Military & Defense

AgustaWestland released that the first five AW101 Merlin HM Mk 2 helicopters have been delivered to the Royal Navy’s 824 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose in Southwest England. The delivery of these aircraft, which have been upgraded as part of a £750m AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin led contract, marks a significant programme milestone

The Minister for Defence Materiel for the Commonwealth of Australia has awarded BAE Systems a £90m contract for the upgrade of their Mk127 Hawk fleet. Known as Project AIR5438, the upgrade to the Australian Hawk fleet will deliver an enhanced training capability and also encompass the supply of three Full Mission Simulators, RAAF aircrew/groundcrew training

Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (EAC) was awarded option period extensions with Special Operations Command Africa (“SOCAFRICA”). The option awards were made to Evergreen Helicopters (“EHI”), a recently acquired, wholly owned subsidiary of Erickson, to provide a fleet of fixed and rotary wing aircraft for personnel and cargo transport for the Department of Defense in Central Africa.

Spirit AeroSystems has received a $60m contract from Sikorsky Aircraft to supply the major structural cockpit and cabin components of four additional CH-53K heavy lift helicopters. Designated System Demonstration Test Articles (SDTA), the four production-representative aircraft will be used by the U.S. Marine Corps to evaluate the helicopter’s mission capabilities in service operating conditions. SDTA

Boeing workers in Everett loaded the first wing spar for the first U.S. Air Force KC-46A aerial refueling tanker, starting production of that aircraft and achieving another milestone toward delivering 179 tankers during the next 14 years. The KC-46A is based on the commercial 767-200ER, a proven airframe in service as an airliner, freighter and

Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s (ETC) Simulation Division, located in Orlando, Fla., has delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force (“RNLAF”) an Advanced Disaster Management Simulator (“ADMS”). The RNLAF’s modified ADMS-Airbase will be used to train fire and rescue services personnel. The portable ADMS-Airbase system located at the RNLAF Fire Academy at Woensdrecht Air Force Base can

Embraer and Boeing are partnering on the sales and marketing of Embraer’s KC-390 – a multi-mission mobility and aerial refueling aircraft with advanced capabilities in the medium-sized airlift market. Under the agreement, Boeing is the lead for KC-390 sales, sustainment and training opportunities in the U.S., UK and select Middle East markets. Embraer will manufacture