All Defence articles – Page 33
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NewsUS Navy expands fighter maintenance support to cover air force F-16s
Amid the ongoing retirement of older model Boeing F/A-18 strike fighters, the US Navy is using excess capacity at its fighter maintenance depots to assist the US Air Force in sustaining its Lockheed Martin F-16 jets.
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NewsSouth Korea embarks on quest to develop fighter engine
The planned engine will be in roughly the same class as the GE Aerospace F404 that powers the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50/FA-50 family.
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NewsUSAF tests reverse flow air refuelling using C-5M to top off KC-10
The reverse refuelling concept turns the US Air Force’s massive Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy strategic lifters into “floating gas stations”, freeing up more dedicated tanker aircraft to refuel tactical craft.
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NewsNetherlands prepares to transfer first 18 F-16s to Ukraine
Amsterdam says it will make an initial tranche of 18 fighter aircraft available to Ukraine, out of 42 F-16s the Dutch government previously committed to providing the Ukrainian air force from its own fleet.
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NewsUS Congress restores funding to F-35 adaptive engine programme
Although the Pentagon wants to move on from the Adaptive Engine Transition Programme, lawmakers in the US Capitol approved $280 million in 2024 to fund the research programme that generated two prototype adaptive cycle powerplants for the F-35 stealth fighter.
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NewsBoeing delivers two F-15EXs with two more expected by year-end
The delivery marks the third and fourth examples of the latest F-15 variant turned over to the US Air Force, which hopes to supplement its growing fleet of fifth-generation fighters.
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News‘Franken-bird’ project attempts to splice together damaged F-35s
Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force say the salvage mission represents the first-ever attempt to remove viable airframe sections from damaged aircraft and re-connect them into an airworthy jet.
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NewsUS Congress halts KC-135 replacement until USAF produces stealth tanker acquisition plan
The 2024 defence spending plan approved by lawmakers in Washington bars the US Air Force from issuing a formal strategy to phase out the ageing Boeing KC-135 tanker fleet, until the service produces an acquisition strategy for the Next Generation Air-refuelling System survivable tanker.
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NewsUSS Carl Vinson deployment sees Block III Super Hornets teamed with F-35Cs
The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is deployed with the Block III version of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, boosting the effectiveness of its air wing.
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NewsCanada to obtain 11 MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPAs
Ottawa’s decision to obtain 11 MQ-9Bs is one part of a major overhaul for Canadian airpower.
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NewsUS defence spending bill could expose new details of sixth-generation fighter development
Language included in the 2024 US defence spending plan will require the Pentagon to provide greater insight into how it plans to develop and field the next generation of combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and autonomous support jets.
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NewsGovernment auditor tells SOCOM to slow Armed Overwatch acquisition
The US Government Accountability Office says the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command is moving ahead too rapidly with the acquisition of Armed Overwatch turboprops from L3Harris-Air Tractor, failing to adequately justify the planned fleet size of 75 aircraft.
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NewsCanada announces deployment of military helicopters to Baltic region
During a visit to fellow NATO member Latvia, Canada’s top defence leaders announced Ottawa will deploy Bell CH-146 Griffon and Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters to the Baltic region starting in 2024 as part of a multi-national battle group – Canada’s first “persistent” deployment of tactical rotary aviation to Europe in roughly 20 years.
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NewsUS Congress approves nearly 12% reduction to A-10 fleet
For the second consecutive year, lawmakers who control US defence spending have approved the retirement of some Fairchild Republic A-10 attack jets, a move long-sought by US Air Force leaders.
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In depthGE Aerospace achieves breakthrough in hypersonic engine development
Using a subscale demonstrator, jet turbine manufacturer GE Aerospace successfully ignited a dual-mode ramjet engine using rotating detonation combustion – a technique the company says holds promise for powering crewed hypersonic vehicles.
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NewsGermany orders 82 H145Ms as ‘bridge solution’ to replace Tiger attack helicopters
Germany is to acquire up to 82 Airbus Helicopters H145M light-twins following approval from the nation’s parliament for the deal.
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NewsGE wins contract to study propulsion options for NATO next-generation helicopter
GE Aerospace is to assess the potential powerplant options for the next-generation military helicopter being considered by a group of seven NATO members.
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NewsBoeing lands SOCOM order for six MH-47G Chinook helicopters
The deal for six MH-47G special operations helicopters will help sustain Boeing’s Chinook Block II production line, while the manufacturer awaits a hoped-for acquisition decision by the US Army.
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NewsAnduril advancing Fury autonomous fighter after Blue Force acquisition
California defence start-up Anduril is integrating its proprietary autonomy software, along with expertise in propulsion and composite materials, into the Fury autonomous fighter platform, following the company’s acquisition of the jet’s original designer Blue Force Technologies.
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NewsFresh schedule blow for UK’s New Medium Helicopter programme
Shortlisted bidders for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement will have to wait until the New Year for the next stage of the tender process after yet another schedule slip to the long-running procurement.