All articles by James Drew – Page 20
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Northrop, Raytheon JSTARS radars to detect slow, human targets
Northrop Grumman and Raytheon are at two different places in the race to replace the US Air Force’s radar-carrying Northrop E-8C “JSTARS,” but the two companies say their competing radar solutions will be ready in time to meet the initial fielding date in 2022 or 2023.
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First functional Boeing KC-46A tanker to fly 25 September
The air force’s developmental next-generation tanker, the Boeing KC-46A, is expected to make its maiden flight 25 September, according to the service’s programme executive officer for tankers.
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Boeing doubles F-15C missile load in '2040C' Eagle upgrade
Boeing has unveiled an up-gunned version of its supersonic F-15C air superiority jet designed to keep the aging fleet operationally relevant through 2040.
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P&W, GE submit proposals for next-gen fighter engine development
Pratt & Whitney and General Electric’s proposals for the next phase of US Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter engine development effort are due tomorrow, with two sides anticipating sole-source contract awards in June or July of 2016.
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Aurora’s Orion UAV in storage after USAF world-record flight
The US Air Force appears to have no room for Aurora Flight Sciences’ long-endurance Orion unmanned aerial vehicle in its inventory, despite the aircraft successfully demonstrating 80 hours of endurance in a world-record flight last December.
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Lockheed Skunk Works' next-generation U-2 morphs into 'TR-X'
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works’ proposal for a next-generation, optionally-manned U-2 surveillance aircraft has morphed into more of tactical reconnaissance aircraft dubbed “TR-X”.
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Lockheed secures contract to install JASSM on Poland’s F-16s
After jumping through the required regulatory hoops, Lockheed Martin says it has a foreign military sales contract in hand for integration of its “JASSM” cruise missiles for Poland’s F-16s.
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US Navy orders Elbit’s QuadEye-based NVG cueing and display system
The US Navy has places its third order with Rockwell Collins and Elbit System of America (ESA) for a night vision cueing and display system that enables pilots to fly and fight as if it were daytime.
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Northrop turns up F-35 centre fuselage production tempo
Northrop Grumman says it is increasing its production tempo of F-35 centre fuselages, with deliveries to the manufacturer Lockheed Martin quickening to one ever three work days.
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Navy Acquisition Czar: Sikorsky CH-53K to fly ‘this fall’
The US Navy’s acquisition chief expects the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion to take its first flight this fall, placing the long-awaited milestone somewhere between now and November.
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Deptula: USAF needs 174 new bombers to replace ‘geriatric’ force
The US Air Force needs at least 120 combat-coded next-generation bombers and another 54 for test, training and attrition reserve, which is far more than the 80 to 100 the service intends to buy, according to retired Lt Gen David Deptula, dean of the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute.
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USAF approves production of Rolls-Royce T56 Series 3.5 upgrade
Rolls-Royce’s eight-year journey to develop the T56 Series 3.5 engine upgrade package for legacy C-130 aircraft is about to bear fruit following the US Air Force’s “Milestone C” decision last week to commit the programme to production and deployment.
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BAE Systems protests Army CIRCM award to Northrop
BAE Systems has protested the award of a relatively small but lucrative US Army contract to Northrop Grumman for development of a laser-based Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) system for rotary-wing and small fixed-wing military aircraft.
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Lockheed reveals Advanced EOTS targeting sensor for F-35 Block 4
Lockheed Martin has announced an improved version of its Electro-Optical Targeting System for the F-35, called Advanced EOTS, just months after the long-delayed fifth-generation fighter was declared fit for combat with the Marine Corps.
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USAF needs more than 80 to 100 new bombers
A former commander of the USAF’s bomber force says 80 to 100 new Long-Range Strike Bombers are not enough to meet American national security objectives, and the service should consider buying more to rejuvenate its “withering” combat fleet of Boeing B-1s and B-52s.
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UCLASS in ‘acquisition hell’ awaiting requirements redemption
The long-running debate over the mission of the US Navy's future carrier-based unmanned reconnaissance and strike aircraft might have set the "UCLASS" competition back few years, but the maritime force's acquisition chief says getting the Day 1 requirements right from the beginning is vital.
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Italian tankers could support first F-35 transatlantic crossing
The Italian Air Force is aligned to complete the first transatlantic crossing of the Lockheed Martin F-35 when its first two aircraft fly from Novara, Italy, to Arizona in early 2016, and those aircraft are likely be refuelled along the way by Italian Boeing KC-767A tankers.
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Navy seeks maritime radar for Northrop MQ-8C Fire Scout
The US Navy’s beefed-up unmanned surveillance helicopter, the Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout, is on the hunt for a new maritime radar and perhaps even a miniaturised missiles, rockets and torpedoes further into its development.
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New details emerge about LRS-B as contract announcement nears
With a contract announcement imminent, new details about the US Air Force’s Long-Range Strike Bomber have emerged that paint the classified project as being less exotic and probably more affordable than previously imagined.
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Northrop calls for quicker JSTARS schedule as “E-8D” takes shape
Northrop Grumman says it shouldn’t take 16 years for the US air force’s to recapitalise the Boeing 707-based E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, and it doesn’t need an 11-month “risk reduction” phase to get started.