Must read – Page 4
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In depthUS Air Force to shake up fleet modernisation programmes in coming months
The service’s top civilian official says the US Air Force soon plans to announce major changes to its most-significant new aircraft development programmes, including to its sixth-generation air superiority platform, a low-observable tanker and low-cost autonomous fighters.
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NewsBoeing grapples with financial and operational setbacks posed by machinists strike
The machinists strike now roiling Boeing threatens the company’s financial recovery and its ability to hike 737 production to 38 monthly by year-end.
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In depthNo let-up in sight as Heart attacks ES-30 development
Having unveiled its first flight-test prototype, Heart Aerospace is now working to get the HX-1 airborne next year while also overcoming the multiple engineering and production challenges on the path to developing its ES-30, a hybrid-electric airliner targeted for service-entry by the end of this decade.
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In depthAnduril unveils low-cost Barracuda cruise missile designed for ‘hyper-scale’ production
The US defence start-up plans to develop a line of long-range precision munitions called Barracuda that are being designed for simplicity and rapid production at a mass scale.
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In depthRaytheon eyes F-22 modernisation amid US pause on sixth-generation fighter development
With senior US Air Force officials pausing to re-evaluate development of a sixth-generation fighter, defence contractors are eyeing potential modernisation opportunities for the service’s current air superiority platform – the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
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NewsBoeing and machinists union reach tentative contract deal ahead of 12 September member vote
Boeing and its machinists’ union have agreed to the terms of a new four-year employment contract, though the deal will not be final unless approved during a vote by union members scheduled for 12 September.
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NewsVoepass ATR crash probe analyses crew’s response to ice alerts before fatal flat spin
Icing has emerged as a primary line of inquiry into the fatal Voepass ATR 72-500 crash near Sao Paulo, during which the aircraft slowed, stalled and entered a flat spin from which the crew did not recover. Preliminary findings from Brazilian accident investigation authority CENIPA show the aircraft, which departed ...
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NewsSaurya CRJ200 crash inquiry cautions carriers over weight-and-balance compliance
Nepalese investigators have revealed that the operator of the Bombardier CRJ200 involved in a fatal take-off accident at Kathmandu was not complying with aircraft loading requirements before the crash.
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AnalysisBoeing faces potentially crippling strike as negotiations go ‘down to the wire’
Boeing’s 33,000 machinists seem increasingly likely to strike as soon as next Friday, a move that could bring the manufacturer’s operations in the Puget Sound region to a grinding halt.
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In depthBraced for change: Clean Aviation plans radical reshaping of regional aircraft wings
An eventual successor to current regional turboprops could feature a strut-braced, high-aspect-ratio composite wing with morphing leading and trailing edges, depending on the outcome of an ongoing research and technology project.
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NewsNorthrop aims to put F-16 survivability ‘on a par’ with fifth-generation fighters
The Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite is designed to provide the Lockheed Martin F-16 multi-role fighter expanded protection against modern air defences by disrupting the ability of enemy targeting radars to track the jet.
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NewsSuperjet crash inquiry reveals angle-of-attack anomaly on second Gazpromavia aircraft
Unambiguous procedures for installing angle-of-attack sensors on Yakovlev Superjet 100s are being developed after the fatal crash of a Gazpromavia aircraft – as well as an earlier incident involving a sister ship. Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee has disclosed the urgent measures in its preliminary findings into the 12 July accident, ...
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NewsRTX fined $200m for release of classified military aircraft data to Russia and China
US defence giant RTX, the parent company of Raytheon, Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney, agreed to a $200 million settlement with US government for the unauthorised release of sensitive data on nearly two dozen military aircraft to foreign adversaries.
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NewsWhy Boeing’s former head of strategy signed up to lead Electra
Former Boeing executive Marc Allen thinks start-up Electra’s concept for a hybrid-electric, short take-off aircraft has far more commercial viability than other novel aircraft within the burgeoning advanced air mobility space.
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In depthStrike risk looms next month as Boeing and union remain apart on key issues
Boeing and its largest labour union remain locked in intense contract negotiations, with the union pushing for 40% wage gains to recoup previous concessions and threatening to strike on 13 September.
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NewsNumber of parked jets with Pratt engines stable at one-third of fleet
The operational impact of Pratt & Whitney’s (P&W) PW1000G engine recall appears to have remained relatively steady in recent months, with one-third of all jets with the powerplants still parked, roughly the same as in April.
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NewsUSAF KC-46 suffers emergency during refuelling flight
While the US Air Force has not specified the nature of the issue, unverified photos on social media show the aircraft on the ground with a severed fuel-transfer boom.
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In depthAircraft shortages push US carriers to pause pilot-hiring spree
A pilot shortage that had gripped the US regional airline industry is finally easing, at least temporarily, due to aircraft production and maintenance issues that have left much larger US airlines with fewer-than-anticipated jets.
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NewsUSAF can no longer count on overseas bases for power projection
Top service leaders within the US Air Force say forward air bases can no longer be counted upon as sanctuaries for US forces in the era of modern conflict, and recently completed military exercises aimed to test new methods of generating combat sorties.
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In depthUkraine pursues retired NATO fighter pilots to fly new F-16 fleet
The government of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has informed US legislators that it will seek to recruit retired NATO fighter pilots to supplement the country’s air force, which recently began operating donated Lockheed Martin F-16s.