Aircraft & Propulsion

The French Air Force has retired the Dassault Mirage 2000C from operational service, leaving just three variants of the delta-winged fighter in French service.

Boeing is fielding more interest in its CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter in Europe, with two more nations inquiring about the aircraft after the company and Germany announced a deal in early June.

Textron is tapping into the market for low-cost intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft through new subsidiary Pipistrel, the Slovenian general aviation pioneer.

Safran Helicopter Engines and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. have agreed to jointly develop an engine for the future Indian Multi-Role Helicopter, aiming at service entry with Indian forces late this decade

Boeing sees opportunities to add about 50 more P-8 Poseidon orders to its existing total of 183, as it sees interest growing amid tensions in Europe.

The UK Defense Ministry is exploring the wider use of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and alternatives to rotorcraft to undertake the roles performed by crewed helicopters.

Boeing says the E/A-18G Growler electronic attack jet may be down but it is not out.

Elbit Systems is pitching its X-Sight helmet-mounted display systems to the U.S. Army and individual companies competing for the Future Vertical Lift program.

The Russia-Ukraine war has galvanized Europe and NATO, but facing issues such as high inflation, can defense commitments be maintained?

Digital engineering helped Raytheon score the first U.S. flight test of an air-breathing hypersonic missile demonstrator since 2013.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The first of the 3,000shp.-class engines in the development program has completed more than 100 hr. of run time since an initial “light off” event on March 22, GE says.

As part of Reaction Engines’ continuing push to develop its pre-cooler technology for high-Mach aircraft, missiles and space access vehicles, the company has revealed it is midway through a U.S. Air Force-supported test program aimed at dramatically expanding the system’s performance envelope.

Aviation Week editors talk with Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury about all things commercial and defense, but his focus is on sustainability.

Profumo’s tenure at Leonardo has helped turn the Italy-based conglomerate into a major player in defense electronics.

U.S. Air Force seeds new tanker competition; Aerojet’s new board; Europe seeks airlifter; and Northrop chooses Airbus satellite bus.

A first-generation uncrewed combat aircraft will be fielded by the USAF by the end of the decade under a revamped acquisition strategy.

Boeing is building a next-generation product support system for its military aircraft and building off experience garnered by the UK’s Royal Air Force.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force has acquired a secondhand Gulfstream G650 business jet for VIP duties.

Germany and Sweden have joined France to study the future development of a new-generation European airlifter that could replace types such as the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and CASA CN235.

Tensions over the flight controls are holding up progress toward the development of FCAS’ demonstrator program.

The F-35 is beginning to make its mark on the UK’s Royal Air Force and Royal Navy who operate the aircraft.

More data is emerging to support the U.S. Air Force’s creation of the F-35 Adaptive Engine Replacement program.

The U.S. Air Force is expected to issue a request for information (RFI) within the next week for the design of a large-scale prototype of a blended wing body, the first details of which emerged in President Biden’s recently announced fiscal 2023 budget request.

The U.S. Army’s decision to delay its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program by pushing production milestones back up to four years gives Sikorsky more time to mature its Raider X design, and although some in Washington have raised doubts about the program’s future, the service and company are still confident in its permanence.