Military Aviation

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 […]

An RAF F-35B crashed last November because one of the engine intake plugs was left in. The U.K.’s Defence Safety Authority publicly released an interim report that was sent up the chain of command last June mainly to assure the brass that the plane itself wasn’t likely to blame for the mishap. “Based on the […]

Safran Helicopter Engines has renewed a contract with Airbus Helicopters to support Arriel engines powering the U.S. Army’s UH-72 Lakota helicopter fleet. The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and service agreement covers over 900 Safran Arriel 1E2 and Arriel 2E engines in service on the Army’s UH-72A and UH-72B aircraft. According to the companies, the […]

Norwegian authorities have come up with a plan to return an $80 million V-22 Osprey to the U.S. Air Force while protecting a priceless piece of ecosystem. As we reported last month, the Air Force grounded its Special Forces Ospreys after slipping clutches in the complex transmission that distributes power from the engines to the […]

Embraer announced on Monday that it has successfully completed flight tests for the certification campaign of its Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS II). The system, which was developed for the C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft, was tested in coordination with the Brazilian air force and Brazil’s military certification authority. Testing took place at Embraer’s […]

As the B-52 closes in on 70 years of service, the Air Force has found yet another use for the airframe. Four B-52Hs were outfitted with cargo pods that fit in the bomb bays to carry stuff for an exercise. According to an Air Force news release, the exercise involved keeping the bomber force mobile […]

It would appear some good old U.S. (and Ukrainian) ingenuity has gone into the apparently successful integration of the digitally dependent Raytheon AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missile (HARM) into the completely analog MiG-29s of the Ukrainian air force. The potent weapon, which is designed to home in on and take out radar-guided surface-to-air missiles, is now […]

The U.S. Army temporarily grounded its fleet of CH-47 Chinook helicopters on Tuesday citing a small number of engine fires caused by fuel leaks. The Army stated that the cause of the leaks has been identified and corrective measures are being implemented. A statement from Honeywell, the company that manufactures the Chinook’s T-55 engine, attributed […]

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 […]