Category: Military & Defense

The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a US$1.5 billion production contract for the next 18 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The contract includes eight aircraft for the U.S. Navy, six aircraft for the Republic of Korea Navy and four aircraft for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Republic of Korea Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force acquired the aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales process and will receive the same P-8A Poseidon variant designed and produced for the U.S. Navy. The Royal New Zealand Air Force is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2022 and the Republic of Korea Navy Read more

Textron Aviation Defense has finalized a US$70.2 million Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract with the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, to equip the U.S. Air Force with two Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine aircraft, pilot training, engineering services, and up to four years of contractor support for maintenance and spares. The work in support of this OTA, which includes activities in support of military type certification, will take place in Wichita, Kansas.

Rolls-Royce has created new engine controls capability near the campus of Purdue University to support the company’s U.S. defense business, including the F130 engine competing for the U.S. Air Force B-52 program. Rolls-Royce will assemble and test electronic engine controllers, which help manage in-flight engine operations. The first controller has been completed at Rolls-Royce in the Purdue Research Foundation’s Discovery Park District adjacent to the Purdue campus at West Lafayette, Indiana, and will be installed onto a Rolls-Royce AE 3007H engine, manufactured at the company’s facilities in Indianapolis, U.S. The very first engine equipped with the new controller will be Read more

Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office have delivered the 500th F-35 aircraft. In February, the F-35 enterprise surpassed 250,000 flight hours. The 500th production aircraft is a U.S. Air Force F-35A, to be delivered to the Burlington Air National Guard Base in Vermont. The 500 F-35s include 354 F-35A conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variants, 108 F-35B short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) variants and 38 F-35C carrier (CV) variants for the U.S. and international customers. The 250,000 flight hours include all F-35s in the fleet comprised of developmental test jets, training, operational, U.S. and international aircraft.

MTU Maintenance Canada, MTU’s competence center for military engine maintenance, will support the United States Air Force’s (USAF) F138 engines and components with depot maintenance, repair and overhaul. The contract is currently valued at US$225 million, awarded via the Canadian Commercial Corporation and runs for ten-years to February 2030. The F138 is the military variant of the CF6-80C2 engine and powers the C-5M Super Galaxy – the largest aircraft in the USAF inventory with four of these engines. The CF6-80C2 program was recently introduced at MTU Maintenance Canada, with the first engine inducted in early 2020 and test cell correlation Read more

GKN Aerospace has been selected for the technical product support and MRO for the Gripen E RM16 engines of the Swedish Air Force. The RM16 is the Swedish name for the aero engine of the new Gripen E aircraft and GKN Aerospace’s continued support to the platform was confirmed by FMV, in January. The engine is based on the General Electric F414 aero engine which powers the F-18 Super Hornet. GKN Aerospace will closely collaborate with Saab and GE to build up the necessary infrastructure and competence for the new engine type. The selection reinforces GKN Aerospace’s unique position and Read more

Sikorsky will build six production VH-92A® Presidential Helicopters under a contract from the U.S Navy. These helicopters are part of the 23 aircraft program of record for the U.S. Marine Corps. Under the terms of the contract, known as Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot II, Sikorsky will begin deliveries of six VH-92A helicopters in 2022. The remaining production aircraft will be delivered in 2022 and 2023. The VH-92A test aircraft at Patuxent River, Maryland, have proven their production readiness by undergoing rigorous U.S. government testing and operational assessments, including more than 1,000 flight test hours establishing the aircraft’s technical maturity Read more