While the U.S. Special Operations Command has seen its force size and budget grow despite the current fiscal austerity sweeping Washington, it is looking not for new platforms but for ways of obtaining more data from its existing unmanned air systems, especially small ones such as AeroVironment’s man-portable, hand-launched RQ-11 Raven.
Momentum is solidly behind fielding manned-unmanned teaming technologies for Army aviation assets. Combining video feeds and weapons of manned and unmanned platforms provides significantly better situational awareness to troops on the ground and dramatically improved efficiency in focusing weapons to support ground elements.
The RQ-7Bv2 incorporates several improvements, including extended endurance, encrypted data link and reliability upgrades. The U.S. Army plans to upgrade all of its 102 Shadow systems, each with four aircraft, to the new configuration. The biggest capability change is introduction of the Ku-band tactical common data link, already carried by the Army’s larger General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS.
While the Air Force and Navy programs will share elements and technologies, the two services have distinct requirements that likely cannot be reconciled into a single program. Still, the two services continue to pursue a joint analysis of alternatives to fully vet the need for separate programs.
Raytheon’s win of USAF’s Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar competition has larger ramifications for rivals Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman
Bombardier’s CSeries test fleet is rebuilding momentum and will soon be joined by the first aircraft to be configured with a full interior, marking two welcome developments for the hard-pressed Canadian manufacturer and its engine supplier, Pratt & Whitney.
For the second year in a row, Qatar Airways has been named "Best Business Class Airline" at the Business Traveller Awards 2014, which were held in London, on October 6.
Qatar Airways is preparing to have a strong presence at the 2014 Farnborough Air Show, taking place next week in Southern England, when it will fly the A350 aircraft with Qatar Airways livery for the first time at a flying display in a European Air Show.
Royal Jordanian invited 200 orphans from different charity organizations for an iftar banquet at the Children's Museum of Jordan, one of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah's non-profit educational organisations.
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) Africa Office Chairman and ATNS CEO, Thabani Mthiyane said delegates attending the CANSO Africa Conference - currently underway in Zambia - have realised the importance of increasing collaboration and cooperation among member states, thereby accelerating progress towards a safer, more efficient and cost-effective Air Traffic Management (ATM) system in the Africa Region.
A significant number of attempts to fly at hypersonic speed have failed—not due to the advanced airframe or propulsion technology being tested, but because of the rocket booster needed to reach that speed.
The announcement by Airbus Group that it was putting €2 billion in defense and space businesses up for sale is an important milestone not only for Airbus but also for European A&D.
Pele, one of the greatest ever footballers and Emirates' Global Ambassador, will share some of his proudest moments during a special screening at Emirates' headquarters on 16 March.
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, is set to increase its cargo capacity to Tunis and Abidjan with the introduction of a weekly freighter service from 17th March 2014.
Middle East countries in general and Arabian Gulf states in particular are pumping in billions of dollars in the race to building new airports or expanding the existing facilities to meet the demands of future air travelers and expanding fleets of airlines, especially their national carriers.
