All articles by Ryan Finnerty – Page 45
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NewsSolar UAV may have broken endurance record with three-day flight
The solar-powered Kraus Hamdani Aerospace K1000 Ultra-Long Endurance UAS completed a 75h nonstop flight in Pendleton, Oregon, nearly doubling the current endurance flight record for the class of small aircraft.
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NewsDARPA advances ‘Liberty Lifter’ seaplane competitors with another $40m in funding
The Pentagon’s secretive technology development arm has allocated an additional $40 million to fund continued work on a heavy-lift seaplane demonstrator competition involving General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Aurora Flight Sciences.
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NewsLockheed to build nuclear-powered spacecraft for Pentagon
The defence aerospace manufacturer won a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA to develop and demonstrate a reusable space flight vehicle propelled by a nuclear thermal rocket engine with substantially improved fuel efficiency over chemical rockets.
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NewsUS competition regulator clears L3Harris to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne
The proposal by L3Harris to purchase the strategically important maker of rocket motors was approved by the US Federal Trade Commissionon on 27July, after the agency previously opposed a similar bid from Lockheed Martin.
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NewsFirst B-21 bomber powered up ahead of flight testing
Northrop Grumman continues to progress toward first flight of its in-development B-21 stealth bomber, announcing it recently powered up the initial flight-test aircraft for the first time.
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NewsNorthrop bows out of NGAD fighter competition
Chief executive Kathy Warden says the defence manufacturer, which is currently developing the next-generation B-21 stealth bomber, will not submit a prime bid for the US Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter programme.
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NewsBoeing reports $527m loss on defence business in second quarter
Despite strong demand around the world for military hardware, Boeing’s defence unit continues to struggle with money-losing development programmes and supply chain constraints.
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NewsPoland orders two Saab 340 airborne early warning turboprops
The Swedish airframer says its 340 airborne early warning platform provides a detailed situational picture that can be used for military and civilian tasks, including air surveillance and rescue operations.
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NewsAirbus wins $2.7bn contract for new Canadian tanker fleet, first deliveries set for autumn
Ottawa selected Airbus’s A330-based Multi-Role Tanker Transport to be the Royal Canadian Air Force’s new in-flight refueller, replacing the current Airbus CC-150 Polaris multi-purpose transport.
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NewsCatalina Aircraft relaunches ‘iconic’ flying boat, eyes military sales
Florida-based Catalina Aircraft says it plans to start new production on a modernised version of the legendary World War II-era PBY Catalina flying boat, targeting military and commercial operators.
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AnalysisWhy the US Air Force is accelerating its future tanker fleet plans
Accelerated plans to develop and field a next-generation tanker have raised questions about the US Air Force’s need to plug a gap as its venerable KC-135s head for retirement.
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NewsRussia arrests intelligence officer convicted in MH17 downing
Igor Girkin, a former military commander convicted of involvement in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17, was arrested in Moscow on 21 July – but not for his role in the deaths of 298 air travelers.
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NewsUSAF makes first-ever use of commercial in-flight refueling service
During recent exercises over the American southwest, a commercially-operated tanker provided air-to-air refuelling support to US Air Force military aircraft.
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NewsBoeing begins Block III upgrades to existing US Navy F/A-18s
The aerospace giant says it has begun installing Block III upgrades on the US Navy’s Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighters, which will get an additional 4,000h of service life and a new touch-screen cockpit display.
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NewsFamilies of Canadian service members sue Sikorsky over fatal Cyclone crash
Relatives of six Canadian air force and naval personnel killed in 2020 when a Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crashed off the coast of Greece are suing the helicopter maker in a US court, alleging the aircraft’s fly-by-wire flight control system made improper adjustments that caused the incident.
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NewsLockheed delivery numbers falter as Pentagon stops accepting new F-35s
The Pentagon has stopped taking delivery of new F-35s while manufacturer Lockheed Martin completes flight testing for the “Technical Refresh 3” upgrade package, substantially lowering the company’s delivery forecast for 2023.
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NewsBombardier delivers sixth Global 6000 for Saab GlobalEye
The Canadian airframer is supplying its multi-role, long-range business jet to serve as the backbone of Swedish aircraft maker Saab’s GlobalEye airborne early warning and control platform.
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NewsRaytheon wins additional DARPA funding for hypersonic cruise missile
The Pentagon’ secretive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded an $81 million contract to Raytheon for further test flights of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept cruise missile.
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NewsUSA deploys additional fighter assets to Middle East, citing Iranian naval activity
Washington will deploy additional combat aircraft to the Middle East, including fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters, following the attempted seizure of merchant vessels by Iranian naval forces.
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NewsConditions ‘not ideal’ for Ukraine to use F-16s: Pentagon
As Europe awaits American approval to transfer US-made F-16 fighters to Ukraine, Pentagon officials continue to resist, most recently saying Russian air defences would limit the jet’s battlefield impact.