All UK Royal Air Force articles – Page 17
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NewsF-35B makes first flight with UK weapons
A UK test team has completed an initial series of handling flights of a Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II carrying trial rounds of the Raytheon Systems Paveway IV precision-guided bomb and MBDA ASRAAM air-to-air missile.
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News
UK's first A400M arrives at Brize Norton home
The UK Royal Air Force's first of an eventual 22 Airbus A400M tactical transports has touched down at its Brize Norton air base, having been accepted from the company's Defence & Space business unit in Seville, Spain.
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NewsBritish Army praises performance of Watchkeeper during debut deployment
A leading figure in the British Army’s unmanned air vehicles operations has praised the first deployment of the force’s new Elbit Systems/Thales WK450 Watchkeeper system, during which it was involved in three-way UAV operations to offer cueing and intelligence to the US Marine Corps in Afghanistan.
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NewsTornado departure ends UK's fast jet role in Afghanistan
The UK has concluded a decade-long commitment of fast jet combat aircraft to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, with its last Panavia Tornado GR4s having left Kandahar airfield for the final time.
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NewsRAF Reaper performs first Hellfire strike in Iraq
The UK Royal Air Force has conducted the first air strike using one of its General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicles against Islamic State insurgents in Iraq, following the type's deployment in support of the anti-extremist mission last month.
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NewsRAF Reapers to double surveillance of Islamic State militants
The Royal Air Force has confirmed that it is planning to double the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicle capability that it is currently operating over Iraq against Islamic State (IS) militants.
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NewsT-6C to head UK military training renewal
The UK Ministry of Defence is replace the bulk of its current fixed-wing training aircraft with three new types, following the selection of a Military Flying Training System (MFTS) programme bid by KBR/Elbit Systems joint venture Affinity.
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NewsRAF Reapers to operate over Iraq
The UK government has confirmed that it is in the process of redeploying some of its ten General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicles to support the USA-led coalition’s air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq.
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NewsGermany's first A400M conducts maiden flight
The German air force’s first Airbus Defence and Space A400M Atlas tactical transport made its maiden flight on 14 October ahead of its expected delivery in November.
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NewsUK to delay next Tornado squadron retirement
All three of the Royal Air Force’s current Panavia Tornado GR4-equipped frontline squadrons will continue to operate the strike aircraft for the immediate future, after the UK government reversed a decision to disband one of the units early next year.
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NewsAllies strengthen coalition against Islamic State militants
Several additional nations have begun taking part in US-led operations against Islamic State militants in Iraq, with UK aircraft having performed their first strikes, and fresh deployments made or announced by Belgium and the Netherlands.
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Opinion
OPINION: Why the time is not right to retire the Tornado
For prize boxers and elite footballers, the decision to retire while at the peak of their capability is often driven by a desire to avoid tarnishing their legacy.
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NewsRAF Tornados strike first Islamic State targets
A pair of Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4s engaged their first Islamic State targets in Iraq on 30 September, the UK Ministry of Defence has announced.
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NewsUK to join air strike campaign in Iraq
The UK Parliament has voted in favour of the Royal Air Force participating in the air strike campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq.
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NewsUK government debates offensive intervention against Islamic extremists
The UK Prime Minister and his opposition leader have stood before the House of Commons in joint support of a proposed British air strike campaign in Iraq against Islamic State (IS) militants.
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NewsTornado could fly on into 2030s, partners say
Europe’s Panavia Tornado will remain in use as a relevant frontline asset for more than another 10 years, according to its programme partners, even though one of its main operators does not plan to retain the type beyond the end of this decade.
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NewsSyrian air strikes mark combat debut for F-22 Raptor
The US military-led air launched over Syria on 22 September against Islamic insurgents marked the debut for US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors in a strike role.
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NewsUK warned to increase transparency of armed UAV operations
Failure of the British government to inform parliament of its intentions to redeploy its armed unmanned air vehicles outside recognised warzones may result in legal action, a charity and law firm have warned the government.
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NewsThird Rivet Joint airframe to perform crucial testing for UK
A new series of flight tests involving an aged Boeing KC-135 tanker will help to inform the UK Ministry of Defence about whether the aircraft will be able to secure full operational clearance as a converted signals intelligence asset.
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NewsNorthrop Grumman sizes up UK UCAV requirements
Northrop Grumman is pitching the unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology derived from its US Navy (USN)-sponsored X-47B demonstrator to the UK, to feed into its Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme.
