Military Aviation

Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial refueler has successfully completed its first sea tests with the U.S Navy aboard the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) aircraft carrier. The tests were also the first conducted on a carrier for the MQ-25 and covered deck handling maneuvers including taxiing on the deck, connecting to the catapult, clearing […]

The Air Force has tested a system that could eventually allow it to instantly convert any of hundreds of its cargo aircraft into strategic attack platforms. On Dec. 16 a C-130J Commando II special forces aircraft dropped a live cruise missile out the back that went on to destroy a target in the Gulf of […]

As the U.S.’s traditional adversaries flex their territorial muscles, there are more public announcements about new secret programs and the analysts at Forbes believe a drone-carrying B-21 stealthbomber is a possibility. At a recent defense forum, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall fessed up that two new development programs will show up in the next budget, […]

The government of Finland has chosen Lockheed Martin’s 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II multi-role fighter jet to replace its current fleet of F/A-18 Hornets. The package selected includes 64 F-35A fighters and a weapons package along with sustainment and training solutions through 2030. The procurement contract is valued at around $9.48 billion. “We are honored […]

In a deal that has been more than a decade in the making, France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a $19.2 billion contract, defined as the largest ever for the export of French combat aviation products. It consists of 80 Dassault Rafale combat aircraft ($15.8 billion), as well as munitions ($2.3 billion) […]

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency says it will lodge a diplomatic protest after a U.S. “spy plane” (possibly a Bombardier Challenger) allegedly forced two aircraft to deviate over the Black Sea. Although the aviation agency didn’t single out which NATO nation caused the alleged incident, the Russian Foreign Ministry was less subtle. “The actions of […]

Honeywell announced this week that it has started testing on its next-generation T55-GA-714C engine for Chinook helicopters as part of a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army. According to Honeywell, the CRADA program and test campaign will take place over a two-year period to “validate the benefits and ease of integration […]

Boeing has announced that it will be building six additional MH-47G Block II Chinook heavy-lift helicopters for the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command. The aircraft are part of a contract valued at $246.48 million. According to Boeing, they will be the first to include the new Active Parallel Actuator Subsystem (APAS), which is designed […]

Airbus Helicopters announced on Wednesday that it has handed over the first H225M helicopter configured for naval combat. The aircraft, which was delivered to the Brazilian Navy, will be stationed at the naval base in São Pedro d’Aldeia. According to Airbus, the naval version of the twin-engine H225M is “the most complex configuration that has […]

The Air Force and Space Force have sent a not-so-subtle YouTube message to countries messing with the U.S.’s various global sandboxes that includes what appears to be a sneak peak of a drone dubbed Son of Blackbird. Near the end of a short video extolling the Air Force’s intelligence capabilities, the slickly produced video cuts […]