Military & Defense

Pratt & Whitney has achieved initial service release (ISR) for the short take off and vertical landing variant (STOVL) F135 engine, marking another major milestone. The propulsion system is now certified as the production configuration and cleared for flight in the Lockheed Martin F-35B stealth fighter. Pratt & Whitney received ISR for the conventional take […]

The ninth Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter entered flight testing on July 6th, becoming the second test jet to fly with the next-generation avionics package that will populate all operational F-35s. The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, known as AF-3, flew for 42 minutes during its first flight. F-35 Test Pilot

Six new Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets arrived at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley on July 6, expanding the RAAF’s fleet to 11 next-generation, multi-role air combat aircraft. The RAAF’s first five Super Hornets arrived in Australia on March 26. Australia announced in March 2007 that it would acquire 24 of the advanced Block

Pilatus Aicraft released that the first of six PC-12 NG Multi-Purpose Liaison Aircraft ordered by the Finnish Air Force was handed over during a commemorative ceremony at the company

Norway

Northrop Grumman has added momentum to the planned summer 2010 opening of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Integrated Training Center at Eglin AFB, Fla. by delivering the first set of instructional materials needed to train pilots and aircraft maintainers. Known as courseware, the electronic materials include all of the presentation materials that classroom instructors will use to

The first S-70i BLACK HAWK helicopter has successfully completed its first flight, officially launching an international variant and the newest Sikorsky Aircraft product to follow in the legacy of the BLACK HAWK helicopter. Aircraft 0001, the first in the new product line, was built at PZL Mielec, a Sikorsky Aircraft company in Poland. PZL Mielec

Boeing has received a $216 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to upgrade the service’s 59-jet KC-10 tanker fleet with a new communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system. The KC-10 upgrade will enable the fleet to comply with the forecasted 2015 CNS/ATM Federal Aviation Administration/International Civil Aviation Organization standards, which allow

The U.S. Air Force has granted Boeing the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) approval to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) following a successful Defense Acquisition Board Milestone C production review. The Milestone C review completes several intensive reviews by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Air Force, including engineering and manufacturing reviews, to prepare

General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited acquired the privately held Kylmar (KMC) Limited, an industry leader in the design and manufacture of sensor and optical surveillance systems for military and security applications. The value of the cash transaction, which is expected to be accretive to General Dynamics