Defense
Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Qinetiq-led Team Selected for Canadian UAV Requirement
Qinetiq will provide and operate UMS Skeldar V-200 UAVs aboard Royal Canadian Navy ships, as well as support land special operations forces
Aircraft
Saab Names U.S. Site for T-X Production
Saab will undertake its share of T-X manufacture at a new facility to be built at West Lafayette, Indiana
Training and Workforce
ATAC Lands U.S. Navy Controller Training Contract
The U.S. Navy has let four training contracts, including one to an ATAC-led team that will provide aircraft for training close-support air controllers.
Aircraft
IDEF’19: Su-57 May Provide Turkey with an F-35 Alternative
Russia has announced that it will soon be ready to export the Su-57, and Turkey is keen to find out more because of the ongoing spat with Washington
Rotorcraft
Marines Reactivating Unmanned Kaman K-Max Helicopters
Kaman says it is working on optionally piloted vehicles for commercial use
Aircraft
IDEF’19: Turkish Hürjet Approaches PDR Despite Program Delays
Turkish Aerospace's Hürjet advanced trainer program is back on track following delays caused by supplier selection issues.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
IDEF’19: Anka Aksungur to Fly with Turkish Engine by Year-end
TAI's large twin-engine Anka Aksungur UAV is making its first public appearance at IDEF as the program gears up to fly with indigenous powerplants.
Aircraft
U.S. Air Force F-35A Sees First Combat Action
F-35As have been flying operational missions as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. Now the aircraft have released weapons for the first time.
Aircraft
HJT-36 Flight Test Resumption Renews Hope for AL-55 Engine
Having been halted for some while remedies for a spin problem have been devised, the HAL HJT-36 Sitara jet trainer is back in the air again
Avionics
Ukraine Develops New Targeting Systems
Ukraine has two major programs running as part of a plan to maintain and develop advanced capabilities for its attack helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Accidents
S-97 Crash Damage More Severe Than First Reported
NTSB factual report enumerates extensive damage in 2017 crash of Sikorsky S-97 Raider compound helicopter.
Rotorcraft
KAI Maintains Hopes for Surion Sales
KAI has hopes that Indonesia will be the first export customer for the KUH-1 utility transport helicopter
Rotorcraft
Poland Signs for AW101s
Poland is buying four AW101s from Leonardo to dramatically improve the capabilities of the Polish navy's air brigade
Aircraft
Upgraded F-5 Flies with Garmin G3000
Tactical Air Support is modifying its recently acquired ex-Jordanian adversary F-5E/Fs with new equipment, including a Garmin G3000 flight deck.
Aircraft
Lockheed Martin Inaugurates New F-16 Production Facility
F-16 production has moved out of Fort Worth to make room for expanded F-35 production capacity
Rotorcraft
Army Selects First Round FARA Competitors
The U.S. Army has selected the first round of competitors for its proposed Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft
Rotorcraft
Bell Vows To Build 407GXis for U.S. Navy in Alabama
Bell has submitted its 407GXi single as a proposed new U.S. Navy training helicopter.
Rotorcraft
Bell Banking On FVL For Future Military Sales
Textron CEO credits Bell V-280 with persuading Pentagon to propose more Future Vertical Lift funding.
Aircraft
Be-200 Indigenous Engine Delays Drive Be-12 Life Extension
The desire for an entirely "Made-in-Russia" powerplant is delaying attempts to field new Be-200 amphibians, and prolonging the life of the elderly Be-12
Rotorcraft
Bell To Enter Smaller 525 Variant in Army FARA Competition
Textron CEO said this week that Bell would enter a scaled down Model 525 for new Army program
Aircraft
USAF Sends F-35s for First Combat Ops; RAF Set To Follow
Nearly three years after achieving IOC, the USAF's F-35As have been dispatched to the Middle East for the first operational deployment
Maintenance and Modifications
Development Nearly Done On New Honeywell T55 Engine
Revised Honeywell T55 turboshaft will have 25 percent more power, burn less fuel.
Rotorcraft
Lockheed's PDAS Sensor Suite Flown Aboard Bell V-280
The Lockheed Martin PDAS sensor system has been successfully flown in the Bell V-280
Rotorcraft
MD Helicopters Displays New Common Launcher at Army Confab
MD says Systima common launch tube will give new 969 helicopter more bite
Aircraft
Japanese F-35 Crash: Undersea Search Begins
Following the loss of a Japanese F-35, the task of locating and retrieving the missing aircraft from a depth of nearly 5,000 feet is under way
Aircraft
Switzerland Starts New Round of Fighter Trials
In the coming weeks Switzerland will evaluate the five contenders for its new fighter program against a common set of mission scenarios
Japan Approved For Standard Missile Purchase
A large batch of SM-3 missiles has been requested and approved as part of Japan’s efforts to improve its anti-ballistic missile defenses
Aircraft
Advanced Hawkeye Marches On
A new multi-year procurement contract completes the U.S. Navy’s purchase of 75 Advanced Hawkeyes, all of which will be capable of inflight refueling.
Aircraft
Su-33 To Begin 2nd Phase of Upgrade While Russia Mulls Carrier Options
Russia's aging Su-33 carrier-borne fighters are being modernized, but the path for the navy's carrier capability is far from clear.
Aircraft
Search Underway for Missing Japanese Pilot Following F-35 Crash
Some debris has been retrieved following the loss of a Japanese F-35 over the Pacific, but the pilot has yet to be located.
