All articles by Ryan Finnerty – Page 16
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NewsKratos adding landing gear-equipped XQ-58 to inventory amid growth in uncrewed fighter scope
The US Air Force appears to have expanded its goals for a planned fleet of uncrewed fighters beyond the initial concept of a “disposable” aircraft to a model featuring affordable and reusable jets.
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AnalysisCommercial satellite operator Maxar offering GPS-denied navigation solution
Amid rising concern about the vulnerability of GPS navigation signals to jamming — based on observations from Ukraine and the Middle East — Maxar has developed an airborne navigation tool that does not rely on GPS.
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NewsUS Air Force considers replacing MESA radar on future E-7 fleet
As Boeing begins production on the first prototype of the US Air Force’s planned fleet of E-7A airborne early warning and control jets, the service is exploring what advanced technologies it may incorporate into the final design, including advanced sensors, communications and electronic warfare countermeasures.
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AnalysisTrump Administration takes aim at reforming sluggish arms export system
The creaking bureaucracy associated with the USA’s Foreign Military Sales system has long been the subject of criticism from Pentagon leaders and defence industry executives.
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NewsUS approves Philippines to acquire TH-73 trainer helicopters
The $120 million package covers Manila to begin negotiating to purchase an unspecified number of the Leonardo trainer helicopters.
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NewsBelgium floats additional F-35 buy if aircraft can be assembled in Europe
Belgium is increasing defence expenditures to meet NATO targets and defence minister Theo Francken suggests Brussels could direct some of those funds toward acquiring additional F-35 stealth fighters – if the jets are assembled outside the USA.
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NewsFirst F-16V arrives in Bulgaria
The first of 16 planned Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 fighters has arrived in Bulgaria, as the NATO member seeks to recapitalise its combat fleet and phase out Soviet-origin aircraft.
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In depthGeneral Atomics planning modular family of uncrewed fighters
With plans to show off its offering for the US Air Force at the upcoming Paris air show, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems says it is taking a modular approach to the autonomous fighter concept that will allow customers to easily pick and choose different capabilities for their fleets.
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NewsAustralia confirms ‘informational’ meeting with GCAP fighter partners
The head of capability for the Royal Australian Air Force says his office received an informational briefing from the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) consortium – a trilateral initiative between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop a sixth-generation fighter.
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AnalysisRAAF to deliver options for fielding uncrewed fighters by year’s end
The service’s head of capabilities says that by the end of 2025 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aims to provide the Australian government with options for procuring a future fleet of uncrewed fighter aircraft, with the indigenously developed Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat being a strong contender.
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NewsRAAF marks 15 years since delivery of the first Super Hornet
Although the F/A-18F Super Hornet was originally envisioned as a stopgap while the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fielded the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35A, the service’s air commander now says Australia is seeing great benefits to “generational interactions” between the two fighter types.
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NewsAustralian air force ‘not concerned at all’ about F-35 ‘kill switch’
Amid global concerns about the American-made stealth fighter’s vulnerability to US politics, a senior officer with the Royal Australian Air Force says his service remains fully confident in its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35s.
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NewsBombardier inks deal for two Challenger 650s to fill Australia surveillance mission
The deal between Bombardier Defense and Australian lessor Principle Finance was inked at the Avalon air show near Melbourne.
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NewsSikorsky ramps up Australian military helicopter deliveries
The Australian Defence Force is expanding its combined fleet of Sikorsky rotorcraft, including naval MH-60R Seahawks for the navy and land-based UH-60 Black Hawks for the army.
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NewsAustralia to receive ‘first of its kind’ MC-55A Peregrine in 2025
American systems integrator L3Harris is modifying four Gulfstream G550 business jets for service with the Royal Australian Air Force to provide long-range surveillance and electronic warfare capabilities.
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NewsFury down under: Anduril’s uncrewed fighter makes overseas debut at Avalon
American defence start-up Anduril is eyeing potential opportunities in Australia for its Fury autonomous jet, as the company prepares to fly the type in a competition to provide the US Air Force’s first-ever uncrewed fighter.
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NewsAustralia touts E-7 operational performance as global fleet expands
Australia led the world in fielding the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, blazing a trail for heavyweights including the US Air Force, UK Royal Air Force and NATO headquarters to procure the airborne early warning and control jet.
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NewsAustralia-based Advanced Navigation looks beyond GPS for precision geolocation
The Sydney start-up is part of Australia’s burgeoning domestic defence industry, which increasingly features not just local subsidiaries of big multinationals, but also a growing number of homegrown firms.
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NewsSierra Nevada expanding Australia presence amid AUKUS optimism
The American military systems integrator recently opened a subsidiary based in Adelaide, which will help support Australian acquisition programmes including the Boeing P-8 and Northrop Grumman MQ-4C, while also expanding the domestic production of defence technology.
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AnalysisWashington moves to deepen industrial ties with Australia amid regional tensions
Under an initiative dubbed the Regional Sustainment Framework, the Pentagon aims to push certain maintenance, repair and overhaul functions forward to overseas partners around the Indo-Pacific, with Australia as the initial target.