Archive: News & Articles

Bell Textron has announced the restart of UH-1Y VENOM helicopter production for the first international operator. Crestview Aerospace has completed manufacturing the first of eight cabins at the Crestview, Florida, facility. The aircraft will complete final assembly at the Bell Amarillo Assembly Centre. The helicopters are part of the 2020 US DoD contract awarded to […]

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has completed initial flight tests of a new brushless generator system on a company-owned GRAY EAGLE Extended Range (GE-ER) UAS at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona. The initial flight test of the system marks an important milestone towards upgrading the GE-ER fleet with generators that will significantly improve reliability […]

UK Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin has outlined how more than £2bn of investment in the TEMPEST programme will power the next phase to build a world-leading new combat air system. The Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper set out the vital importance of the programme to global security and UK prosperity, which is why the […]

The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) is operating the Schiebel CAMCOPTER® S-100 for enhanced maritime surveillance in the Baltic Sea, to be followed by the Finnish Border Guard later this year. The system is being used to gain a better picture of what is happening at sea, particularly useful in this region, where […]

The Bell Boeing V-22 OSPREY has logged more than 600,000 flight-hours, providing continuous customer support to maintain mission readiness and transport critical cargo and personnel. Built by Bell Textron Inc. and Boeing, the V-22 fleet has grown to more than 400 aircraft and is operated by the USMC, US Air Force, US Navy and the […]

The Schiebel CAMCOPTER® S-100 has performed maritime surveillance for the Romanian Border Police. The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) service was delivered by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), and is also extended to Bulgaria. Stationed in Mangalia, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 supports the Romanian authorities in carrying out general Coast Guard functions, conducting day-to-day monitoring […]

AeroVironment has received four firm-fixed-price orders totalling US$11,527,074 from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for PUMA™ 3 AE tactical UAS and initial spares packages. The orders are part of a three-year base contract received from NSPA in January 2020. The contract includes an option for two additional years of logistics support for RAVEN®, […]

With a Surveillance-Kit installed on the popular light aircraft DA40, Airborne Technologies has once again demonstrated the flexibility of their Mission System Airborne LINX. It can be adapted to truly any customer requirement regardless of the size of the aircraft. This lightweight and compact ISR package includes: an operator interface including Augmented Reality System (integrated […]

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KDA) has signed a new agreement with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (LMA) worth 1.750 MNOK for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme production lots 15-17. The agreement includes delivery of the F-35 Rudders, Vertical Leading Edges and Main Landing Gear Closeout panels for more than 500 aircraft. Production of these mission […]

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to The Netherlands of AH-64 Pilot Training and Logistics Support with related equipment for an estimated cost of US$190M. The Government of the Netherlands has requested support for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) AH-64 training programme to include: Fuel Base Operating […]

The French Air & Space Force and Navy Chiefs of Staff have jointly approved the entry into operational service of the RAFALE F3-R fighter jet. Upgrading French combat aircraft capacities ranks high on the list of priorities of the French military expenditure plan (LPM) which provides for a €2.7Bn investment in the development of the […]

The 1st Public Procurement Tribunal of the Federal German Cartel Authorities (Bundeskarttelamt) has decided that the annulment of the award procedure for the procurement of a Heavy Transport Helicopter (STH) by the Bundeswehr is effective. Accordingly, the award procedure with the two bidders Lockheed Martin and Boeing does not have to be continued, although the […]

Elbit Systems has been awarded a contract worth approximately US$300M contract by a country in Asia to provide HermesTM 900 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Under the contract, which will performed over five years, Elbit will provide its HERMES 900 UAS and associated sub-systems alongside maintenance and support services. So far, the HERMES 900 has been […]

Rheinmetall is to supply the Bundeswehr with two additional cargo hold simulators for the Airbus A400M transport aircraft. In January 2021 the A400M’s maker, Airbus, contracted Rheinmetall Electronics to supply not just one, but two additional training simulators for the European A400M. Earmarked for German air bases in Wunstorf and Altenstadt, the two simulators will […]

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and GKN Aerospace have signed a contract for the latter to manufacture the advanced composite V-tails for GA-ASI’s new MQ-9B SkyGuardian®Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) from their Cowes facility in the United Kingdom. SkyGuardian is the baseline system of the UK Royal Air Force’s (RAF) PROTECTOR RG Mk1 and […]

Schiebel has become the first Unmanned Air System (UAS) operator in Europe to receive Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC) for its CAMCOPTER® S-100 from Austro Control. Under the new EU regulatory framework for civil UAS operators, it is possible to receive a LUC by the National Aviation Authority. Schiebel is the first UAV operator in Europe […]

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract by the US Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office (TTO) to develop an advanced technology weapon concept designed to significantly increase engagement range and weapon effectiveness of US Forces against adversary air threats. Spurred by rapid technological advancements and an ever more dangerous and disruptive […]

A recent trial where the German Armed Forces launched a Leonardo BriteCloud 218 decoy from an Airbus RPATS test platform, to evaluate its potential in protecting flying weapon systems from radar-guided missiles, has been heralded as a success. The trial, which was conducted with support from Airbus, Leonardo and the German analysis and testing firm […]

Sikorsky is under contract to manufacture a total of 23 VH-92A® Presidential Helicopters for the US Marine Corps with the company on schedule to deliver the next generation Presidential Helicopter later this year. The award for five aircraft was announced on 5 February 2021 and is the final lot of VH-92A presidential helicopters.  Sikorsky’s highly […]

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) will take a company-owned SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) to the UK later this year to undertake a series of operational capability demonstrations for NATO allies, including the Netherlands. The UK’s PROTECTOR programme is a derivative of SkyGuardian with a range of UK modifications. For this visit, which the […]

The US Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a US$3.6Bn indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for continued Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) operations, sustainment and support. This contract provides for research, development, test, evaluation, integration, operations and sustainment for existing and future payloads contained in or connected to the BACN system. It also includes associated ground stations […]