All articles by Garrett Reim – Page 32
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NewsHelicopter-launched MBDA Sea Venom anti-ship missile hits target during test
The missile was launched from an Airbus Dauphin helicopter close to the minimum release height, reaching its cruise phase whilst sea skimming at very low height.
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NewsAeroVironment starts flight testing larger Switchblade with greater range
A larger Switchblade could possibly carry tank-piercing munitions and be cheaper than Javelin anti-tank missiles, which cost roughly $250,000 each.
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NewsCoronavirus fears to shut down Lockheed Martin F-35 production in Japan
Lockheed Martin and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plan to shut down production at the F-35’s Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) facility in Nagoya, Japan the week of 9-13 March due to fears of coronavirus contagion.
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NewsFAA approves Erickson S-64E Skycrane’s new composite main rotor blade
“Benefits are expected to include higher lift capacity in almost all flight conditions, including a greater than 1,350kg (3,000lb) lift increase at hot and high conditions, a 33% lower manufacturing cost, 75% lower maintenance costs and 3% lower fuel consumption,” the company said in 2017.
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NewsUS State Department approves sale of eight Boeing KC-46A tankers to Israel
Problems and delays with the KC-46A have put the programme several billion dollars in the hole. Foreign Military Sales are seen as critical to Boeing’s ability to make a profit on the programme.
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NewsGeneral Atomics shows off Defender UAV concept to protect refuelling tankers
Protecting tankers and ISR aircraft with UAVs could free manned fighters, such as Lockheed Martin F-35As, to launch strikes deep into enemy territory.
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In depthBoeing pitches the US Army on retro compound helicopter FARA design
With three rotors, spinning in three different axes, Boeing’s compound helicopter bid for the US Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition might strike the novice as complex. But it’s not so, says the aerospace manufacturer.
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In depth5 technologies needed to make attritable UAVs work
Aircraft developers believe these five pieces of technology need to be improved to make attritable aircraft work.
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In depthWhy attritable UAVs have aerospace manufacturers rethinking lucrative MRO and upgrades
Because attritable aircraft are designed to be limited-use, and cheap enough to be lost in combat or thrown-away when obsolete, the traditional model of capturing long-term business government via vendor lock – selling proprietary aircraft to the US Department of Defense and then making profits on MRO and upgrades – could be disrupted.
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In depthWhy the US Air Force might use ‘deception’ and UAVs hidden in shipping containers to fight China
The US Air Force is rethinking the way it plans for war in the Pacific Ocean. It is eyeing a new class of unmanned air vehicle that could be hidden inside shipping containers and spread across small islands in the western Pacific. Should war ever come, the UAVs could be rocket launched within a matter of hours in massive volleys from dozens or even thousands of secret sites.
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NewsBoeing resurrects effort to turn JDAM bomb into cheap cruise missile
Boeing has resurrected and is showing off its Powered JDAM concept believing that the US Air Force (USAF) is keen to buy low-cost cruise missiles.
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NewsF-35 profitability could suffer after losing cheap manufacturing in Turkey
Ankara was booted from the Joint Strike Fighter programme in July 2019 after the country decided to buy the Russian-made Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile battery.
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NewsWhy the US Air Force chose hypersonic ARRW over HCSW
The US Air Force’s decision to cancel the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW) and proceed with Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) came down to size and shape of the missile, in addition to budgetary pressures and a desire to move toward production faster.
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News‘The fighter jet era has passed’: Elon Musk
Speaking in front of a crowd of fighter pilots for the US Air Force, technology entrepreneur Elon Musk pronounced the end to the manned fighter jet era.
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NewsUS Air Force names HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter “Jolly Green II”
The service also awarded Sikorsky a $500 million Lot 2 Low Rate Initial Production contract for 12 more examples of the aircraft.
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NewsUAVs could start replacing manned fighters in mid-2020s: USAF
As older Lockheed Martin F-16s approach the end of their service life five to eight years from now, the US Air Force (USAF) may consider replacing the manned fighters with attritable unmanned air vehicles (UAV).
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NewsLockheed Martin’s hypersonic ARRW passes critical design review
ARRW is to officially pass the milestone on 27 February and the US Air Force is pleased with the missile’s development progress, says Lockheed Martin.
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NewsKratos begins XQ-58A Valkyrie production, despite funding delay caused by mishap
Kratos Defense and Security Solutions has started building production examples of its XQ-58A Valkyrie attritable unmanned air vehicle, despite an investigation into an October 2019 mishap which delayed an expected contract from the US Air Force.
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In depthThe Pentagon’s five principles for stopping artificial intelligence from running amok
The DoD believes it must pursue AI or it will be leapfrogged by adversaries such as China and Russia who could use the technology to prevail on a future battlefield, for example, by using software to obverse and react to the USA faster. It also thinks restrictions on AI must be set up.
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NewsBell reveals 429 demonstrator with four electric tail rotors
The Electrically Distributed Anti-Torque (EDAT) tail rotors first flew on the light, twin-engined 429 helicopter in May 2019. The aircraft is being tested at the company’s Mirabel, Canada facility and has about 25h of flight time.