Aircraft & Propulsion

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.”

Germany is restarting its heavy transport helicopter program and looking to solicit bids for competing platforms through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process.

Greece is investing in defense again and new combat aircraft top the list of priorities.

Greece’s recent order for 18 Dassault Rafale fighters will comprise a mix of six new single and two seaters, while France’s order for 12 new Rafales—replacements for the secondhand ones it is selling to Greece—is imminent.

Boeing blamed the latest quarterly charge on “production inefficiencies, including impacts of COVID-19 disruption.”

The first of 27 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters ordered by Denmark has been rolled out of Lockheed Martin’s plant in Fort Worth.

The Eurofighter, Gripen and Rafale compete fiercely but will benefit from one another’s technology as Europe develops replacements.

Sikorsky-Boeing Takes Wraps Off Defiant X Design For U.S. Army’s FLRAA

Three F/A-18E/Fs have already been delivered from an SLM line in St. Louis, Missouri. But the fourth SLM-updated F/A-18E/F delivered to the Navy emerged from Boeing’s facility at Kelly Field.

AFWERX has launched a six-week market research phase to understand the bourgeoning field of startup companies seeking to build supersonic and hypersonic transports.

The Greek government on Jan. 25 formally ordered 18 Rafale fighters from Dassault Aviation after an agreement was reached with the French Ministry of Armed Forces.