The two main entrants for the U.S. Air Force’s “bridge tanker” are not the only ones anxiously awaiting requirements for the program, with Congress in the final version of the fiscal 2022 defense policy bill calling for details on what the service wants, its acquisition strategy, and plans for the future KC-Z tanker before moving forward.
Congress in the compromise fiscal 2022 defense policy bill is ordering a new, comprehensive look at problems with pilot breathing systems starting with the F-35.
Two new, classified unmanned aerial system (UAS) programs in the U.S. Air Force portfolio aim to build on momentum from existing efforts such as Skyborg and Loyal Wingman, and the service’s top civilian wants both fighters and the service’s next-generation bombers to direct them in a fight against a modern enemy.
A highly modified variant of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle-Extended Range (GE-ER) has demonstrated the ability to take-off in less than 500 ft., offering a new option for operators seeking a long-endurance unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that does not require a traditional runway.
Hypersonic test vehicle and oversize carrier aircraft developer Stratolaunch has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to provide a high-speed target and threat replicating capability.
The UK has recovered the wreckage of a Lockheed Martin F-35B that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea as it attempted to take off from the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier in November.
India’s chief of defense staff, Gen. Bipin Rawat, and 12 others were killed when their Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, southern India.
The Philippine government has cleared the funds for its armed forces to acquire as many as 32 Sikorsky/ PZL Mielec S-70i Black Hawks, just as Manila completes the delivery of its sixteenth Black Hawk.
A lingering problem with the F-35’s high-tech helmet obscuring the pilot’s vision has prompted U.S. Air Force investigators to call for adjustments to the system, while the service is not following the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ effort to retrofit a fix to the “green glow” issue.
The FAA has issued Sikorsky a type certification for its Black Hawk helicopter, for the first time enabling civil and commercial customers to buy new-build aircraft, designated the S-70M, direct from the manufacturer.
The F-35 Joint Program Office is hoping to pick up the pace of deploying its new logistics system in 2022 and take other steps to improve the deployability of the aircraft such as reducing the size of spare packages the jets need.
The U.S. Air Force plans to launch two new unmanned combat air vehicles in the fiscal 2023 budget request, the service confirmed on Dec. 6. The aircraft would be designed to operate as unmanned partners to manned fighters, such as the Lockheed Martin F-35, F-22 and the future Next Generation Air Dominance system, Air Force officials say.
