until 2020.

Air National Guard strikes hard in first ‘Combat Hammer’ exercise

11/16/2017

Airmen from multiple Air National Guard units of Texas, New York, Iowa, Ohio, California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and North Dakota supported and flew MQ-9 Reaper aircraft during Operation Combat Hammer, the first operational air-to-ground weapons evaluation for the Air National Guard to be a part of as the sole MQ-9 Reaper mission set.

AN UPDATE ON THE F-22 AND THE EVOLUTION OF AIR COMBAT: THE PERSPECTIVE FROM THE FIRST FIGHTER WING

11/16/2017

I have dealt with the F-22 for many years and first visited the First Fighter Wing in 2007 as the plane was being stood up and introduced to the force. What was anticipated and hoped for with the introduction of the first fifth generation aircraft is clearly now being realized, although, unfortunately, at much lower numbers than the USAF desired or needed.

Mirage upgrade to boost UAE's defences

11/16/2017

While its years-long search for a future fighter continues, the United Arab Emirates has revealed a plan to modernise its in-service fleet of French-supplied combat aircraft. During the Dubai air show on 14 November, Dassault confirmed that the UAE's armed forces "have announced their intention to sign a contract for the upgrade of their Mirage 2000-9 fleet."

UAE picks C295 for airlift renewal

11/16/2017

The United Arab Emirates air force is to update its medium transport capabilities, with a new fleet of Airbus Defence & Space C295s to enter service from late next year. Announced at the Dubai air show on 15 November, the deal will deliver five of the twin-turboprop aircraft from the fourth quarter of 2018, Airbus says.

F-35 arrivals propel Norwegian air force modernisation

11/16/2017

The Royal Norwegian Air Force has conducted its first domestic flights with the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, after a trio of the fifth-generation type touched down at its Ørland air base early this month.

ANALYSIS: Italy at the leading edge in fighter pilot training

11/16/2017

The internationalisation of the Italian air force’s jet pilot training school and advances in its Integrated Pilot Training System (IPTS) are combining with the advent of full capability for Leonardo’s M-346 lead-in-fighter trainer and the upcoming introduction of its M-345 basic/advanced trainer to propel Italy to the leading edge of fighter pilot training.

DUBAI: Bell closing in on V-280 first flight

11/16/2017

Bell Helicopter's immediate attentions at Dubai may be centred on the sale of AH-1Z attack helicopters, but back at its Amarillo, Texas facility the focus is on first flight of its latest rotorcraft.

DUBAI: USAF general sceptical of mixed F-35 and Russian fleet for UAE

11/13/2017

The United States may be in talks with the United Arab Emirates over a potential Lockheed Martin F-35 sale, but the US Air Force’s head of Central Command doubts the UAE would be able to operate the Joint Strike Fighter alongside a fifth-generation Russian fighter.

DUBAI: Japan’s C-2 makes overseas debut in push for export sales

11/13/2017

The Kawasaki Heavy Industries C-2 is making its debut outside of Japan at the air show, as the country pushes for export sales of the military transport. Powered by General Electric CF6 engines, the aircraft has been developed as a successor to the Kawasaki C-1 in both strategic and tactical airlift missions.

DUBAI: Canada expects fifth-generation fighter contract by 2021

11/13/2017

The Royal Canadian Air Force expects to release a new request for proposals for its fifth-generation fighter competition by 2019 with a contract award by 2021, the RCAF’s commander says this week.