December 05, 2019 Military Aviation News

Air Force F-35 Simulator Will Let Pilots Fly in Formation, Talk to Other Aircraft

12/05/2019

When the U.S. Air Force gets its first F-35 Lightning II distributed mission training simulator system at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, this spring, pilots will have the ability to fly virtually as a group, alongside other aircraft, and practice exchanging information across a network, according to Lockheed Martin officials.

Naval Version of India’s Tejas Fighter to Conduct Maiden Flight From Carrier

12/05/2019

The naval version of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is being readied for its first-ever take off from the Indian Navy’s Kiev-class aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, according to Indian defense industry officials. “It [the carrier-based take-off] is not too far. Extra safety is being taken and hence time is being consumed,” a source within the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) was quoted as saying on December 2 by The Print.

ANALYSIS: AeroVironment plays catch-up with new Switchblade types

12/05/2019

After falling behind several new competitors, pioneering loitering-munition manufacturer AeroVironment is working on a bigger Switchblade variant, as well as several new uses for its legacy weapon. Additionally, the company believes it is close to receiving US State Department approval for a license to export its loitering munition, says AeroVironment chief executive officer Wahid Nawabi during a 3 December earnings call.

India funds P-8I top-up buy and AWACS acquisition

12/05/2019

The purchase of additional Boeing P-8I maritime patrol aircraft for the Indian navy has received government approval – but only six aircraft are now planned to be acquired, instead of the 10 originally planned. New Delhi has also revived its moribund Airborne Warning and Control System India (AWACS India) programme, which seeks to deliver an indigenous replacement for the Ilyushin Il-76-based A-50Is now in use.

Spain picks PC-21 as C-101 trainer successor

12/05/2019

Spain has selected the Pilatus PC-21 single-engined turboprop to replace its aged fleet of jet-powered CASA C-101 trainers. Tender documents indicated that Madrid will pay €204 million ($226 million) for 24 PC-21s, plus simulators and a logistics package, against a budget of €225 million.

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