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Osprey sales could boost civil tiltrotor development
May 01, 2008
A new Pentagon order for V-22 Osprey tiltrotors could boost prospects for more rapid development of the BA609 civil tiltrotor. The U.S. Department of Defense signed a $10.4 billion contract for 167 more Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey military tiltrotors over the next five years, despite continuing engine problems on the machine. The Marine Corps will receive 141...
moreWar of Words over KC-X Continues; UK Seals Deal for Airbus Tankers
April 15, 2008
The intense debate over the U.S. Air Force’s choice of a new tanker continues. Boeing claimed that the KC-767 was found to be “more survivable” than the Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) in the USAF evaluation. Northrop Grumman launched a new Web site to refute various allegations about its A330MRTT bid and ask why Boeing did not raise concerns...
moreSaab Staging Rollouts for New AEW and Gripen Fighter Developments
April 15, 2008
Within the span of a month, Saab is rolling out two new developments with export potential. On March 27, the first Saab 2000 twin-turboprop airliner to be modified with the Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system made its public debut. Later this month, Saab’s upgraded Gripen fighter will emerge. The company is hoping that Denmark and...
moreF-22 Raptor To Make European Debut at Royal International Air Tattoo
April 15, 2008
The Lockheed Martin/U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighter will be crossing the Atlantic for the first time in July, heading for the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford in the UK. The aircraft will display three times at this show, but only on the opening Monday of the Farnborough Air Show that follows later that month. It will then...
moreAnglo-French Summit Agrees New Defense Cooperation
April 15, 2008
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicholas Sarkozy reached some significant–though little noticed–defense arrangements when they met in London late last month. The two countries agreed to seek a single joint contract for the in-service support of the Airbus A400M airlifters that both have ordered. If achieved, this will be the first such...
moreAirbus A400M Won’t Fly Before September
April 15, 2008
The first Airbus A400M airlifter is set to be rolled out from the final assembly line at Seville, Spain, in June, but it won’t make its first flight until at least September. The program is now running more than six months late due to developmental delays with the large TP400 turboprop engines. The first flight of a TP400 on a C-130 testbed at Marshall...
moreBoeing Protests KC-X Tanker Award to Transatlantic Team
March 17, 2008
Boeing is formally protesting the U.S. Air Force’s “surprise decision” in favor of the Northrop Grumman/EADS Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) for the KC-X tanker requirement. According to the Air Force, the keenly fought award is worth $35 billion for up to 179 KC-45As–the new, officially approved designation. In a story on the KC-X published...
moreF-35 Costs are Rising, says GAO
March 17, 2008
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will cost much more than currently predicted, and the expected cost per flight hour already exceeds that of the F-16, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). In its latest annual report to Congress on the JSF, the GAO said cost and schedule pressures are mounting, and the development schedule “is...
moreGalaxy Airlift Fleet Future is Settled
March 17, 2008
The future of the U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy airlifter fleet has finally been settled, after years of debate about its unreliability and the cost of fixes. All 111 aircraft will benefit from the avionics modernization program (AMP), which replaces obsolete navigation, communication and cockpit instrumentation and provides a digital architecture backbone. But...
moreSaudi F-15s to get Smart Bombs
March 17, 2008
The Boeing joint direct attack munition (JDAM) is being released to Saudi Arabia, which could acquire as many of 900 of these tail kits that add “smart” GPS guidance to “dumb” bombs. The weapons are intended for the Royal Saudi Air Force fleet of F-15S Strike Eagles. Israel objected to the sale. The estimated cost is $123 million, if all options are...
more‘Jump jet’ gets drafted for civilian flying duty
March 01, 2008
Former Marine flies his own ‘hot rod’ Harrier
moreCMC Electronics Wins Another Defense Contract
February 22, 2008
Canadian avionics house CMC Electronics will supply its integrated Cockpit 4000 suite for the 40 KT-1C basic trainers that Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has sold to Turkey. The KT-1C is an upgraded, export version of the KT-1 that is already in service with the Republic of Korea Air Force. The KT-1C was the first application for the Cockpit 4000 avionics...
moreSABR takes X-band radar a step further
February 21, 2008
Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems Division revealed here yesterday the latest in its growing active electronically steered antenna (AESA) radar family. The Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) builds on the company’s expertise of developing AESA radars for the F-22, F-35 and F-16 Block 60. New panel array technology and new tile architecture has resulted in...
moreIndia’s fighter shootout has the world’s eye
February 21, 2008
The technical and technology transfer bids for one of the biggest-ever fighter deals of recent times are due for delivery in 11 days time. Six prime contractors chase India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement for 126 aircraft with an option for 64 more. The contenders are the Boeing F/A-18, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed...
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