Defence Helicopters news – Page 119
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NewsUS 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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NewsUK'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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NewsRaytheon 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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NewsLockheed 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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NewsPentagon 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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NewsF-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.
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NewsRaytheon's Ktech nabs contract for counter-electronics missile
Raytheon’s acquisition of directed energy firm Ktech in 2011 is paying dividends following the US Defense Department’s award of a $4.8 million contract to repackage two air-launched cruise missiles as high-power microwave weapons.
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NewsIsraeli "Fire Birds" to be declared fully operational
The Israeli air force’s elite aerial firefighting squadron, that operates 14 quick-reaction AT-802F Air Tractors, could be declared fully operational within weeks, according to the group's commander.
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NewsUS Army weighs first rotorcraft variant for Future Vertical Lift
The US Army’s requirement for a next-generation armed scout platform to replace the acclaimed Bell OH-58 Kiowa has been around since the Light Helicopter Experimental (LHX) programme of the 1980s.
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NewsIsraeli know-how keeps aged CH-53s ready for duty
The Israeli air force has in recent months re-emphasised its urgent need to acquire a replacement for an ageing fleet of Sikorsky CH-53 "Yasur" helicopters. The service has expressed its operational need to introduce the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, but budget restrictions have delayed a contract, and sources note the ...
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Lockheed readies communications upgrade for U-2S fleet
In the tit-for-tat battle between US Air Force high-altitude surveillance platforms, Lockheed Martin plans to upgrade the U-2S a new capability that will not be easily matched by its designated unmanned successor.
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NewsLebanon and Kenya to receive Bell Huey IIs
Lebanon and Kenya will become the latest nations to procure zero-timed Bell UH-1H-based Huey II helicopters through the US Army.
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NewsUS Navy purchases CAEW-based Gulfstream 550 for range support
The US Navy has ordered a single Gulfstream G550 business jet based on the special-mission Israeli airborne early warning type for adaptation into a long-range, high-speed test range support aircraft.
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NewsFIDAE: KC-390 regains flight-test momentum
Four months after the Embraer KC-390’s first flight in February 2015, Embraer finally acknowledged the aircraft had still not attempted a second flight. It seemed a worrying development, not unlike the nine-month pause that followed shortly after first flight of the Bombardier CRJ-1000 regional jet in 2009, as Embraer’s rival ...
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NewsSkunk Works pushes investment in F-22 and F-35 over new aircraft
Lockheed Martin has warned against rushing into a sixth-generation fighter programme without first boosting F-35 Lightning II numbers and implementing a “robust” modernisation programme to keep fifth-generation F-22s and F-35s capable against new counter-air threats.
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NewsLockheed’s long-running F-16 line in Fort Worth going cold
On the 45th anniversary of the F-16 lightweight fighter’s first flight, Lockheed Martin faces the very real prospect of turning off "Fighting Falcon" production as prospective customers like Pakistan struggle to clear the US government’s regulatory and funding processes.
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NewsMBDA and Boeing studying Apache Brimstone integration
MBDA is carrying out a feasibility study for the UK Ministry of Defence into the possibility of integrating its dual-mode Brimstone air-to-surface missile onto the Boeing AH-64E Guardian attack rotorcraft.
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NewsUSAF to begin converting L-model Back Hawks into HH-60Gs
The US Air Force expects to begin converting 21 second-hand US Army L-model Black Hawks to the HH-60G Pave Hawk standard for combat rescue missions “later this year”.
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NewsKongsberg acquires 49.9% stake in Finland's Patria
Norwegian company Kongsberg has purchased a 49.9% holding in Finnish company Patria, providing a “significant strengthening” of its Nordic defence industry position.
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Finmeccanica completes renaissance with return to profit and Leonardo rebrand
Italy's aerospace and defence champion has completed the latest stage of its transformation, posting a set of strong full-year results for 2015 as well as unveiling its new proposed identity, with the group from 1 January 2017 to be known as Leonardo.