Fixed-wing – Page 232
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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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NewsRAF 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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NewsSlimmed-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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NewsLockheed 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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NewsRafael 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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NewsUK 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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OpinionOPINION: 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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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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NewsPICTURE: New-generation Hawk gets Saudi markings
BAE Systems appears set to deliver its first pair of Hawk 165 trainers to the Royal Saudi Air Force, with the aircraft now having received service markings.
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News
Software fix readied to prevent further F-35 delay
Flight tests starting next week will determine whether a key milestone for the US Air Force version of the Lockheed Martin F-35A will be delayed only four months or perhaps even longer, programme officials say.
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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 ...