U.S. Air Force

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) set a new endurance record on Saturday, landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after spending 908 days in orbit. The uncrewed flight was the sixth for the Boeing-built vehicle, which has now traveled over 1.3 billion miles and logged 3,774 days in space. According to Boeing, the mission hosted […]

The U.S. Air Force has declared that the Sikorsky HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopter has reached initial operational capability (IOC). According to the Air Force, the announcement means it now “possesses sufficient HH-60Ws, logistics requirements and trained Airmen to support a 30-day deployment to any independent location with a package of four aircraft.” […]

Embraer and L3 Harris Technologies have formed a partnership to develop an “agile tanker” tactical aerial refueling option designed to meet U.S. Air Force operational requirements. The agreement signed by the companies covers expanding the capabilities of Embraer’s KC-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft to accomplish that goal. Upgrades are expected to include an advanced boom and […]

Bombardier’s Defense division has delivered a modified Global 6000 aircraft to the U.S. Air Force’s Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program. The aircraft is the first of an order for up to six special-mission-configured Global 6000s placed by the Air Force in June 2021. To date, options for two additional aircraft have been confirmed with […]

Boeing and Leonardo have delivered the first four MH-139A Grey Wolf twin-engine helicopters to the U.S. Air Force. The four test aircraft are part of a $2.4 billion contract awarded to Boeing in September 2018 for up to 80 helicopters, training systems and associated support equipment. The aircraft are intended to replace the Air Force’s […]

Boeing has begun modifying the first two U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles with the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS). Designed to provide “fully integrated radar warning, situational awareness, geolocation, and self-protection capabilities,” the electronic warfare system is also equipped on the new F-15EX Eagle II. A total of 43 F-15Es are […]

Saab has delivered the last of five T-7A Red Hawk aft fuselages to be used for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft from its facility in Linköping, Sweden, to Boeing’s production site in St. Louis, Missouri. The aircraft are part of a $9.2 billion contract for 351 T-7A advanced trainers, 46 simulators and support awarded […]

The first T-7A Red Hawk advanced military trainer has rolled out of Boeing’s production facility in St. Louis, Missouri, the company announced on Thursday. The aircraft is part of a $9.2 billion contract that includes 351 new combat training jets intended to replace the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of aging T-38s. According to Boeing, the […]

The Wichita State University National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has been granted a $100 million contract to continue work on generating a virtual rendition of the B-1 bomber. The six-year follow-on contract was awarded by the B-1 System Program Office (SPO) at Oklahoma’s Tinker Air Force Base. NIAR’s B-1 digital engineering project began in […]

Bell announced on Wednesday that it has completed its first Nacelle Improvements Modification on a CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor for the U.S. Air Force. Part of an ongoing Bell-Boeing upgrade program, the modifications include improvements to wiring components within the nacelles and a change to the nacelle structure designed to reduce maintenance time and costs while […]