Aircraft & Propulsion

Industry partners involved in the development of the UK’s Tempest Future Combat Air System claim the initiative will pump £25 billion ($32 billion) into the UK economy over its first 30 years and secure 20,000 jobs between 2026 and 2050.

Airbus will develop and partly deliver a communications and mission-system upgrade for Australia’s seven A330 MRTTs.

Extended-range GMLRS to enter flight tests; AH-1W next steps; Dutch to hunt for airlifter in 2021; Philippines receive A-29s.

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and his Qatari counterpart, Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, signed a statement of intent on Oct. 14 to strengthen the bilateral defense relationship.

Although the U.S. Marine Corps is retiring the AH-1W Super Cobra aircraft, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is contemplating what the aircraft’s post-operational life will look like.

The Netherlands plans to accelerate the replacement of its C-130 Hercules airlifter fleet with a procurement program planned to deliver new aircraft from 2026.

The aircraft will be operated by the 15th Attack Squadron. The unit specializes in tactical air support, light attack, surveillance, air interception, counter-insurgency and advanced training.

Airshow China, due to be held at Zhuhai Airport on Nov. 10-15, has been postponed, the organizer said, without mentioning a new date.

The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force has begun work on how to exploit its new RC-2 sigint aircraft, converted from an airlifter prototype.

Mixed congressional reaction on the Pentagon’s radical proposal to redesign the U.S. Navy for a future war with China.

The U.S. Navy’s top officer is not convinced the sea service’s sixth-generation fighter needs to be a manned aircraft.

Traditionally, CT scanners have been large, heavy devices limited to static use in hospitals.

Marshall is best known for its work supporting the UK Royal Air Force’s fleet of C-130 Hercules airlifters.

France has contracted the conversion of 10 NH90 helicopters with new sensors for special operations missions.

HAPSMobile flies high; Islander automated; multifuel UAV engines; NASA’s X-59 slips; Russia targets quiet supersonics; fresh fruit by autonomous aircraft.

The letter from Sen. Bob Menendez and Sen. Jack Reed—both Democrats and ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, respectively—demanded immediate answers to a list of 40 questions.

Ask the Editors: U.S. Air Force and NATO officials have discussed replacing E-3s using a distributed systems approach, but options are not fully developed.

France to replace Rafales; SDA awards tracking layer contracts; Russian airlifter delayed; and Boeing WGS clears PDR.

The U.S. Marine Corps and Sikorsky are close to an agreement for six CH-53K Lot 4 helicopters and may seal the deal by the end of the month.

France has begun retiring the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker as it modernizes its aerial refueling capacity around the Airbus A330 Phenix Multi-Role Tanker Transport.

An electronic-intelligence aircraft converted from a Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) C-2 airlifter prototype moved to a tactics development unit on Oct. 1, bringing new but undisclosed signals-interception capabilities closer to operation for Japan.

Honeywell said Oct. 7 it acquired privately held Rocky Research, a Boulder City, Nevada-based specialist in thermal, energy and power management solutions, and will add the boutique to its Honeywell Aerospace division.

Astronics Corp. has announced FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval of its Max-Viz 1400 enhanced vision system installation on the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 aerial firefighting tanker.

Luxembourg’s armed forces have taken delivery of their first fixed-wing aircraft: an Airbus A400M airlifter.

Australia will consider the Block 2 upgrade of the Boeing EA-18G Growler as part of a regular program of keeping aircraft common with those of the U.S. Navy, the defense department in Canberra said.