Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jen DiMascio
Committee backs increased F-35 buy; fixing drag on F-18 readiness; Austria to retire trainers; and Brazilian Gripen production starts.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The improved version of the Klimov RD-93, which is likely a candidate to power the JF-17 Block 3, has been shipped to a Moscow-based test center.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has taken a £3 billion ($3.8 billion) hit to its finances as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is looking at suborbital flights.
Space

By Tony Osborne
A U.S. emergency medical services (EMS) helicopter operator has become the first commercial customer to order an instrument flight rules (IFR)-certified AW119 single-engine light helicopter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Bradley Perrett
Near-term acquisition programs are hardly altered. Most proposals will go ahead late in the 2020s or in the 2030s.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Bradley Perrett
The Japanese defense ministry proposes to fly the first prototype of the Next Generation Fighter (NGF) in 2028 and begin deliveries to the air force seven years later.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Bradley Perrett, Kim Minseok
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has published the first photograph of the first KF-X airframe.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Completed structures will be delivered to the Saab final assembly line in Linköping, Sweden.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Part-cruise missile and part-unmanned aircraft system, Skyborg is set to redefine air combat operations.
A&D Week 2020

By Lee Hudson
U.S. Navy instructor pilots have begun learning to fly the TH-73A helicopter trainer at Leonardo’s facility in Philadelphia.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The Serbian government has lifted the lid on its new armed unmanned air systems sourced from China, the first nation in the Balkans to acquire such a capability.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences is the first company to receive a contract under a new DARPA program to build an X-plane designed around active flow control.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Niel Golightly resigned on July 2 as Boeing’s chief communications officer after an employee complained about his 1987 article in the Naval Institute’s Proceedings journal that argued against allowing women to serve in combat.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The Multinational Multirole Tanker and Transport Fleet narrows Europe’s aerial refueling gap, but more will be needed to address shortfalls.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Bradley Perrett
Australia plans to acquire an enlarged fleet of naval logistics helicopters, probably late this decade, to be followed by long-range rotorcraft for the army.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jen DiMascio
Indian defense officials have approved the purchase of more than $5 billion in defense equipment, including deals to buy and upgrade Russian fighters.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Moldovan authorities have closed down an illegal helicopter factory that was clandestinely producing rotorcraft with a similar configuration to Kamov’s Ka-26 co-axial helicopter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
NATO has initiated the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control project only eight months after awarding Boeing a $1 billion contract to complete the final modernization program for the E-3 fleet.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Bradley Perrett
Australia is planning to expand its electronic-attack force for the 2030s following the retirement of its Boeing EA-18G Growlers while also enlarging its fleets of surveillance aircraft, partly through the replacement of Boeing E-7A Wedgetails.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jen DiMascio
Will the Senate boost a secret missile? House may back third launcher; New trainers for South Korea; and Embraer’s third KC-390.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
The decision vaults Sierra Nevada over established industry leaders BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman, who have prior experience integrating radio frequency countermeasure systems on AC-130s and MC-130s.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Lee Hudson
Submitted by Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), the amendment would withhold funding until SOCOM completes certain deliverables.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) has submitted an A-10 synthetic aperture radar improvements amendment to the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jen DiMascio, Joe Anselmo, Michael Bruno, Steve Trimble
Boeing defense chief talks about increased introspection, the impact of COVID-19 on the market and plans for the KC-46.
Defense