Fixed-wing – Page 308
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NewsLockheed reaffirms F-35 production target despite supplier statement
Lockheed Martin has re-affirmed the full-rate production goal for the F-35 programme remains 17 aircraft per month, despite a supplier’s statement on 7 October that it is significantly less.
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NewsSierra Nevada touts Dream Chaser as X-37B alternative
Sierra Nevada Corporation believes its Dream Chaser could be a viable alternative to the Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle for long-duration, recoverable experimentation in space.
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NewsTaranis to enter third testing phase
The UK’s BAE Systems Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator will carry out a third phase of flight tests towards the end of the year, the Ministry of Defence has revealed.
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NewsMoD reveals Reaper derivative will be chosen for Protector
The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the unmanned air vehicle that it plans to acquire under its recently-announced Protector effort will be a derivative of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper that the Royal Air Force operates.
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NewsUS clears GA-ASI to export MQ-9s to Spain
The US State Department has cleared General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to export four MQ-9 unmanned air systems to Spain, says the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in a notice to Congress on 6 October.
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NewsPoland to launch attack helicopter talks with bidders
The Polish defence ministry will soon start the next phase of technical dialogue with combat helicopter manufacturers under its Project "Kruk", which seeks replacements for its Mil Mi-24 fleet.
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News
DOD warns defence primes of high supplier profit margins
The Pentagon’s top acquisition office says first-tier subcontractors’ profit margins for production programmes are 7% higher on average than for the prime contractor, and this imbalance could be deterring major suppliers from bidding for new contracts as primes.
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NewsPentagon concerned about prime contractor consolidation
The Pentagon has very few tools in its arsenal to constrain major mergers and acquisitions between prime contractors – a fact that has become all too apparent to defence acquisition chief Frank Kendall with Lockheed Martin’s $9 billion acquisition of Sikorsky.
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NewsNorthrop builds first F-35 centre fuselage for assembly in Japan
Northrop Grumman has built the first F-35 centre fuselage destined for Japan’s domestic joint strike fighter assembly plant, operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
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NewsLockheed considering laser weapon concepts for F-35
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 has not yet seen combat, but already the defence manufacturer is exploring “concepts” for installing and employing a high-power fibre laser weapon onto the new-generation combat jet for shooting down missiles and other airborne threats.
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NewsNorway reconfirms plans to acquire 52 F-35s
Norway's defence ministry has used a strategic defence review to underline its continued commitment to acquiring 52 Lockheed Martin F-35s, as well as outlining plans to acquire different types of manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft.
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NewsLockheed F-35C begins second round of sea trials as bombs drop
Two US Navy F-35C test aircraft have begun a second round of developmental testing at sea aboard the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, aimed at smoothing the aircraft’s entry into service in 2018.
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News
Russia could agree to combat role inside Iraq
Following its deployment of combat aircraft inside Syria, Russia may also be considering placing some of its air force assets in Iraq.
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News'Protector' UAV fleet to replace RAF Reapers
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has introduced a “Protector” programme, which will seek to replace the Royal Air Force’s 10-strong General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicle fleet.
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NewsPiaggio confident of securing second P.1HH customer by Farnborough
Piaggio Aerospace is committed to securing a second European customer for its P.1HH HammerHead unmanned air vehicle by July’s Farnborough air show, following launch customer Italy’s commitment earlier this year to purchase six aircraft and three ground stations, for delivery in 2016.
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AnalysisANALYSIS: USAF crash marks sixth hull loss for C-130J
The fatal accident involving a US Air Force-operated Lockheed Martin C-130J in Afghanistan on 2 October is the sixth hull loss to have involved a “Super Hercules”, and the first in which US personnel have died.
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Analysis
ANALYSIS: Royal Navy opens doors for UAV ops discussions
In an effort to progress in its understanding of unmanned air vehicle operations, the Royal Navy held a maritime unmanned air systems awareness conference at RNAS Culdrose – home of the 700 Xperimental (700X) naval air squadron that operates the Insitu ScanEagle UAV – on 24 and 25 September.
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NewsUSAF C-130J crash in Afghanistan kills 11
A Lockheed Martin C-130J aircraft operated by the US Air Force has crashed at Jalalabad airfield in Afghanistan.
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NewsBAE wins deal to replace USAF F-15 electronic warfare suite
BAE Systems will replace an aging Northrop Grumman electronic warfare suite on hundreds of US Air Force Boeing F-15s, Boeing announced on 1 October.
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NewsItaly's first AEW-roled G550 nears delivery
The Italian air force’s first of two Gulfstream G550 business jets to undergo modification to an airborne early warning and control system configuration, appears set for delivery to the service.