Category: Military & Defense

Rolls-Royce has announced that it has secured an 11-year maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the Ardour engines which power the Hawk jet trainer fleet, including the world-famous Red Arrows, the RAF Aerobatic Team. The contract enables Rolls-Royce to provide its MRO services for both variants of the Ardour jet engine at Rolls-Royce’s UK Defence Headquarters in Bristol together with representatives at RAF Valley who will provide in-situ advice to operations. “The agreement announced today will allow us to maximise the availability and supportability of the Adour engine for our customer. We Read more

Following a competitive tender process as well as an extensive technical analysis phase, Airbus has selected Avio Aero from Italy to power the Eurodrone unmanned aerial system with its engine and propeller solution, dubbed Catalyst. “This selection is a decisive step forward and will ensure that the Eurodrone programme can proceed on time, on cost and in line with the specifications laid out by our customers. The Catalyst was identified as the best solution based on superior performance, lower developmental risk, better in-service economics as well as growth potential. In line with customer requirements, Catalyst will offer a truly European Read more

GE has initiated testing on the first T901-GE-900 engine, GE’s next-generation rotorcraft engine that will power the US Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-64 Apache and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) aircraft in the future.  In 2019, the US Army selected GE’s T901 engine for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the Improved Turbine Engine (ITE) programme to re-engine its Apache and Black Hawk fleets. The Army also selected the 3,000-shaft horsepower T901 for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programme. The first engine to test is being performed in a recently upgraded test cell at GE’s Lynn, Mass., Read more

Lockheed Martin and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have agreed to partner to jointly promote a Ground-based Air Defence (GBAD) system centred around the Lockheed Martin United Kingdom SkyKeeper and the BARAK MX system. As part of the partnership, Lockheed Martin and IAI will promote their technological and manufacturing expertise in air defence solutions that protect military forces and high-value assets from missile threats around the world. This new cooperation is a direct result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the companies in July 2021 and after a review of relevant business opportunities. Scott Arnold, Vice President, Integrated Air Read more

Boeing Australia has announced that the Australian Government and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have selected ‘MQ-28A Ghost Bat’ as the military designator and name for the first Australian-produced military combat aircraft in over 50 years. “The introduction of the new popular name is a rare and special moment in aviation history for our RAAF partners and industry team of over 35 Australian suppliers,” said Glen Ferguson, director Airpower Teaming System Australia and International. “Selecting the Ghost Bat, an Australian native mammal known for teaming together in a pack to detect and hunt, reflects the unique characteristics of the aircraft’s Read more

Textron Aviation has been awarded a contract by ATI Engineering Services for four Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft for the Tunisian Air Force. “The fleet of Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprops will aid the Tunisian Air Force in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the country,” said Bob Gibbs, Vice President, Special Mission Sales for Textron Aviation. “The aircraft is engineered for challenging missions, high payloads and short, unimproved runways, while delivering single-engine economy and simplicity. It is a perfect match for this mission throughout Africa.” ATI Engineering Services will modify and equip the aircraft with an electro-optical/infra-red sensor, operator Read more