Aircraft & Propulsion

Flight trials of General Atomics’ MQ-9B SkyGuardian medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system planned for the UK this summer will see the aircraft configured for maritime operations, the manufacturer has confirmed.

Eaton buying two Cobham divisions; Pentagon nominee on nuclear weapons; South Korea’s Global Hawk tussle; F-15EX flies.

A convergence of cost pressures and operational needs are raising the profile of a once-discarded generation of fighters.

The Spanish Navy is mulling the implications of an F-35 purchase as it considers how best to replace its AV-8 Harriers which operate from its light carrier, the Juan Carlos I.

The first flight will be followed by early delivery of EX1, the designation for the first test aircraft, to the Air Force’s development and operational test force in the second quarter. Boeing’s original schedule called for delivering the first aircraft in August.

The U.S. and the Republic of Korea are discussing how to compensate South Korea for RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawks that have suffered a series of problems.

The UK Royal Air Force is planning to operate a SkyGuardian medium altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system in the UK this summer as it prepares for the introduction of its Protector platform.

The U.S. Army is wrapping up its “buy, try, inform” effort to evaluate competing runway-independent tactical unmanned aircraft systems as it prepares to finalize its acquisition strategy to replace the Textron RQ-7B Shadow.

Electric aircraft pioneer Pipistrel has teamed with unmanned aircraft specialist C-Astral Aerospace to expand the capability of the in-development Nuuva V20 cargo drone to encompass intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

British defense group Cobham is selling off its aerial refueling business to Eaton in a controversial $2.83 billion deal.

At the end of January, the U.S. Air Force downgraded two previously unreported Category 1 deficiencies related to the KC-46’s auxiliary power unit, according to the head of Air Mobility Command.

The U.S. Air Force is finalizing the parameters of a study of commercial air refueling services before the military outsources the assessment to industry, the head of Air Mobility Command says.

Lockheed Martin CEO and president Jim Taiclet will complete his leadership takeover of the Pentagon’s leading contractor by annual sales with the additional role of becoming chairman of the board of directors effective March 1.

Finland has issued a final call for tenders in its HX fighter contest, the last milestone before a selection announcement in late 2021.

Dassault Aviation received an order for 12 additional Rafale fighters from the French Ministry of Armed Forces on Jan. 29 as a replacement for 12 secondhand aircraft sold to Greece’s air force.

Will Biden’s policy on aerospace business with China differ from Trump’s? The answers may be surprising politically but not economically.

RAF sees unmanned aircraft becoming the backbone of the inventory supporting manned fighters such as F-35, Typhoon and Tempest.

All three air chiefs of staff involved in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) are emphasizing the importance of achieving first flights of the demonstrators by 2026.

The new merger of the two General Dynamics information technology business units into a new Technologies division is raising eyebrows for a potential spinoff someday, particularly as large mergers and acquisitions continue to be announced across the military, space and intelligence services sector.

Aerovel has conducted reliability testing of its Flexrotor vertical-takeoff-and-landing Group 2 unmanned aircraft system for the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The ongoing AoA will seek to identify gaps in capabilities that will be required in the 2030s, as compared to current technology.

Shoulder-mounted conformal fuel tanks could be cut after flight testing reveals “challenges.”

Top Aces has begun the process of transferring former Israeli F-16s back to the U.S. to provide adversary air services for the U.S. Air Force.

Tactical air services provider Draken has established a Europe-based business following its takeover of Cobham Aviation Services last September.

Annual revenue reported by the Aeronautics Systems division in 2020 was higher, and, notably, included what Northrop’s filing described only as a “$444 million sale of equipment to a restricted customer.”