Aircraft & Propulsion

Ask the Editors: Software has made great strides, but pilots are still needed to handle complex missions in the real world.

Safran has added Spain’s ITP Aero to its team developing a new turboprop engine from the Ardiden 3 turboshaft.

A Boeing loyal-wingman drone under development in Australia may be assembled in the northeastern state of Queensland.

Electronic warfare programs feature prominently in the Japanese defense ministry’s request for funding for the next fiscal year.

U.S. Army Funds Research Into Multifuel Engines For UAVs Graham Warwick, [email protected] Technology enabling unmanned aircraft engines to run on whatever type of fuel is locally available is to be developed under an $11.4 million grant awarded to the University of Wisconsin-Madison by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

Doubling Reaper’s firepower; Rats undermine Triton comms; Will Kazakhstan buy A400Ms?; and Russia receives new Mi-28s.

Despite a wafer-thin majority in Sept. 27’s fighter referendum, the Swiss government can begin its $6.5 billion fighter procurement.

The 12 vertical takeoff and landing UAS with six ground stations are included in an MDA system worth an estimated $417 million, the State Department has announced.

The U.S. Marine Corps has selected UK-based Marshall Aerospace and Defense Group to perform depot-level maintenance on its fleet of Lockheed Martin KC-130J Hercules.

The U.S. Air Force has halted delivery of one KC-46A Pegasus tanker to the 157th Air Refueling Wing because of “electrical problems,” according to a U.S. senator.

The AFRL calls the UAS chassis the “genus” system, referencing the biological taxonomy for living organisms. Each genus can produce a variety of distinct species, which, in the AFRL’s terminology, refers to subordinate aircraft types.

Misfortune and its own missteps in culture, leadership and technology have sapped the British engine maker of its value.

The U.S. State Department has approved potential sales of F/A-18 Super Hornets and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Switzerland after a narrowly won referendum enabled the country’s fighter procurement to proceed.

The DOD plans to conduct 40 flight tests over the next four years on several prototypes of hypersonic missiles now in development.

The UK has been marketing Airbus’ A400M airlifter to Kazakhstan as the Central Asian country looks to renew its transport fleet. A British Royal Air Force A400M visited the Kazakh capital, Astana, the UK embassy said Sept. 25 on social media.

The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency MCA has extended its contract with helicopter operator Bristow for two more years as the agency paves the way for a follow-on agreement.

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B and KC-130J collided on September 29 during an air refueling attempt, causing the F-35B to crash and the KC-130J to make an emergency landing in a field, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said.

Any airframe that enters development will be built around the Autonomous Core System (ACS), which is being integrated by Leidos under a separate contract as the Skyborg Design Agent.

The dueling accounts created international confusion over an alleged incident that Armenia previously had warned would trigger retaliatory strikes by Iskander ground-launched, medium-range missiles.

The U.S. Navy initially relied on commercial data networks to support the MQ-4C's first deployment until a hungry local rodent intervened.

Citing budgetary concerns, Germany has canceled a long-running tender to find a replacement for its aging Sikorsky CH-53G Sea Stallion transport helicopters.

Unmanned cargo aircraft developer Sabrewing Aircraft has signed an exclusive representation agreement with Riyadh-based trading company Arabian Development & Marketing Co. covering sales in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Pan-African region.

Canada has inducted the first of its new Airbus CC-295 twin-turboprop, search-and-rescue aircraft.

The $162 million contract includes the aircraft, ground-based training systems, a mission planning and debrief system and ground support equipment.

The U.S. Air Force is taking a holistic view to defining the tanker fleet that will follow the KC-46 into production.