All articles by Dan Parsons – Page 3
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AnalysisANALYSIS: Hurdles ahead as Lockheed works to meet full-rate F-35 production
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an incredibly complex jet fighter. Each jet is hand assembled from about 300,000 parts by more than 1,000 workers at the company's mile-long Fort Worth, Texas, manufacturing facility.
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NewsGoblin Shark micro-UAV provides 360-degree vision
Tuscon, Arizona-based Brock Technologies has launched a new line of small, tube-launched unmanned air system (UAS) that can provide 360 degree situational awareness with a distributed camera system. Unlike the deep-sea monstrosity it shares a name with, the Goblin Shark has excellent vision. It's four-to-eight camera payload can provide 360-degree ...
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F-35 missed key software testing goals in 2014
A recent report by the US Defense Department’s director operation test and evaluation (DOT&E) finds that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II missed key software testing milestones necessary for the US Marine Corps to field combat-ready jets while those already delivered remain unreliable and difficult to maintain.
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NewsUSMC's F-35B can fire missiles when it comes online
It is still up in the air whether the US Marine Corps will have combat-ready Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs by its July 1 deadline for initial operational capability (IOC), but when its first 10 jets are ready for deployment, they will be able to fire weapons.
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USAF will downgrade T-X requirements to shave cost
In an effort to reduce cost and speed up its often snail-paced acquisition system, the US Air Force intends to water down the capabilities it expects to see in a new jet trainer, as well as several other ongoing acquisition programmes.
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NewsLockheed consolidates position to access civilian UAV market
New Years Eve came and went without the US Federal Aviation Administration publishing a set of rules governing the operation of unmanned air vehicles within the national airspace. It would be the first step toward opening US skies to commercial application of small UAVs.
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NewsIndonesia asks US help to find missing A320
Indonesia has asked the US military for assistance in the search for Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501, which disappeared on 28 December while flying from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore.
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NewsV-22 demonstrates forward-firing missile capability
The Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey recently has reached a couple of significant milestones, having successfully deployed forward-facing munitions for the first time in the same week the fleet surpassed 250,000 flight hours.
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Canada will purchase fifth C-17
Canada officially has plans to purchase a fifth Boeing C-17 strategic airlifter, a move that will extend the overall service life of the fleet by at least seven years.
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NewsEmbraer KC-390 will fly in January
Embraer has scheduled the first flight of the KC-390 aerial refueling tanker for early January.
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NewsAustralia, Japan tapped to maintain Asia-Pacific F-35s
The US Defense Department has chosen Australia and Japan to shoulder heavy airframe and engine maintenance for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II in the Asia-Pacific region beginning in 2018.
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NewsNASA launches study for Skunk Works SR-72 concept
NASA has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin to study the feasibility of building a hypersonic propulsion system for a concept intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft dubbed the SR-72 using existing turbine engine technologies.
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NewsBoeing sitting on eight unsold C-17s, with more orders pending
Boeing has slowly but surely sold off the C-17 Globemasters that will be produced before it closes down the production line next summer, but it will likely end the year with eight white tails on its hands.
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NewsMarines fly radio-equipped Raytheon MALD-J decoy
The US Marine Corps has completed the first flight test of the Raytheon miniature air-launched decoy jammer (MALD-J) equipped with a radio datalink, which expands the operator’s situational awareness and allows for in-flight targeting adjustments.
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NewsGreece approved to buy 10 US Army CH-47D Chinooks
Boeing has been given the go ahead to sell 10 CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters to Greece, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced on 11 December.
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Canada rates F-35A rivals equal on most missions
A new Canadian government report suggests other fighter jets are just as capable as the Lockheed Martin F-35A at fulfilling the nation’s most likely mission needs, potentially opening the door to a competitive acquisition process to replace a fleet of 77 Boeing CF-18s.
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NewsUS 2015 budget deal improves on Pentagon request
Military aviation officials and defense contractors will have a merry Christmas if the $1.1 trillion fiscal year 2015 budget is approved as agreed upon on 10 December passes both houses of the US Congress.
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NewsAutomated manufacturing could drive $125 million from cost of F-35 canopies
The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) recently received a national manufacturing award for developing a method to build canopies for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II that could save the military $125 million over the life of the programme.
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NewsSikorsky's S-97 Raider will not be airborne until 2015
Sikorsky has chosen prudence over spectacle and delayed the first flight of its S-97 Raider prototype until 2015.
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NewsBoeing fixes KC-46 wiring issues, sets first flight for spring 2015
The first prototype of Boeing’s KC-46 aerial refueling tanker has been rewired to meet US Air Force standards and is being prepared for its first flight sometime in late spring 2015, the companies chief operating officer says.