Aircraft & Propulsion

While the Air Force shifts focus toward a future KC-Z, some on Capitol Hill say the planned 2040 fielding date leaves too long of a gap.

It is hoped the initiative will support a number of aerospace programs being pursued by India with support from British companies.

Pratt & Whitney questions GE’s XA100 proposal, arguing its F135 upgrade plan is the more practical path.

Portugal has taken delivery of the first of five Embraer KC-390 tanker-transports ordered in 2019 amid a broader increase in defense spending by Lisbon.

An acquisition of a small force of Northrop Grumman B-21A Raiders could fill a gap in Australia’s long-range strike capabilities until a new fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines begins arriving in around 2040, an Australian defense analyst said on Oct. 19 in Washington.

Northrop Grumman has announced that the unveiling of the B-21 Raider will take place on Dec. 2 in Palmdale, California.

Warsaw is hiking defense spending to 3% of GDP, prompted largely by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

British intelligence-gathering flights over the Black Sea region were suspended following the incident on Sept. 29, which occurred in international airspace.

The San Diego company’s next uncrewed aircraft system could be powered by a radical new engine design of its own making.

Airbus has revealed work on an uncrewed multicopter demonstrator that could be scaled up to carry payloads of more than 250 kg (550 lb.).

A report from Myanmar-based newspaper The Irrawady says that a Burmese group of pilots, technicians and weapons officers has traveled to China to begin training on the Guizhou Aviation Industry Corp-built lead-in jet trainer and light combat aircraft.

As many as 30 former British military pilots are believed to be providing training to China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Trial-and-error approach informing requirements for follow-on HADES program of record.

Poland has selected GE Aerospace’s CT7-2E1 turboshaft to power the fleet of Leonardo AW149 battlefield helicopters it has on order.

The runway at De Peel will be renovated so that it can be used for fast-jet operations with plans for around 3,600 movements a year.

As a U.S. Defense Department decision looms over the potential future use of adaptive engines in the Lockheed Martin F-35, General Electric says a study has concluded that the XA100 advanced propulsion system could work in the short takeoff and vertical landing variant.

Gen. C.Q. Brown paid a visit to Lima on Oct. 11-12 to discuss “opportunities for additional defense cooperation,” the Air Force said.

“We are seeing an increased demand and opportunity to replace legacy aircraft components with thermoplastics,” a Collins executive says.

Steadfast Noon usually passes with little public acknowledgement as it exercises NATO’s nuclear deterrent, but this year the drills appear to have grown.

The U.S. Navy’s new effort to link uncrewed assets across the Middle East for improved maritime surveillance will grow next month when the service includes uncrewed aircraft along with more vessels for an expansion in numbers and capability.

The competing teams led by Lockheed Martin/Boeing and Bell must self-fund the costs or disband the industry teams until the delayed contract award is finalized.

As Airshow China 2022 draws near, speculation grows about what new aircraft may be on display.

The U.S. Air Force has declared its new combat rescue helicopter, the Sikorsky HH-60W, combat-ready.

Without schedule pressure to develop the Long March 9, China pursues resusable designs.

A new software application designed to steer the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift fleet through holes in an enemy’s advanced air defenses is ready for flight demonstrations, Northrop Grumman says.