All Fixed-wing articles
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NewsUK reforms 809 NAS as second frontline F-35B squadron
The UK has stood up its second frontline squadron to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II: the Royal Navy’s 809 NAS.
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NewsSweden signs 10-year deal with Italy for military flight training
Sweden has become the latest country to sign up for the military flight training services offered by the Italian air force, contracting for the tuition of 100 students and four instructors over the next decade.
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NewsAustralia waves its last AP-3C Orions into retirement
The Royal Australian Air Force has ended operations with the Lockheed Martin AP-3C Orion, with its final two examples having left use in early December.
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NewsTop Aces adds A-4 Skyhawk to Canadian adversary training fleet
The private provider of adversary air support has been providing aggressor training to the Royal Canadian Air Force using a fleet of modified Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets and Bombardier Learjet 35s.
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NewsLockheed Martin sues F-35 supplier over refusal to deliver titanium components
The F-35 prime contractor alleges ones of its sub-contractors, Pittsburgh-based Howmet Aerospace, breached its contract with Lockheed when the metallic components supplier refused to deliver titanium parts for the advanced stealth jet at previously agreed upon prices.
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NewsA400M shows off enhanced firefighting credentials during test campaign
Airbus Defence & Space has demonstrated the operational utility of a firefighting kit adaptation to its A400M, recently completing a flight-test activity in Spain.
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NewsFuelled TalonA carried aloft as first Stratolaunch hypersonic flight approaches
Following a successful taxi test of its two-aircraft hypersonic flight system, California start-up Stratolaunch has carried a fully-fuelled TalonA hypersonic vehicle aloft under the company’s jet-powered Roc mother ship, a prerequisite for TalonA’s first self-powered flight.
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NewsBoeing no longer competing to build USAF’s new ‘Doomsday jet’
The withdrawal of Boeing from the contest to build a new airborne command centre capable of managing a nuclear exchange leaves Sierra Nevada Corporation as the only bidder to replace the current Boeing E-4B Nightwatch.
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NewsSouth Korea approved for $271m purchase of F-35 armaments
Seoul has requested to purchase a suite of air and ground attack munitions for its F-35 fighter fleet, including AMRAAM missiles, JDAM bombs, Paveway II laser-guided bombs and Small Diameter Bomb glide munitions, valued at $271 million by US arms regulators.
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AnalysisWhich types retired in our latest World Air Forces review?
We detail some of the most notable national fleet retirements recorded in the 12 months since we published our last World Air Forces directory at the end of 2022.
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NewsGermany maintains interest in MAWS despite latest P-8A buy, says naval avation chief
Germany’s collaboration with France on future maritime patrol initiatives has “not come to an end”, the head of its naval aviation branch insists, despite Berlin recently increasing its commitment for Boeing P-8A Poseidon submarine-hunting aircraft.
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NewsRoyal Air Force Poseidon fleet to get BAE’s Sting Ray torpedo
The UK Royal Air Force’s maritime patrol aircraft fleet is to gain a new anti-submarine/anti-surface strike capability, in the guise of BAE Systems’ Sting Ray Mod 1 lightweight torpedo.
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NewsItalian air force receives first upgraded P180 Avanti II+ from Piaggio
Piaggio Aerospace has delivered its first P180 twin-turboprop to have been brought to an enhanced Avanti II+ standard for the Italian air force. Announcing the development on 30 November, the Italian airframer said it had completed upgrade, flight-test and certification activities on the new standard, which will be applied to ...
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NewsSwiss air force resumes PC-21 operations following landing mishap
The Swiss air force resumed operations with its Pilatus PC-21 trainers on 30 November, following a brief suspension of activities imposed after a non-fatal accident involving the advanced turboprop.
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Analysis2024 World Air Forces directory: how major conflicts impacted global fleet
Air forces are maintaining a high operational tempo, including performing combat duties in Europe and the Middle East. Our annual review details the global military fleet and nations’ procurement plans.
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NewsBerlin approves funding for Eurofighter SEAD-variant development
The German air force’s electronic warfare transition has edged a step closer, after Berlin’s budget committee approved plans to modify 15 Eurofighters into an electronic combat configuration.
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NewsPratt & Whitney wins sole-source contract for F-35 engine upgrade
Although the Pentagon had already declared its intent to advance the Engine Core Upgrade programme for the F135 engine, the sole-source contract announcement solidifies Pratt & Whitney’s position as the F-35 propulsion supplier for another decade.
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NewsEmbraer, SAMI pitch C-390 final assembly to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s SAMI and Embraer have joined forces to pitch the Brazilian airframer’s C-390 transport to Riyadh, including the potential for local assembly and support.
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NewsPentagon invests $3.7m in composites manufacturer Qarbon Aerospace
The contract with Texas-based Qarbon Aerospace will support the design and manufacture of advanced lightweight continuous fibre thermoplastic composite structures intended for national defence aviation applications.
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NewsElbit’s DIRCM system to protect Canadian A330 tankers
Canada’s future fleet of Airbus Defence & Space A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTTs) will be equipped with self-protection equipment from Elbit Systems.