All UK Royal Air Force articles – Page 16
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NewsRAF Sentry AEW aircraft deploys in support of counter-IS mission
The Royal Air Force has deployed its Boeing E-3D Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft in support of the UK’s contribution to the mission to counter Islamic State terrorists in Iraq.
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NewsRAF investigates Voyager wing strike incident
The UK Royal Air Force is conducting an occurrence safety investigation after one of its Airbus A330 Voyager tanker-transports received minor damage during a ground manoeuvring incident in Canada last month. The mishap followed the arrival of aircraft ZZ331 at St John’s, Newfoundland from RAF Brize Norton in the UK ...
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NewsUK details operational conversion unit plan for F-35
The UK’s future operational conversion unit for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is expected to begin providing training using five of the stealthy aircraft, the Ministry of Defence has revealed.
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NewsRAF Typhoons arrive for Red Flag test
A squadron-strength detachment of Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons has arrived at Nellis AFB in Nevada, ahead of their participation in a three-week Red Flag-series exercise to be conducted from late this month.
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NewsUS DoD confirms two F-35 squadrons will be based in UK
The US Department of Defense has confirmed that it will place two squadrons of its Lockheed Martin F-35 at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, marking the first confirmed European basing of the USA’s Joint Strike Fighter.
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NewsTyphoon tries Brimstone 2 missiles for size
BAE Systems has for the first time installed MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface missiles beneath the wing of a Eurofighter, providing a glimpse of the Typhoon’s future multi-role fit for the UK Royal Air Force.
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NewsMeteor firing trials go active with Typhoon
Fresh live firing trials with MBDA’s Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile have been conducted in the UK using a development example of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
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NewsAirbus lands Anglo-French A400M support deal
With a combined six of the aircraft now being flown by their air forces, the defence ministries of France and the UK have signed a contract covering collaborative in-service support arrangements for the Airbus A400M transport.
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AnalysisANALYSIS: Miltary faces 'perfect storm' of budget vs need
European defence forces are facing a “perfect storm”, and those in the UK are at its eye. So says Andrew Dorman, Professor of International Security in the defence studies department at Kings College, London, and a lecturer at the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham.
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NewsF-35B makes first flight with UK weapons
A UK test team has completed an initial series of handling flights of a Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II carrying trial rounds of the Raytheon Systems Paveway IV precision-guided bomb and MBDA ASRAAM air-to-air missile.
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News
UK's first A400M arrives at Brize Norton home
The UK Royal Air Force's first of an eventual 22 Airbus A400M tactical transports has touched down at its Brize Norton air base, having been accepted from the company's Defence & Space business unit in Seville, Spain.
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NewsBritish Army praises performance of Watchkeeper during debut deployment
A leading figure in the British Army’s unmanned air vehicles operations has praised the first deployment of the force’s new Elbit Systems/Thales WK450 Watchkeeper system, during which it was involved in three-way UAV operations to offer cueing and intelligence to the US Marine Corps in Afghanistan.
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NewsTornado departure ends UK's fast jet role in Afghanistan
The UK has concluded a decade-long commitment of fast jet combat aircraft to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, with its last Panavia Tornado GR4s having left Kandahar airfield for the final time.
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NewsRAF Reaper performs first Hellfire strike in Iraq
The UK Royal Air Force has conducted the first air strike using one of its General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicles against Islamic State insurgents in Iraq, following the type's deployment in support of the anti-extremist mission last month.
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NewsRAF Reapers to double surveillance of Islamic State militants
The Royal Air Force has confirmed that it is planning to double the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicle capability that it is currently operating over Iraq against Islamic State (IS) militants.
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NewsT-6C to head UK military training renewal
The UK Ministry of Defence is replace the bulk of its current fixed-wing training aircraft with three new types, following the selection of a Military Flying Training System (MFTS) programme bid by KBR/Elbit Systems joint venture Affinity.
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NewsRAF Reapers to operate over Iraq
The UK government has confirmed that it is in the process of redeploying some of its ten General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicles to support the USA-led coalition’s air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq.
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NewsGermany's first A400M conducts maiden flight
The German air force’s first Airbus Defence and Space A400M Atlas tactical transport made its maiden flight on 14 October ahead of its expected delivery in November.
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NewsUK to delay next Tornado squadron retirement
All three of the Royal Air Force’s current Panavia Tornado GR4-equipped frontline squadrons will continue to operate the strike aircraft for the immediate future, after the UK government reversed a decision to disband one of the units early next year.
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NewsAllies strengthen coalition against Islamic State militants
Several additional nations have begun taking part in US-led operations against Islamic State militants in Iraq, with UK aircraft having performed their first strikes, and fresh deployments made or announced by Belgium and the Netherlands.