Aircraft & Propulsion

Switzerland says it has completed the first of two phased upgrades to its McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C/D legacy Hornet fleet to ensure the type can soldier on through to 2030.

Combat aircraft could be in the cards for Ireland if it decides on defense capabilities comparable with similar-size European nations.

Initial deliveries were last June.

Helo OEM weathers pandemic storm.

HAL’s fighter is the country’s second homegrown fighter.

Viewing of TAI’s fighter jet highlights bold ambitions.

The pandemic pushed innovations IAI wants to showcase.

Another shoe has dropped in the competition to supply the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), with Sikorsky and Boeing selecting Honeywell’s 7,500-shp HTS7500 engine to power their contender, the Defiant X coaxial rigid-rotor compound helicopter.

Sikorsky’s S-70A optionally piloted vehicle completes 30-min. mission with no one aboard.

Karem Aircraft is studying a version of its optimum speed tiltrotor concept aimed at providing a common solution to both U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Future Vertical requirements, although both continue to evolve.

In a discussion of upcoming competitions, Boeing Defense, Space and Security CEO Leanne Caret confirmed that the company will offer its E-7 Wedgetail for the U.S. Air Force’s search for a replacement for the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft.

Dassault’s Rafale has scored another major export contract with the sale of 42 aircraft to Indonesia.

Royal Air Force picks Falcon 900LX for VIPs; South Korea’s first P-8; F-15J cost estimate; and the U.S. Air Force’s new acquisition boss.

Thales says it will equip France’s fleet of Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports with a satellite communications system.

The Irish government says it will consider a report that urges the country to consider acquiring combat aircraft to provide a national air policing capability.

Ukraine sits inside a ring of Russian fighters, bombers and special mission aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force is kicking off its effort to replace the E-3 Sentry AWACS, releasing a request for information for its replacement on Feb. 8 that calls for two prototypes by 2028.

DARPA and Sikorsky have conducted the first fully autonomous flights of a UH-60 Black Hawk with no one on board the helicopter.

Two new-build Falcons will be acquired, replacing the long-serving BAe 146 regional airliners that have been used for the RAF’s Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) mission.

Potential military missions for the aircraft include “island hopping and distributed cargo logistics in the Indo-Pacific theater or operations in areas with limited infrastructure like Africa,” an Electra executive says.

The UK Ministry of Defense has confirmed it will be transferring two of its Boeing E-3D Sentry airborne early warning aircraft platforms to Chile.

The U.S. ambassador to Greece has said the country is likely to be approved by the U.S. government to purchase the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but it will be a minimum of five years before Athens will receive aircraft.

The first Boeing P-8A Poseidon destined for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) has emerged from the paint shop, sporting the emblem of the 61 Patrol Air Group.

Croatia has taken delivery of the first two of four planned Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, as the country’s armed forces push to reduce their reliance on Russian defense equipment.

Airbus and Kongsberg of Norway have teamed up in a bid to improve the availability of the country’s troubled NH90 fleet.