All Fixed-Wing news – Page 40
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NewsPoland signs for C295 upgrade, as tanker need gains urgency
Poland has signed a €102 million ($107 million) contract to modernise its fleet of Airbus Defence & Space C295 medium transports, while its defence minister has expressed renewed interest in acquiring in-flight refuelling aircraft.
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NewsEmbraer secures first European order for Super Tucanos with 12 aircraft buy from Portugal
The $210 million order for 12 of the A-29N Super Tucano turboprops from Portugal expands Embraer’s growing European defence business, which already includes sales of the C-390 transport and a partnership to assemble the latest Saab jet fighter.
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NewsRolls-Royce completes critical design review for new B-52J engine
Engine maker Rolls-Royce says its new F130 turbofan successfully cleared critical design review, a key programmatic step in the effort to modernise the US Air Force’s iconic B-52 long-range bombers with new propulsion and improved onboard systems.
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NewsArcher teams with Anduril to develop hybrid-electric defence platform
Having long explored potential defence applications for its in-development Midnight air taxi, US start-up Archer Aviation has formed a partnership with Anduril to “jointly develop” a hybrid-electric aircraft for military purposes.
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NewsGCAP industry partners fix joint venture terms for design and development phase
The partners behind a new industrial joint venture (JV) tasked with delivering a sixth-generation fighter via the three-nation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) have agreed the terms of their collaboration, with the effort still on track to meet its targeted in-service date of 2035.
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NewsDenmark steps up domestic F-35 training after latest deliveries
Denmark’s latest batch of four Lockheed Martin F-35As touched down at its Skrydstrup air base on 6 December, with their arrival doubling the number of the fifth-generation type transferred to the country.
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NewsEurofighter nations set sights on introducing BAE’s Striker II helmet
The four-nation Eurofighter consortium has awarded BAE Systems a contract worth £133 million ($169 million) to conduct further development work on its Striker II helmet-mounted display system.
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NewsCongress orders review of US air-to-air missile inventory needs
A provision in the draft legislation covering 2025 Pentagon operations would require the US Air Force and US Navy to assess their inventory requirements for air-to-air missiles, including possible extension of AIM-120 AMRAAM production beyond 2028.
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NewsT-6 Texan to replace Fuji T-7 as JASDF basic trainer
Tokyo has selected the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II to replace the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF’s) fleet of Fuji T-7s in the basic training role.
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NewsNorthrop begins production of first E-2D for French navy
The three airborne command and control turboprops will replace France’s fleet of E-2C Hawkeye 2000 aircraft.
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NewsLawmakers move to cut US F-35 purchases over ‘long-standing’ sustainment issues
A provision in wide-ranging defence legislation covering Pentagon operations for 2025 would limit new acquisitions of the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter to 48 examples until concerns about availability rates and aircraft sustainment are addressed.
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NewsIsrael strikes hit Syrian navy amid leadership uncertainty
The Israeli ministry of defence has confirmed it sank at least 15 Syrian naval vessels in the ports of Al-Bayda and Latakia as the region waits to see who will take control of the war-torn country’s new government.
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NewsSlovakia to acquire three Embraer C-390 airlifters
Slovakia has selected Embraer’s C-390 tactical transport, and plans to advance a three-unit deal early next year.
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AnalysisUK’s modified Excalibur testbed flies through initial stability campaign
The unique Boeing 757 that will be employed in support of the UK’s Future Combat Air System activity has completed a first series of post-modification sorties.
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NewsKazakhstan welcomes its first A400M airlifter in Almaty
Kazakhstan has become the ninth nation to field the A400M tactical transport, with Airbus Defence & Space having handed over its lead of two examples in Almaty.
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NewsDutch and Austrian C-390s to get Elbit self-protection boost
Elbit Systems has been awarded contracts worth a combined $175 million to provide electronic warfare (EW) and self-protection equipment for integration with new tactical transport aircraft and helicopters on order for two European operators.
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NewsSyrian Il-76 disappears from flight tracking as ousted president defects to Russia
With a lightning advance of rebel fighters reaching Damascus, the country’s dictatorial president Bashar al-Assad fled the capital around the time a Syrian Air flight originating in Damascus disappeared from tracking over the rebel-controlled city of Homs.
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In depthNational leaders argue strong defence industry is essential to USA’s geopolitical position
Amid a turbulent transition into a new presidential administration in Washington, senior figures in the government are urging a continued commitment to the USA’s defence industry, at a time of precarious global security.
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NewsCroatian air force retires Europe’s last MiG-21 fighters
The last European user of the Cold War-era Mikoyan MiG-21 – Croatia – has formally withdrawn the aged type from frontline use, as it continues to transition to the Dassault Aviation Rafale.
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NewsGerman Eurofighter launches Luftwaffe’s first Meteor missile
Germany has conducted its first firing of MBDA’s Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile from one of its Eurofighter combat aircraft.