Fixed-wing – Page 54
-
In depthBoeing bets big on next-generation fighter manufacturing facility
The US airframer has begun construction of a $1.8 billion advanced combat aircraft assembly facility in St. Louis, at a time when support for sixth-generation fighter programmes appears to be waning at the Pentagon.
-
NewsEmbraer delivers second KC-390 to Portuguese air force
Embraer delivered on 26 June a second KC-390 Millennium to the Portuguese air force (FAP), another step in the Brazilian airframer’s strategy of courting NATO countries.
-
In depthEmbraer downplays large narrowbody ambitions in favour of C-390 and E2 platforms
Brazilian airframer maintains it is focused on selling and improving the products it has already developed and further studying conceptual 50-seat aircraft powered by next-generation propulsion systems under its Energia project.
-
NewsSwitzerland will domestically assemble four F-35 stealth fighters in deal with Lockheed
Switzerland will domestically assemble four of its ordered F-35A stealth fighters itself as part of a knowledge and technology transfer deal, the country’s Federal Office for Defense Procurement Armasuisse said on 25 June.
-
NewsBangladesh receives its last ex-RAF C-130J airlifter from Marshall
Bangladesh has taken delivery of its fifth and final ex-Royal Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transport from UK company Marshall.
-
NewsEighth A330 MRTT joins NATO unit in Eindhoven
Airbus Defence & Space has delivered its eighth A330-200-based multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) to a multinational unit based at Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
-
NewsB-52 modernisations delayed until 2033
Upgrades to the iconic US Air Force heavy bomber, which include new engines and an improved radar, are meant to keep the Vietnam-era jet flying into the 2050s.
-
AnalysisGrob Aircraft France launches TPX Cobra trainer, with ISR version to follow
First flown in secret five years ago, the TPX Cobra is set to hit the market in trainer guise – but its developer Grob Aircraft France is eyeing broader applications for the versatile, all-composite type.
-
AnalysisWhy European fighter programmes are soaring again
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced European nations to assess their combat air capabilities, causing new developments and current programmes to assume ever-greater importance.
-
NewsFailure of two pitch rate gyroscopes caused Singapore F-16 crash
Singapore’s defence ministry has shed more light on the pitch rate gyroscope failure that resulted in the crash of a Lockheed Martin F-16 on 8 May.
-
NewsNATO defence spending surges ahead of Ukraine summit
A record 23 NATO member states are now spending at least the equivalent of 2% of gross domestic product on defence, as the alliance prepares to approve a new industrial strategy.
-
NewsLockheed delivers 2,700th C-130
The handover of the milestone aircraft, a KC-130J refueller variant operated by the US Marine Corps, comes as airframer Lockheed Martin reports “robust demand” for the venerable tactical transport.
-
NewsFirst flight of Air Force One replacement delayed to 2026
The issue-plagued Boeing programme to deliver two new presidential jets to the US Air Force is absorbing fresh production delays that will push the type’s first flight into 2026.
-
NewsPratt & Whitney picks Patria as partner on engines for Finnish F-35s
The state-owned Finnish defence firm will assemble Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofans at a new production facility near the city of Nokia, starting in 2025.
-
NewsPentagon supports French vow to supply Ukraine with Mirage 2000 fighters
Although previous objections had been expressed to Sweden providing Gripen fighters, Washington is expressing support for a similar move by France to transfer some of its older Dassault jets.
-
NewsFirst F-16s expected to reach Ukraine this summer
At a meeting of top NATO defence officials in Brussels, the alliance reaffirmed its commitment to provide Ukraine with Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets, with the first examples arriving as early as this summer.
-
NewsMerlin Labs exploring aircrew reduction technologies for SOCOM
The Boston-based autonomy start-up secured a $105 million contract from US Special Operations Command to design, integrate and test new technologies aimed at reducing the number of crew needed on MC-130J flights.
-
NewsNorway secures approval for purchase of 300 AMRAAMs
The $1.94 billion order for the AIM-120C-8 version of Raytheon’s Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile will modernise Norway’s existing stock of older model munitions.
-
AnalysisWhy Swedish Gripen fleet is NATO’s new ACE off base
Like a Nascar pit stop. That is how one former Saab Gripen and Viggen pilot describes the Swedish air force’s decades-old prowess in conducting road-strip operations.
-
NewsMalawi’s vice-president, nine others confirmed dead in Dornier 228 crash
The deaths of all aboard the Malawian army turboprop were confirmed by the president of the southeast African country on 11 June, after the flight encountered bad weather and failed to report as scheduled.