Military Aviation News Archive

Saudis take delivery of first Eurofighter Typhoon Jets

06/15/2009

Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Defence and Aviation Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan received the Kingdom’s first two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft at a ceremony hosted by BAE Systems at its Warton plant near Preston on June 10.

US Military Orders More King Air 350ER Aircraft

06/15/2009

Despite all of the high-tech fighter hours flown in theater, Hawker Beechcraft’s twin-propeller King Air 350 continues to gain traction as an affordable, long-endurance option for light cargo delivery in remote areas – and effective manned battlefield surveillance and attack. Iraq’s Air Force was the first to order them, and an initial 6-plane order from the US Marines/Navy followed in July 2008.

P-3 Orion’s SMIP Program Keeps on Rolling

06/13/2009

The P-3 Orion remains the USA’s main maritime patrol aircraft, and is also finding use in overland surveillance roles despite the fleet’s age. Earlier DID articles have noted the extra effort required to preserve the USA’s P-3C Orion maritime surveillance & patrol aircraft, along with radar and weapons upgrades. Lockheed has even opened a new production line for the international fleet to cover wings that have to be replaced.

BAE Acquires UAV Maker ACR for $14.7M

06/13/2009

BAE Systems recently completed its $14.7 million acquisition of Advanced Ceramics Research, a Tucson, AZ-based maker of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ceramic materials for military and commercial application. The initial agreement was originally announced on March 12/09; this latest step represents its finalization and approval. The company will now become part of BAE Systems, Inc., headquartered in Rockville, MD.

Brazil Buys UH-60L Black Hawks

06/12/2009

Brazil has now made a pair of requests for UH-60Ls to fulfill its strategic commitments for search and rescue, air mobility, “and provide for the defense of vital installations and close air support for ground forces.”

Germany and France Delay Decision on Airbus Military Transport

06/12/2009

France and Germany said Thursday that they were giving themselves another six months to decide whether to proceed with Airbus’s troubled A400M military transport plane, prolonging the agony — and the costs — for the European aircraft manufacturer, which is already grappling with the worst industry downturn in decades.

Switzerland Replacing its F-5s?

06/11/2009

The F-5E/F Tiger II was a follow-on upgrade to the wildly successful F-5 Freedom Fighter, a low-budget aircraft designed to capture the lower tier of the non-Soviet global fighter market in the 1960s and 1970s. A number of countries still operate F-5s, but the airframes are very old. The Swiss bought 72 F-5E/F fighters in 1976, and another 38 in 1981, for a total of 110 (98 single-seat F5E, 12 two-seat F-5F). Switzerland currently flies about 54 F-5s; A squadron of 12 were leased to Austria whil

Boeing Receives US Air Force A-10 Sustainment and Integration Contract

06/11/2009

The Boeing Company has been awarded a four-year U.S. Air Force contract to sustain the A-10 Thunderbolt II weapon system and integrate current and future upgrades into the aircraft’s avionics, mechanical and structural systems. Boeing is one of three contractors that will fulfill A-10 Thunderbolt Life-Cycle Program Support (TLPS) task and delivery orders for the Air Force. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity TLPS contract will allow the Air Force to authorize up to $1.6 billion of aircra

Boeing Team Delivers 1st Block II Super Hornet Flight Trainers to US Navy

06/11/2009

Boeing and teammate L-3 have delivered four Block II F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Tactical Operation Flight Trainers (TOFT) to the U.S. Navy and declared them “Ready for Training.” Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Va., has two of the trainers, and two are located at NAS Lemoore, Calif.

Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Begins Next Phase of Flight Testing

06/10/2009

Almost 22 months after its first flight over the skies of St. Augustine, Fla., Northrop Grumman's (NYSE:NOC) first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye test aircraft flew north to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, in Maryland, to begin the next phase of testing in preparation for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation in 2011.

India military air crash kills 13

06/10/2009

The Indian Air Force says no one survived when one of its transport planes carrying 13 people crashed near the border with China.

Readiness a Problem for Canada’s Aircraft

06/10/2009

Despite a slew of upgrades that recently got 2 of its P-3/CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft sent to map key areas in Afghanistan, only 45% (9/20) are available at any one time. That fleet’s other duties include patrolling Canada’s long Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Ocean coasts. Its 1960s-era H-3/CH-124 Sea Kings, which have been described as “10,000 nuts and bolts flying in formation,” have an availability rate of just 35.7% (10/28).

Pentagon Reports Mistakes by Bomber Crew in Afghan Incident

06/10/2009

The U.S. Defense Department says one of the aircraft involved in bombing an Afghan village a month ago, during an operation that caused numerous civilian casualties, violated rules designed to protect civilians. But a spokesman says there is no indication that the violation caused the casualties. Procedures for protecting civilians will be part of a 60-day review that the new U.S. commanders heading for Afghanistan have been ordered to conduct.

F-22 Raptors to Japan?

06/10/2009

Back in February 2006, InsideDefense.com’s Inside The Air Force (ITAF) reported that momentum was building within the Air Force to sell the ultra-advanced F-22A Raptor abroad to trusted U.S. allies, as a way of plussing up numbers and production. The USAF originally initially intended to purchase 700-800 F-22 fighters, but that was cut to 442, then 381, and recently cut again to just over 180. These cuts have had obvious effects on the cost per aircraft, and on the ratio of aircraft to total R&D

Aging Array of American Aircraft Attracting Attention

06/09/2009

The current US Air Force fleet, whose planes are more than 23 years old on average, is the oldest in USAF history. It won’t keep that title for very long. Many transport aircraft and aerial refueling tankers are more than 40 years old – and under current plans, some may be as many as 70-80 years old before they retire. Since the price for next-generation planes has risen faster than inflation, average aircraft age will climb even if the US military gets every plane it asks for in its future plan

AMC begins moving Strykers into Afghanistan

06/09/2009

Air Mobility Command's hub for global airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation is "all in" with its commitment to support joint worldwide operations, kicking off efforts this week to airlift more than 300 Stryker vehicles to military forces in Afghanistan.

France Eyes C-130Js to Fill A400M Gap

06/08/2009

France will consider leasing or buying Lockheed Martin C-130J air transports as part of a plan to meet urgent airlift requirements until it receives its first A400M transports, or in the event the program is terminated.

US Will Sell Global Hawks - Will South Korea Buy?

06/07/2009

The RQ-4 Global Hawks isn’t a full successor to the famous U-2 spy plane just yet, which is why the USA is keeping its U-2s for now. It’s close, however, and some people have described the HALE UAV as the equivalent of having a photo satellite on station. Flying at 60,000 feet for 30-40+ hours at a time, the jet-powered UAV uses sophisticated radars and other sensors to monitor developments on land, sea, and air over an area of about 40,000 square miles/ 100,000 square km. Reported image resolut

Sultanate Of Oman Acquires C-130J Super Hercules

06/05/2009

Martin has signed a contract with the Sultanate of Oman for a C-130J Super Hercules. The aircraft, to be delivered in mid-2012, is in the longer C-130J-30 configuration.

Boeing P-8A Poseidon T2 Successfully Completes 1st Flight

06/05/2009

Boeing P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T2 takes off from Renton Field today to begin its successful first flight. T2 took off at 10:32 a.m. Pacific time and landed two hours and 56 minutes later at Boeing Field in Seattle at 1:28 p.m.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems to Acquire Axsys Technologies, Inc.

06/05/2009

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Axsys Technologies, Inc., (NASDAQ: AXYS) for $54 per share of Axsys Technologies’ outstanding common stock. The cost of the transaction would be $643 million.

Lockheed Martin Releases Paris Air Show 2009 Media Briefing Schedule

06/04/2009

Lockheed Martin today released its media briefing schedule for the 2009 Paris Air Show. Briefings will take place in the Lockheed Martin Press Center, Lockheed Martin Chalet, Row A, No. 397, unless otherwise designated below.

Boeing Details Briefing Schedule for Paris Air Show 2009

06/04/2009

The Boeing Company today outlined its presentation schedule for the Paris Air Show, which begins later this month and is marking its 100th anniversary this year.

FLIR Systems experiencing high demand for airborne imaging systems around the world

06/04/2009

FLIR Systems announced today that it is experiencing a strong demand around the world for the company's Star SAFIRE and Talon classes of stabilised, multi-sensor airborne systems.

General cites importance of airpower for Afghanistan

06/04/2009

The Afghan National Army Air Corps is a vital and rapidly growing component of Afghanistan's security forces and is building airpower to deny terrorists a safe haven in Afghanistan, a U.S. Air Force general here said.