Defense

Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider high-speed helicopter made an hour-long first flight on May 22 at the company’s development flight center in West Palm Beach, Florida. The rigid coaxial-rotor Raider hovered and maneuvered at low speed, with its pusher propulsor disconnected (but turning due to friction). The flight begins a year-long, roughly 100-flight-hour test program to expand to Raider’s flight envelope to meet Sikorsky’s key targets of 220-kt. cruise speed carrying weapons, hover at 6,000 ft. on a 95F day, and 3g maneuverability at speed.

China appears to be taking steps toward developing stovl aircraft, but lack of a propulsion system likely makes this a long-term proposition.

Airbus’s A400M airlifter program has faced some recent setbacks, not least of which is the May 9 crash of a production aircraft on its first flight.

The team will monitor Airbus plans to bring the project back on track, according to a German defense ministry letter sent to members of parliament and obtained by Aviation Week.

The U.S. Air Force wants to keep its bomber program under wraps. There are at least six reasons why that’s a bad idea.

After nearly 100 years, manned fighters still represent the overwhelming bulk of airpower, but predictions of their irrelevance or obsolescence are still with us.

After years of false starts, a joint European UAV program looks like it may finally progress.

IAF Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel worries that the sale of the Russian S-300 air defense system to Iran could provide a sense of immunity.

The crash of an Airbus A400M airlifter that killed four people on May 9 may have been caused by new software that cut off the engine-fuel supply, industry sources have said.

The changes have reflected internal disagreements about the vehicle’s mission and the extent of stealth technology to be incorporated into the platform.

As a first step, the U.S. Air Force will be pushing for a more-open systems architecture in Block 4, the first post-service-entry upgrade for the F-35.

In the wake of the Airbus A400M crash, London Bureau Chief Tony Osborne, Military Editor Bill Sweetman and Executive Editor James R. Asker discus the effect of crashes and incidents on early aircraft programs. Among the aircraft discussed are DC-10, A320, A380, F-16, V-22, XB-70, Dark Star and several airships.

Meeting U.S. requirements for security of the F-35 is a key issue behind building new infrastructure at Royal Australian Air Force bases from which the aircraft will operate.

Russia says China will act as an investor—wording that suggests that Russia will provide know-how while China pays. Russia has no requirement for the aircraft, so Beijing and Avic are obviously driving the whole program.

Boeing Defense, Space & Security CEO walks Aviation Week editors through the company’s recent realignment and answers questions about the state of the industry and Boeing’s plans on major defense and space programs.

Boeing Defense, Space & Security chief Chris Chadwick says established contractors need to show their customers “the art of the possible from an innovation perspective.”

The investigation of the A400M crash will cause additional delays to Airbus’s airlifter project.

Congress must act by June 30 or many U.S. companies will be hurt, says the president of a minority-owned Texas company.

Once a monopoly, ULA is countering a two-front attack from SpaceX and, now, Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Two Western fighter houses are in the best position to challenge the F-35 in the 2020s. Can their rivals hang in there too?

Engineers are having trouble extracting data from the flight data recorders of an A400M airlifter that crashed May 9 near Seville, Spain, killing four crewmembers.

India’s plan to procure midair refueler aircraft is progressing well, the country’s defense minister says, marking a major step to increase the operational reach of the air force.

Australia has begun building the infrastructure it will need to support its planned force of at least 72 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightnings, with much of the work driven by U.S. demands for tightened security of the aircraft and their systems.

Reports of the planned demise of the Atlas V rocket may be premature.

An investigation into the May 9 crash of an Airbus A400M airlifter is focusing on the aircraft’s TP400 engines and associated fuel system.