Category: Military & Defense

The first F-35A Lightning II for the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) has been rolled out at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. This major F-35 program milestone strengthens national defense and global partnerships between the United States, Denmark and other F-35 partner and buying nations. Like the F-16 before it, the F-35 is spearheading NATO’s air power and ensuring strategic integration of allied combat airpower. The vital interoperability of the 5th Generation F-35 binds 13 allies and partners with the United States in air dominance and enabling critical joint capabilities. The F-35 will serve as a force multiplier for Read more

Atitech has been awarded a contract for the integrated logistic support of the A319CJ fleet of the Presidency of the Italian Republic, operated by the 31st wing of the Italian Air Force. The contract will have a duration of four years starting from July 1, 2021 and has a value of €28 million (US$33.3 million). Atitech has already supported the A319CJ fleet since November 2017, previously supported by Iberia, after having won the tender announced by NATO (NSPA). “Atitech continues to confirm itself as a reliable and expert supplier to provide high-quality and reliable integrated services to military and civilian Read more

Embraer has reached another important milestone in the development of the KC-390 Millennium multi-mission military freighter program with the successful conclusion of the aerial refueling qualification between two KC-390 Millennium aircraft, proving, for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), this new operational capacity of the aircraft. The in-flight refueling capacity between two aircraft of the same model using inflight refueling underwing “pods” is unique in this category. This allows KC-390 Millennium operators to expand their logistical transport capacity and during search and rescue operations, which increases the autonomy and range of their missions. The demonstrations were conducted at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto Read more

The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a US$1.6 billion production contract for the next 11 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Nine aircraft will join the U.S. Navy fleet and two will go to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a cooperative partner in the P-8A joint program since 2009. The contract brings the total number of U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft under contract to 128 and the RAAF total to 14. The P-8A is a long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft used by the U.S. Navy. It’s vital for intelligence gathering, surveillance reconnaissance and search and rescue. Deployed around the world, with 103 Read more

Airbus Helicopters has handed over the seventh and last H145 for the search and rescue (SAR) service of the Bundeswehr to the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) on time. The previously delivered helicopters are being used for training and field testing and are available 24/7 at the Niederstetten and Nörvenich air bases for rescue operations. Operations with the new H145 LUH SAR will begin shortly, as planned, at the third SAR station in Holzdorf. Among other features, the helicopters are equipped with high-performance cameras, searchlights, emergency beacon locator systems, a full suite of medical Read more

Honeywell has won a four-year IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity) contract for new production and spare T55-GA-714A engines that power the U.S. Army’s CH-47 Chinook helicopters. This US$476 million contract award will ensure that the U.S. Army’s Chinook fleet has spare engines to support future missions and available engines for Boeing’s Philadelphia production line through 2024 to serve the U.S. Army and foreign partner nations’ new aircraft requirements. The engines will be assembled and tested at Honeywell’s production facility at the company’s aerospace global headquarters in Phoenix. Securing this engine production contract follows a milestone year for the T55 engine. Read more

A new technological center dedicated to developing and producing non-GPS navigation systems has been launched by the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), part of Israel’s Ministry of Defense (IMOD), and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).  In the new center, IAI will develop and manufacture highly-accurate inertial sensors. These sensors will enable the production of next-generation navigation systems, and will significantly increase their performance and capabilities. The innovative navigation sensor technology is founded on unique Israeli innovation based on years of research and collaboration between DDR&D and IAI. These sensors will be implemented in various operational systems within Israel’s defense Read more

Collins Aerospace, a unit of Raytheon Technologies, has received a ten-year, US$34 million contract from the DLA to provide gearbox repair materiel for the USAF F-16 and B-2 fleets. Under the Supplier Initiated Ordering program, a new Department of Defense practice, the DLA has provided Collins Aerospace access and insight to its materiel demand profile. In turn, the company will use its proprietary demand profiling process, world-class supply chain management and manufacturing resources to drive an optimized materiel support plan. Collins Aerospace aims to maintain a guaranteed level of materiel availability to Hill Air Force Base at all times, rotating Read more

The first U.S. portion of the T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer has officially entered the Boeing jet’s state-of-the-art production line. The training jet, designated the eT-7A Red Hawk by the U.S. Air Force because of its digital heritage, was fully designed using 3-D model-based definition and data management systems developed at Boeing during the last two decades. The T-7A Red Hawk employed the digital engineering and design of the Boeing T-X aircraft that went from firm concept to first flight in just 36 months. “The future of air dominance lies in the ability to move quickly, take smart risks, and partner Read more