Fixed-wing – Page 68
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NewsNorthrop begins B-21 taxi testing ahead of first flight
The US Air Force confirms its next-generation stealth bomber is conducting ground taxi activities as part of a testing regimen leading up to the jet’s first flight by year-end.
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NewsPipistrel joins USAF electric aircraft effort
Textron subsidiary Pipistrel joins other electric aircraft manufacturers in the US Air Force’s Agility Prime initiative, which aims to explore potential military applications for battery-powered aviation.
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NewsFixed-price defence contracts to weigh on Boeing until at least 2025
Led by cost challenges on the VC-25B presidential aircraft programme, Boeing’s defence business lost $924 million in the third quarter of 2023, with top executives warning recovery will not come until as late as 2026.
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NewsTest pilots push F-35B limits in UK carrier trials
Test pilots with the US Marine Corps are seeing how far they can stretch the ability of the short take-off and vertical landing F-35 variant to operate from the UK Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers with ultra-heavy weapon loads and alternative landing techniques.
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NewsLockheed Martin withdraws bid to produce new USAF aerial tanker
The military airframer’s withdrawal from the US Air Force’s tanker-fleet recapitalisation effort makes it all but certain the service will opt to procure more KC-46 refuellers from Boeing.
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NewsBeta logs first electric aircraft flight to Washington, DC air force base
The flight to Andrews AFB near Washington, DC is part of a multi-leg trip from Beta’s headquarters in Vermont to Eglin AFB in Florida, where the company will deliver its all-electric Alia aircraft to the US Air Force for testing.
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NewsPortugal puts first NATO-standard C-390 transport into service
Embraer’s C/KC-390 transport has achieved its entry into service milestone for a second operator, with the step also seeing Portugal become the first NATO member to field the type.
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NewsPentagon unveils maintenance partnership with South American operators
US Southern Command is rolling out an initiative with partner nations in South America to improve logistics on the continent and operator-level maintenance of US-built platforms, such as the Lockheed Martin C-130.
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NewsRegent lands first military contract for ‘seaglider’ concept
While the Rhode Island start-up is primarily focused on developing commercial customers for its wing-in-ground-effect seaglider vehicle, the company has also been pitching the concept for military logistics in the Indo-Pacific.
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NewsManila to acquire three new C-130Js
The Philippine government has greenlit plans to acquire three new Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports.
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NewsSouth Korean AEW&C requirement set for new phase
Amid rising geopolitical tensions in North Asia, Seoul is moving forward with plans to double the size of its airborne early warning and control fleet.
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In depthPentagon details ‘sharp increase’ in aggressive intercepts by Chinese aircraft
Military officials in Washington say they have logged some 300 incidents over the past two years in which aircraft from China’s People’s Liberation Army conducted what the Pentagon calls ‘coercive and risky’ intercepts of US and allied crews operating lawfully in the East and South China Seas.
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NewsF-35 delivery projections drop below 100 for 2023 amid TR-3 delays
Lockheed Martin now estimates it will deliver just 97 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters in 2023, despite producing the fifth-generation jets at a rate of 156 per year.
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NewsCzech Republic enters negotiations to buy two Embraer C-390 transports
The Czech Republic is in formal negotiations with Embraer over a long-planned acquisition of two C-390 Millennium tactical transports.
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NewsStratolaunch secures USAF funding for second reusable hypersonic vehicle
The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) will fund a second example of a reusable hypersonic flight vehicle built by American start-up Stratolaunch.
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NewsUSAF A-10s arrive in Middle East as part of US show of force
The iconic ground-attack jets are part of a surge in US air power to the region, which includes F-15s, F-16s, an aircraft carrier and four squadrons of F/A-18s.
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NewsCanada begins military evacuation of citizens from Israel
Ottawa joins governments from several other countries, including the USA, Brazil, Poland and the UK in launching a repatriation effort from wartime Israel, where multiple commercial airlines have suspended service.
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NewsGerman aerospace association warns over job losses without Eurofighter bridge to FCAS
Germany’s BDLI aerospace industry association has warned that the country is in danger of losing vital combat aircraft manufacturing jobs and skills if a 10-year production gap is allowed to develop.
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NewsUS regulators approve transfer of Danish F-16s to Argentina
The move is seen as an attempt to counter China’s influence in South America, where Argentina is considering an acquisition of the Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 fighter.
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NewsUSAF battling surge of aircraft lasing incidents
The air force says the incidents, which involve commercially available laser pointers, pose a significant safety risk to aircraft and crew.