Aircraft & Propulsion

The U.S. Air Force now owns four light attack aircraft after finalizing a $70.2 million deal on March 16 for two Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverines. Along

Safran powers VoltAero; scaling quantum computers; automating dogfighting; eVTOL in Norway; safer batteries; drone delivery bases.

The arrival of the second aircraft is a significant milestone towards the UK restoring long-range anti-submarine warfare capability.

Special surcharges and inflationary adjustments account for the $9.4 million disparity, according to the F-35 Joint Program Office.

At least two verification flights were planned for January, but Aerospace DAILY understands no RQ-4 flights have taken place from Sigonella.

The U.S. Air Force is looking to complete the EC-37B Compass Call acquisition program in advance of a possible production line shutdown.

Where weapons exports are going; Russian mercenaries hit U.S. UAS; Rocket Lab’s next NRO launch; and a Sea Venom Trial.

Pratt & Whitney, a former opponent of fighter engine competitions, seeks to overturn the sole-source award for the F-15EX.

Canada’s Longview Aviation Services has flown the first Canadair CL-215 amphibious aircraft upgraded to CL-415EAF Enhanced Aerial Firefighter configuration.

The first change to the aircraft removes the skin and structural material in lower lobes of the forward and aft fuselage, the Air Force said.

The Blue-Ribbon Future Carrier 2030 Task Force is seen as complementary to a broad review of shipbuilding requirements being led by Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist.

The U.S. Marine Corps now is pursuing an unmanned family of systems for its Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft Expeditionary (MUX) effort.

The U.S. Marine Corps is joining the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program to accelerate commercial development eVTOL vehicles, with a view to using them for logistics.

The F-15 fleet is expected to enter qualifications by the end of 2021, to be followed by the F-16, F-22, A-10 and B-1.

Record deliveries of the Rafale fighter helped Dassault Aviation’s revenues reach unprecedented heights last year.

DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program aims to use dogfight automation as a crucible to give pilots confidence that AI “can handle a high-end fight.”

A top F-35 program official shared an operational anecdote highlighting the aircraft’s latent capability against surface-to-air missile systems.

Sikorsky has sent CH-53K King Stallion training devices to a U.S. Marine Corps base in preparation for receiving students to learn how to fly and repair the heavy-lift helicopter.

The results of the work will be a factor in any eventual decision on whether to attach finlets on the sides at the rear of the aircraft.

The design is for a considerable aircraft with a span of 16 m. But funding is needed.

Elbit Systems of America will install pylon-based infrared missile warning systems for Air National Guard F-16s.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk may have stunned the Air Force Association with his statement that the time for manned fighter aircraft has passed. Aviation Week editors explain why that was shocking – and why it wasn’t.

Key helicopter programs to protect new UK carriers are behind schedule, so race is on to get them ready for the first deployment.

Elon Musk startled an Air Force audience by declaring fighters dead, but his opinion isn’t far off current acquisition strategy.

Triton production halted; Maxar sees geospatial services growth: FAA certifies training simulator and issues with nuclear modernization.