Aircraft & Propulsion

A Kazakhstan factory will begin assembling helos locally for the first time after signing an accord with Russian Helicopters.

NATO’s London meeting in December exposed deep divisions among alliance members.

The Irish Air Corps (IAC) has ordered a pair of Airbus C295 twin-turboprop airlifters for the maritime patrol mission.

The 2,500-shp Aneto 1K is the first member of Safran’s new family of engines for medium and heavy helicopters.

The demo will showcase the capability designed into the V-280’s fly-by-wire flight control system.

The Czech Republic signed an agreement at the Pentagon Dec. 12 to buy eight UH-1Y Venom and four AH-1Z Viper helicopters.

Flight operations with the Elbit-made UAVs reportedly are likely to be delayed around six months.

The introduction of a VTOL unmanned aircraft to each platoon will be staggered monthly beginning in April.

The Croatian government has moved forward this week on a new plan to acquire a replacement for 12 aging MiG-21s scheduled for retirement in 2024 after the previous selection process collapsed amidst international controversy.

An initial acquisition by the Croatian air force of four UH-60Ms is likely to be followed by more orders of the Sikorsky utility helicopter to replace the Balkan country’s fleet of Soviet and Russian built “Hip”- series helicopters.

NATO formally opened a four-nation training center for special forces air crews in Central and Eastern Europe in Croatia on Dec. 11.

U.S. Southern Command deployed one P-8A to Punta Arenas, Chile, on Dec. 10 to support the ongoing search for a Chilean Air Force C-130 Hercules that went missing.

The GE Aviation subsidiary has opened a new production facility, repair operation and headquarters in Brockworth, England,

Japan has canceled plans to end local assembly of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightnings by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), the Nikkei newspaper reported.

The South Korean parliament has fully approved the 2020 budget requested by the defense ministry, giving the military a 7.4% rise in funding.

Airbus has delivered the first of seven H145 twin-engine light helicopters to the German Army to support its search-and-rescue mission.

The experimental cubesat will monitor aircraft signals from space to support rescue organizations.

Serbia has taken delivery of four Mil Mi-35M attack helicopters from Russia, bolstering the country’s depleted air force.

The parliament approved 1.403 trillion won ($1.2 billion) for the KF-X program as part of the 2020 defense budget passed on Dec. 10.

Airbus has delivered the first of seven H145 twin-engine light helicopters to the German Army.

Bell and Boeing have delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps the first of as many as 129 MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors to undergo the Common Configuration-Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) program.

The French Air Force has declared an initial operational capability (IOC) with the F3-R upgrade for the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft.

Latin American air forces have intensified search efforts to locate the wreckage of a Chilean Air Force Lockheed KC-130 Hercules airlifter that was reported missing Dec. 9 during a flight to Antarctica.

The Japanese government may allocate at least ¥30 billion ($280 million) for programs related to the proposed Future Fighter in the coming fiscal year.

British jet engine maker Rolls-Royce said Bradley Singer, the COO of activist investor ValueAct Capital and Rolls-Royce’s largest shareholder, left the board of directors Dec. 9.