Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Israeli companies are rolling out a 600-gal. external fuel tank and a fifth-to-fourth-generation communication system as export options for the Lockheed Martin F-35.
AUSA

By Chen Chuanren
Reliability of the 18 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs embarked on the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth operating in the Asia-Pacific region have met and sometimes exceed expectations, officials say.
AUSA

By Steve Trimble
Textron Systems has unveiled a new version of the Aerosonde unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with a 25-lb. payload capacity to compete for a U.S. Army
AUSA

By Chen Chuanren
Australia has requested 12 more Sikorsky MH-60R naval helicopters to supplement its existing fleet.
AUSA

By Graham Warwick
U.S. battery startup Lyten is looking to electric aircraft as a potential early market for its energy-dense lithium-sulfur batteries as it scales up to meet expected demand from the automotive industry by 2025-26.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
Airbus' Zephyr team is also claiming to have set a world altitude record for the HAPS-class of UAS after reaching a height of 76,100 ft.
AUSA

By Graham Warwick
EC Power has received a U.S. Air Force contract to develop a lithium-ion battery cell capable of extreme fast charging of electrified aircraft and ground vehicles.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
Italy has dropped plans to purchase the Piaggio P.1HH Hammerhead unmanned air system but will proceed with the buy of six P.180 Avanti turboprops.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Global Medical Response is buying single-engine H125s and H130s and twin-engine H135s.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The manufacturer said Oct. 8 it is working with the U.S. Army to develop a Modular Open Systems Approach for a proposed Increment 2 version of the medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system.
AUSA

By Steve Trimble
Pratt & Whitney expects a multiyear recovery from a growing engine availability crisis that has grounded dozens of F-35As.
Supply Chain

By Brian Everstine
The Pentagon needs to both increase its spending on research and development of new technologies and be willing to reach out to partner nations to learn about advances they have made to improve its future force, a U.S. Air Force innovation leader said Oct. 7.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Aircraft contracted by the U.S. Defense and State Departments are increasing the pace of flight operations to carry Afghan evacuees from bases in Europe and the Middle East after operations stopped because of measles outbreaks.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A design change of the Bell 360 Invictus was driven by the release of the U.S. Army ’s list of requirements for mission systems, the company’s CEO said Oct. 7.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
What can Kabul teach the military about evacuation missions?
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
Boeing on Oct. 6 handed over the 48th KC-46 to the U.S. Air Force, the latest delivery in a year that has seen several missed deadlines due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a lingering problem of foreign object debris inside the tankers.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force will have a shortage of Pratt & Whitney F100-220 and F100-229 engines that power F-15s and F-16s through at least April 2024 as the service focuses sustainment resources on higher priority problems with the F-15 Eagle fleet, a new report says.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Switzerland’s defense minister has warned that an initiative by political opponents to prevent the country from buying the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could leave the country without a fighter jet capability.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Chen Chuanren
The test marked the first time since the end of World War II that a fixed-wing aircraft has operated from a Japanese warship.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force’s F-35A is one step closer to becoming dual capable after two Lightning IIs dropped B61-12 test gravity bombs to finish the nuclear design certification process in September.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Boeing on Sept. 30 received a $172.8 million contract to install a new pressure and oxygen monitoring system in 78 new Block III F/A-18E/Fs as part of the U.S. Navy’s effort to mitigate potential physiological incidents.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The Swedish Air Force will begin to introduce the new-model Gripen E fighter to a frontline squadron beginning in 2025.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Another landmark in the rapid evolution of China’s aerospace industry was on display last week in Zhuhai.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The circular 12,200-mi. flight started on Sept. 24 at Edwards AFB, California, and landed back at the base on Oct. 2.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Chen Chuanren
China is in the process of trialing two types of domestically built turbofans on its Xian Y-20 strategic airlifter.
Multi-Mission Aircraft