Military Aviation

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $184 million contract to Boeing to improve the communications capabilities of its KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft. According to Boeing, upgrades will include line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communications technologies with antijamming and encryption features. The first KC-46As were delivered to the Air Force in 2019. “This upgrade demonstrates long-term investment […]

Canada is poised to buy 16 P-8A Poseidon long-range patrol aircraft for about $5 billion to replace an aging and troublesome fleet of its version of the P-3, the CP-140 Aurora. In spite of protests from Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, the Canadian government has sent a formal request for information and an offer from the […]

Nine Army soldiers were killed when two Blackhawk helicopters collided during a “multi-ship” night training mission in Kentucky late Wednesday. The helicopters were operated by 101st Airborne Division, the so-called Screaming Eagles, the Army’s only airborne assault unit based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The crews were using night vision gear on the exercise when the […]

For the first time in its more than 100-year history, the U.K.’s Royal Air Force is expected to name a non-pilot as its commander later this year. Sky News says it has learned the new Chief of the Air Staff will be Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton. If confirmed, he will only be the second […]

Pratt & Whitney has announced plans to invest $255 million in a new sustainment center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. According to the company, the 845,000-square-foot facility will serve as a hub for depot operations for all of its military engines. Pratt & Whitney noted the center will also increase the site’s maintenance, repair and overhaul […]

The three branches of the military that fly the V-22 Osprey have confirmed they will not buy any more of the tiltrotor aircraft after current contracts are fulfilled. Military.com is reporting that the Navy, Marines and Air Force say they don’t need any more Ospreys, but they also confirm the distinctive aircraft will serve for […]

Europe’s Nordic countries have combined their air defense forces into a single unit totaling about 250 modern fighters to blunt any territorial expansion plans by Russia. Norway, Denmark and Finland will contribute their F-35s while Sweden will add its Gripens to the force. “Our combined fleet can be compared to [that of] a large European […]

While the official government position is that there is no position on sending fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian military, Congress now has a comprehensive report on things it might consider on the topic. The U.S. Naval Institute has released a copy of a report by the Congressional Research Service that goes over the pros and […]

Boeing has been awarded a $1.9 billion contract to produce 184 AH-64E Apache multirole combat helicopters for the U.S. Army and international customers. The contract covers 115 remanufactured Apaches with options for 15 additional aircraft for the Army and 54 aircraft for the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Boeing noted that the order will include […]

Aljazeera is reporting that the Russian pilots involved in the downing of a U.S. Reaper surveillance drone have been given awards and suggests that means it’s open season on the aircraft operating near Ukraine. “The drone flew with its transponders off, violating the boundaries of the area of the temporary airspace usage regime established for […]