Latest Defence Helicopters news – Page 143
-
News
DSEI: Dutch air force chief criticises Future Vertical Lift ambitions
Ongoing US efforts to develop the next generation of battlefield helicopters, for the 2030s and beyond, will not be able to address future requirements or combat emerging threats, according to senior Dutch air force official.
-
NewsAurora’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.
-
NewsDSEI: RAF Puma HC2 helicopters may operate until 2035
UK service officials are contemplating extending the operational life of the Royal Air Force’s fleet of Airbus Helicopters Puma HC2 transports for an additional 10 years beyond their current 2025 retirement date, as they eye the possibility of an eventual replacement.
-
NewsLockheed 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”.
-
News
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.
-
NewsNorthrop 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.
-
NewsNavy 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.
-
NewsDeptula: 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.
-
NewsUSAF 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.
-
NewsBAE 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.
-
News
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.
-
NewsUSAF 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.
-
NewsBrazil finalises $4.68bn Gripen NG deal
Brazil has finalised a $4.68 billion deal for 36 Saab Gripen NG fighters after concluding more than 20 months of negotiations over pricing and industrial cooperation against the backdrop of a deepening economic and political crisis.
-
NewsUCLASS 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.
-
NewsRoyal Navy to receive first interim Merlin HC4 in coming weeks
Delivery is nearing for the first AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin modified to a new interim HC4 standard for the UK Royal Navy, while work on the initial helicopter to receive the full upgrade has also just commenced.
-
NewsItalian 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.
-
NewsDutch to acquire 14 more CH-47F rotorcraft
The Dutch defence ministry is to acquire 14 new Boeing CH-47F transport helicopters, in an expansion of its existing rotorcraft capabilities.
-
AnalysisANALYSIS: Questions remain as UK's SDSR nears
As the UK nears the release of its next Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in October, the pressure on the government to answer a number of questions surrounding capability gaps and needed upgrades continues to mount.
-
NewsNavy 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.
-
NewsNew 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.