All Fixed-Wing news – Page 227
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News
US Army explores 'Block III' engine upgrade for RQ-7B Shadow UAV
The US Army has begun its search for a new “Block III” engine to power its enhanced Textron Systems RQ-7B Shadow UAV that is paired with the Boeing AH-64 Apache gunship in the scout role.
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News
BAE's APKWS rockets go to war on AV-8B Harrier
BAE Systems’ laser-guided rocket has been rushed into combat on the AV-8B Harrier, seven months after it was requested by the top brass of the US Marine Corps.
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News
Philippine navy orders two AW159 Wildcats
Finmeccanica has announced the Philippine navy will acquire two AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare rotorcraft under a contract valued at €100 million ($114 million).
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News
Lockheed venture lifts off with LOI for 12 hybrid airships
Lockheed Martin has bested its British rival, the Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10, by signing a launch customer for its LMH-1 airship: Straightline Aviation (SLA).
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News
Pentagon touts "Loyal Wingman" for combat jets
US Air Force plans to insert a “brain” into current-generation fighter jets to create autonomous flying wingmen paired with the Lockheed Martin F-35 were given a bump today, with the Pentagon’s second-in-charge saying he expects to see “unmanned wingman in the air” before convoys of driverless Humvees.
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News
Israel looks to lift Ukrainian UAV sales embargo
In response to a governmental embargo on sales of unmanned air vehicles to Ukraine, Israeli manufacturers are trying to rekindle the market as they identify a need for their systems in the region.
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News
USMC Blackjack flight expands airspace integration
A recent flight of the US Marine Corps’ Insitu RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned air vehicle from MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina has demonstrated the system’s ability to fly under air traffic control alongside manned aircraft.
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News
RAF Tornado successfully trials BriteCloud protection system
Finmeccanica is hopeful that the Royal Air Force will be the launch customer for its BriteCloud active decoy, following the completion of a series of tests of the system onboard the service’s Panavia Tornado GR4 combat aircraft.
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News
Slimmed-down F-35 Gen III helmet to be introduced sooner
The Pentagon is bullish about resolving issues with the F-35 Lightning II’s escape system that has restricted lightweight pilots of from flying the fifth-generation combat jet, with the joint programme office (JPO) now expecting delivery of a slimmed-down “Gen III” helmet from Rockwell Collins by November for rollout in 2017.
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News
Lockheed advancing Dual Mode Plus and Scalpel bombs
The performance and accuracy of Lockheed Martin’s proposed alternative to the Boeing laser-guided joint direct attack munition are being validated on a US Navy F/A-18 at the China Lake complex in California's Mojave Desert and the weapons maker is also pushing for trials with an Air Force F-16.
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News
Rafael to offer air systems to India through new JV
Rafael will supply the Indian air force and army with a range of aerial systems under a new joint venture (JV) established with Reliance Defence.
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News
UK Hawks receive five-year support boost
Contracts totalling £372 million ($530 million) have been awarded to BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce to continue supporting the UK Ministry of Defence’s Hawk trainer fleet for a five-year term.
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Opinion
OPINION: High-altitude stakes soar for U-2 successor
Since the Space Shuttle’s final mission in 2011, Americans have had to explain to their children that the only way to space now is via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, blasting off from Kazakhstan. This storyline is only being corrected with the development of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Dragon ...
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News
FIDAE: Embraer displays Phenom 300 and Super Tucano, but no KC-390
Embraer’s flagship programmes – the KC-390 and the E2 – may be absent from FIDAE, but the Brazilian manufacturer is represented with a Phenom 300 business jet and Brazilian air force A-29 Super Tucano trainer/light combat aircraft, one of 162 operating in the region.
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News
US Navy extends Orbital ATK AGM-88E production
The US Navy has extended production of AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) multi-mode seekers, built by Orbital ATK, by three years to fiscal year 2023 with an added requirement for 556 more missiles.
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News
UK's Boeing P-8 purchase gets US tick of approval
The UK has moved a step closer to filling a maritime patrol void left by the retirement of the Nimrod MR2 in 2010 after being approved by the US State Department to acquire nine torpedo-carrying Boeing P-8A Poseidons for the Royal Air Force.
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News
Raytheon and Northrop contracted for JSTARS radar battle
The US Air Force has locked in Raytheon and Northrop Grumman as its two competing radar vendors for the new-generation Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) programme. Each has been awarded “no-to-exceed” contracts with ceiling values of $60 million and $70 million, respectively, according to a contract announcement ...
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News
Lockheed F-35 service life extended to 2070
The projected life of the F-35 Lightning II has been extended by six years to 2070 after the US military services tweaked the number of flight hours their fleets should log before retirement.
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News
Pentagon lowers F-35 acquisition cost estimate
The estimated cost of acquiring 2,457 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs has dropped by $12.1 billion, or 3%, compared to Pentagon estimates one year ago.
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News
F-35 goes on global publicity tour in battle for hearts and minds
The F-35 Lightning II might be the most sophisticated combat jet on the market today, but US programme officials and lawmakers worry that the fifth-generation stealth aircraft is losing the battle for hearts and minds.