Archive for category: Aerospace

China Express Airlines is buying six Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen aircraft and has options to increase the number to 11, as part of a contract worth up to $491 million Bombardier announced yesterday. China Express, the first private regional airline in China, already operates fleet of five Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft. The expanded [...]

South Korea is seeking to build a pilot training center in Portugal that will be equipped with Korean Aerospace Industries’ T-50 supersonic military jet trainers. a government source in Seoul said Saturday. Portugal was tapped as the primary negotiation partner for the International Military Flight Training Center Consortium (IMFACC) last year. Negotiations about the [...]

On February 11, Reuters News Service and other media outlets announced some specific details contained in the US Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget submission.  Much of what was released was already known.  The official budget proposal is expected to be released on February 13.  The numbers being reported [...]

Part of the action at the upcoming Singapore Airshow next week will be the flying display including top performers from several Asian countries. Among the aerobatic teams performing here are the Australian Roulettes, Malaysian Smokey Bandits and Rebel-300 from Australian air stunt Blair Aerosport.

Russian Helicopters is adding to its global presence, most recently by opening up an office in Vietnam, in anticipation to benefit from the booming growth in Vietnam and gaining access to broader markets in Southeast Asia and as far as Australia

More than 35 governments worldwide are using variants of Bombardier’s business and commercial and amphibious aircraft in such missions as C4ISR, coastal patrol, search and rescue and government officials’ transport.

In the medium tactical transport sector, when the word “tactical” is a true requirement, the only answer is: Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan.

Ruag Aviation is hopeful that Malaysia will order up to five new generation Dornier 228 New Generations for maritime patrol purposes, and is in talks about setting up an MRO partnership in Malaysia. A decision could even be announced at the Singapore Air Show.

Telephonics Corporation is a worldwide leader in Integrated Surveillance and Communication Systems technology. We serve aerospace, defense, and commercial markets around the globe. Whether it is in the air, on the sea, or ground based, our advanced electronic systems are on board to ensure the safety and security of thousands [...]

Northrop Grumman’s Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) Provides A Global Sensor Solution for Today’s Complex Operational Environment

Dependable Engines: With Evolving Military Landscapes, Pratt & Whitney Remains Steadfa

With Asia becoming ever more important to the global aviation and defense industries increasingly, Asian airshows are becoming a crucial elements of their marketing strategy

Raytheon was the first to design, develop and field an AESA radar system for a tactical fighter, the company also lead the market in retrofitting AESA radars onto multiple aircraft including the F/A-18E/F, F-15C, and F-15E.

“In a highly competitive market niche you can’t afford to be runner up, but you must always get their first – explains the CEO Mr. Enzo Benigni – and to do so you must be at the forefront and invest in Research & Development. Neutralizing a threat implies knowing what’s happening, and transforming this know-how into a realistic undertaking.”

For four decades Israel’s aerospace industries are maintaining their world leading position in the field of unmanned systems. The upcoming International Conference on Unmanned Systems will offer international delegates a unique insight into one of the country’s most competitive fields of expertise.

Poland wants to modernize its F-16 weaponry with Block II Sidewinders, Enhanced Paveways and Laser JDAMs, as part of a $447 million support package for ‘Peace Sky’ program

A new X-Plane designed and developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is expected to fly this year, exploring new wing designs leading to the future development of slender, lightweight, high-aspect-ratio wings for use with high flying UAVs.

Northrop Grumman Corporation was awarded $47.2 million by the U.S. air Force for the acquisition of two additional Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) payloads to be integrated on existing Block 20 Global Hawk aircraft.

The government of Sweden approved and ratified a ten-year extension of Hungary’s lease of Gripen fighter aircraft last week. Apparently, the limit of flight-hours was increased by 95%, reaching 32,000 hours in total. The leasing cost for the next 10 years will increase by around 45%.

The French Dassault Rafale omnirole fighter was selected as lowest bidder in the Indian Medium Multi-Role Combat fighter Aircraft (MMRCA) and is expected to be announced as the Indian Air Force preferred choice for the program.

Few months after declaring the latest model Global Hawk intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) unmanned aircraft ‘operational’ the United States Air Force has announced it has decided to discontinue any further procurement of the Block 30 RQ-4 Global Hawk drones.

The Israel Air Force has lost an Eitan (Heron TP) drone while performing a test flight with new payloads. Apparently, the drone’s wing broke after takeoff, as the aircraft was testing new capabilities.

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced Friday that the United States remains committed to the further development of the Marine Corps’ version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, effectively removing the F-35B from the probation announced by former secretary Gates.

Rheinmetall and Cassidian are pooling their Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) activities in tactical, Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAS and cargo loading systems. The newly announced cooperation will consolidate the offering of the two companies to gain customer support.

Seoul has ordered 20 FA-50 fighter/attack aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries (KIA) as part of a contract worth about $600 million. These strike versions are based on the T-50 advanced jet trainer developed by KAI for the ROKAF and for export.

The South Korean Defense Acquisition and Program Administration (DAPA) announced plans to acquire two French Dassault Aviation Falcon-2000 jets. The new aircraft are expected to be placed in service sometime in 2017 replacing the current Hawker 800RC.

The Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSİK), meeting at the at the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM) in Ankara cleared the Turkish defense authorities to follow with the planned acquisition of the first two F-35 fighter jets as part of a larger order for the Turkish Air Force.

The U.S. Air Force announced that it has selected the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano for the Light Air Support (LAS) program and awarded prime contractor SNC a $355 million for the initial 20 aircraft.

Intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, communication and navigation as the thrust areas for India’s Defence Space Vision 2020 Phase-I to be met by the year 2012. However, even these basic capabilities will remain inadequate in the absence of devoted military satellites

Japan formally announced today the selection of the F-35 for its future F-X fighter. Tokyo will receive 42 F-35 Lightning II multirole stealth fighters, to be built by Lockheed Martin, replacing Japan’s aging fleet of F-4s, F-2s, and F-15s.

In 2013 the IAF plans to invite a number of foreign air forces to a multi-national joint exercise, to further elevate international cooperation with friendly nations. The IAF has been training extensively with foreign air forces in recent years, particularly with Italy, Greece and Romania, following the Turkish government decision to terminate joint training with Israel. Last week a joint training exercise with the Italian Air Force was held at the southern Negev base of Ovda.

Despite recent the recent problems with the engines and flight controls that have caused the crash of a Su-30MKI, the Indian Air Force stands behind its first line strike fighter, increasing the planned fleet to 272 aircraft. An order for 42 additional planes was signed yesterday. The IAF demanded quick resolution, paving the way for the new orders

The US Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin four billion US$ for the procurement of 30 F-35s as part of the fifth F-35 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP V) batch. LRIP V represents a drop the F-35 production program, compared to LRIP IV which included 32 aircraft, including two export variants. The next production batch, LRIP VI is expected to introduce even deeper cuts, down from 80 to 38.

On December 8 Tehran came out open displaying footage of the captured drone which seems in pristine condition. Although the drone was reportedly shot down by Iran’s air defense, its upper surface seems to be intact while the bottom, covered by propaganda billboards and camouflage net may hint about more extensive damage caused by hard landing.

CICADA is a concept for a low-cost, GPS-guided, micro disposable air vehicle that can be deployed in large numbers to “seed” an area with miniature electronic payloads. These payloads could be interconnected to form an ad-hoc, self-configuring network. Communication nodes, sensors, or effectors can then be placed in a programmable geometric pattern in hostile territory without directly over-flying those regions or exposing human agents on the ground.

A recent technology demonstration conducted by the U.S. Air Force and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) validated the use of commercial off the shelf (COTS) aero-mobile low-profile Ka-band terminal over DOD Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) system. Test criteria included an airborne bi-directional video teleconferencing session while simultaneously running IP file transfer applications.

Despite massive cuts in defense procurement North America is expected to account for the largest share of the global military aircraft market sharing 42.9% of the total global expenditure on military aircraft during the next 10 decade. Two programs dominate this procurement – the development and production of 2,456 F-35 [...]

Night Attack The Royal Danish Air Force has validated the use of Night Vision Cueing and Display/ Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System (NVCD/ ANVIS) on its F-16s, offering a night vision enhancement for the daylight functionality provided by standard Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). The system was flown for more than 300 hours as part of Operation Unified Protector during the summer of 2011.

Terma is launching an upgrade for the AN/ALQ-213 Electronic Countermeasure system, offering a modern version of the Countermeasures Management System Processor otherwise known as the Electronic Warfare Management System (EWMS). The enhanced processor will support new capabilities including Radio Frequency sensor integration, sensor fusion, geo-location capabilities, networking, and situational awareness improvements.

The decision to scrap the Sentinel spy plane under defense cuts is to be reviewed. According RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, during the six month Libyan campaign the aircraft has played a ‘pivotal’ role in spotting and identifying Colonel Gaddafi’s forces. Dalton insists the Sentinel R1 should be retained within his air forces’ force structure.

Sweden has requested accelerated delivery of 15 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to meet the scheduled deployment of Swedish military in Afghanistan in April 2013. The helicopters produced by Sikorsky Aircraft are delivered through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS).

Iraq has deposited the initial payment toward the procurement of 18 F-16C Block 52 fighters in September 2011. The planes are scheduled for delivery in late 2014 or 2015. Along with the fighter aircraft Iraq also purchased various weapons including AIM-9 air-to-air missiles, GBU-12 laser-guided bombs, a logistics package and [...]

The UAE has reversed its choice of Rafale as its future fighter plane and has invited the Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-15SE Silent Eagle to bid on the sale of up to 60 advanced fighter jets to the UAE Air Force. For the past three years [...]

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps successfully fired the first shots of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS) from a UH-1Y helicopter, in preparation for fielding in 2012. The successful shots, which took place at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, California, Sept. 9-13, mark the start of APKWS testing on the UH-1Y, as part of the program’s low-rate initial production phase.

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have agreed to buy Britain’s entire decommissioned fleet of 74 Harrier GR-9 and 9A Vertical/Short take off and Landing (V/STOL) fighter jets – a move expected to help the Corps operate Harrier jump jets into the mid-2020s and possibly replace aging two-seat F-18D Hornet strike fighters currently used for night attacks, the Navy Times reports.

An aH-64D Apache Block III equipped with the new Unmanned Aerial Systems Tactical Common Data Link Assembly (UTA) recently controlled an unmanned vehicle, while both were in flight. This marks the first time an unmanned vehicle has been controlled from the cockpit of an Apache, a significant accomplishment in manned-unmanned [...]

The Indian Air Force is seeking government approval to order two additional Il-76 Phalcon AWACS aircraft at a cost of $800 million, to expand the current fleet of three such aircraft procured by the IAF under the previous US$1.1 billion program. The first aircraft was delivered in 2009 with the [...]

The long process of the selection of the future 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) for the Indian Air Force is reaching a crucial milestone today, with the planned opening of the two offers, submitted by the European consortium EADS offering the Eurofighter Typhoon and French company Dassault offering the Rafale. The request for proposal (RFP) for the acquisition worth over US$10 billion was originally issued in 2007.

With Night Hunter’s Dropped, Apache Block III Remains the Finalist in India’s Attack Helicopter Selection. Selecting the AH-64D will also pave the way for India to receive the AGM-114L-3 Hellfire Longbow anti-tank guided missile for the first time.

Bowing under economical burden the german Government plans deep cuts in defense spending, dramatically reducing planned procurement of main weapon systems and platforms. Overall the personnel level in military services will be reduced from 185,000 to 65,000, to include only professional service members. Among the hardest hit industry group will be EADS, with its Eurofighter Typhoon, NH90, Tiger helicopters and Euro Hawk drones affected, all programs are managed by EADS subsidiaries.