Aircraft & Propulsion

Competition could also spark renaissance for single-engine IFR-capable helicopters for commercial use.

The U.S. Navy should acknowledge a new cost overrun and a schedule delay on the Sikorsky CH-53K development program to fix multiple design problems, the Pentagon’s top weapons tester says.

India remains committed to purchasing Moscow’s S-400 anti-aircraft system.

Structural defects mean the earliest F-35Bs delivered by Lockheed Martin could reach a service life limit by 2026 after 2,100 flight hours, according to the Pentagon’s director for weapons testing.

A two-type fleet, while expensive, could balance the tension between European and transatlantic partners, says a German thinktank.

Airbus Helicopters has come from virtually nowhere in a little over 15 years to become the third biggest maker of military rotorcraft in the U.S.

A near-term capacity crunch and next-generation fighter costs conspired to force the Air Force to reconsider non-stealthy combat aircraft.

The manufacturer is preparing to begin series production in 2019. A separate requirement for attack helicopters has been deferred.

References to the Avic Xian H-20 suggest its unveiling is close. The second aircraft carrier is at sea, nearing commissioning.

Spending for 2019 is scheduled to rise 8.2%. Within that, the equipment, research and development budget will advance 13.7%.

Boeing and the U.S. Air Force have not reached an agreement on KC-46 first delivery and how best to rectify deficiencies.

Japan has programmed the acquisition of a further 105 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightnings, including F-35Bs for operation from converted helicopter carriers.

Slovakian leaders say Block 70/72 buy shows commitment to NATO partners.

A national security meeting of Japan’s ruling party has called for the acquisition of shipboard fighters capable of short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL).

A U.S. startup developing a single-person hybrid-electric multicopter is looking at potential military applications as a logistic or soldier transport.

So far, the Japanese defense ministry has only sought information for 30–50 Bell AH-1S replacements. Six companies are preparing to bid.

The sensor is part of an effort to accumulate technology for the Future Fighter. It is sized for demonstration in an F-2.

The approval ends a 16-month delay to the start of the stealthy fighter's formal initial operational test and evaluation program.

F-35 maker Lockheed Martin has cut the cost of the “full-mission simulator” used to train pilots on the fifth-gen fighter by 25% per simulator since 2012.

A Canadian audit says pilot and engineer retention are limiting the capability of the RCAF’s CF-18 Hornet fleet.

The MHI F-2 was a step forward in lightweight structural design. A new Japanese fighter would go further.

Part of a technology acquisition effort for a fighter, a Japanese Mach 2 stealth inlet has been designed and tested.

The IHI XF9-1 achieved its designed output before undergoing the usual tuning process to adjust a new engine for improvements.

Four years after the F-16 received Auto-GCAS, the U.S. Air Force is flight-testing it on the F-35 as the UK looks into introducing the safety system on the JSF.

Connectivity and data processing challenges are key priorities in Franco-German fighter studies.