Belgium’s involvement in the Dutch-led new European Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet will result in the fleet size growing to eight aircraft.
France’s 2018 government finance bill details the aeronautical equipment that the French Air Force, Navy and Army will receive and order as part of their ongoing fleet and weapons renewal.
Bell Helicopter has completed assembly of the first Japanese Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey and passed it along to the U.S. government for final modification and delivery.
Japan will fly a testbed reusable sounding rocket in the fiscal year beginning in April 2018, aiming to demonstrate vertical landings and 24-hr. turnarounds—capabilities that could later be applied to the first stage of a space launcher.
Beyond the KX-46A’s boom unexpectedly extending while fuel is flowing, it could scratch the receiver aircraft; high-frequency radios are also sparking concern.
Congress may push back on Trump’s Air Force One cost-cutting plan, the Kiowa Warrior’s last flight for the U.S. Army, Raytheon radar clears third test, and Indonesia takes delivery of Airbus helicopters.
The Trump administration plans to restrict Russian surveillance flights over certain regions of the U.S. in response to alleged violations of the Open Skies Treaty by Moscow.
The U.S.’s top general has expressed support for the procurement of additional Boeing-built Ground-Based Interceptors in response to North Korea’s ballistic missile program and other threats.
The U.S. Air Force general in charge of Northern Command says she is concerned about North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s intent to follow through with threats of attacking the homeland.
The UK’s defense minister has warned Boeing that its defense relationship with the British government could be jeopardized if it continues to pursue penalties against Canada’s Bombardier.
The U.S. Air Force is interested in looking more closely at the potential of Textron’s Scorpion aircraft as a low-cost alternative to current ISR capabilities.
If the Comac ARJ21 was a genuinely commercial program, the manufacturer would by now be saying it had done its best but, as everyone had always known, developing a jet airliner without experience was tough.
The potential for directed-energy weapons to counter the threat posed by small unmanned aircraft systems is to be assessed by the U.S. Air Force in an experimental demonstration.
The U.S. Air Force is moving forward with preparations to take two off-the-shelf light attack turboprop aircraft downrange to fight terrorists next year.
