The Royal Australian Air Force keeps 41 de-commissioned F/A-18A/B Hornets in climate-controlled hangars at RAAF Base Williamtown. Canberra, Washington, and Kyiv are now in formal talks that could move a portion of that fleet to Ukraine instead of a scrapyard.
Exclusive: Retired RAAF Fighter Jets Could Be Sent to Ukraine (excerpt) Read More »
Trieste — The Italian Navy’s new landing helicopter dock Trieste is finishing fit-out work in its namesake port. Crews install last cables, test pumps, and seal bulkhead gaps that slipped first reviews. Yard teams say hand-over stays on the late-2024 window, with sea trials set for early summer 2025.
Italian Navy Landing Helicopter Dock Trieste Nears Full Service Read More »
MADRID – France, Germany, and Spain signed a trilateral contract on December 15 that launches Phase 1B of the New-Generation Weapon System/Future Combat Air System (NGWS/FCAS). The deal names Dassault Aviation, Airbus Defence and Space (Germany and Spain), Indra Sistemas, and Eumet (the Safran Aircraft Engines–MTU Aero Engines joint venture) as prime contractors. Valued at about €8 billion for the full demonstration campaign, it allocates more than €3 billion for the first 36-month work package that starts this month.
Contract Award for the Next Phase of the NGWS/FCAS Project Read More »
The United States has cleared the sale of twenty-two MQ-9B Guardian unmanned aircraft to India, opening a path for New Delhi to field its first long-endurance maritime surveillance fleet just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets President Donald Trump. U.S. officials notified both the Indian government and manufacturer General Atomics of the State Department decision on 21 June, valuing the package at two to three billion dollars.
Ahead of Modi Visit, US Approves Sale of 22 Guardian Drones to India Read More »
The F-35 is entirely dependent on the ALIS system for its maintenance, and on US-based software laboratories for its mission data loads, so that its operation requires secure and high-speed Internet links between its operating bases and the US. (USAF photo)
US Software Stranglehold Threatens F-35 Foreign Operations Read More »
Early F-135 advocates promised a smooth learning curve. They said each production lot would cost less than the one before. Fresh data show the opposite. Unit prices still hover near $30 million, even though annual output has more than doubled since 2011.
F-35 Engine Unit Costs Continue to Grow Even As Production Increases Read More »
The latest annual report from the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) states that the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) claimed improved reliability by adjusting the way it records equipment failures rather than by delivering technical corrections.
F-35 Program Massages Flight Test Results Read More »
KESTEREN, Netherlands — Last week’s grounding of the F-35 fleet puts the Pratt & Whitney F-135 engine back in the public spotlights, just one week before the planned international debut of the F-35B at the RIAT 2014 and Farnborough Airshows.
F-35 Report: Overview of Problems with F-135 Engine Read More »
Israel Aerospace Industries President and Chief Executive Joseph Weiss sat beside Spacecom head David Pollack at Ben Gurion Airport yesterday and signed a single document that binds both companies to deliver, launch, and operate the Amos-6 communications satellite for roughly $195 million. The agreement’s signature ends nine months of negotiation, locks the delivery calendar, and maintains Israel’s ambition to keep national satellites working at the crowded 4° West slot.
