Military Aviation

The Swiss Federal Council announced on Wednesday that it has selected the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to replace its aging F-5 Tiger and F/A-18 Hornet fleets. Other aircraft models considered for the role were the Airbus Eurofighter, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Dassault Rafale. According to the Council, the F-35 was the least expensive […]

The Canadian military is reportedly asking Sikorsky Aircraft to revise the flight director software in its CH-148 Cyclone, a military version of the S-92, after a crash off Greece last year. It’s the same platform being developed as the next generation Marine One for presidential and VIP service. The Canadian Press is reporting that the […]

A Beechcraft King Air 300 twin-engine turboprop currently being flown by the U.S. Army has passed its 50,000th flight hour, according to an announcement from Textron Aviation on Thursday. The aircraft was delivered in 1987 and has been part of the Army’s fleet since 2009. It operates as a Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System […]

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) has announced the recipients of the 2020 Mackay Trophy. USAF Lieutenant Colonel Joel Bier and Lieutenant Colonel Leif Nordhagen, the aircrew of Hawg 53 flight, will share the honor for a combat mission flown on Jan. 5, 2020. Hawg 53 was deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as a […]

The death of a new Air Force F-16 pilot in a 2020 landing accident at Shaw Air Force Base has prompted major changes in operational flight training. Lt. David Schmitz died when his ejection seat malfunctioned as his Viper slid along the runway on partially collapsed landing gear after he hit the localizer antenna while […]

Leonardo Helicopters delivered the first TH-73A training helicopter to the U.S. Navy during a ceremony at its facility in Philadelphia on Thursday. The TH-73A is expected to replace the Navy’s fleet of TH-57 Sea Ranger trainers, which will be phased out beginning in fiscal year 2022. The Navy has ordered a total of 130 TH-73A […]

Boeing and the U.S. Navy successfully refueled an airborne F/A-18 Super Hornet with an MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system (UAS/drone) last Friday. The demonstration is the first-ever air-to-air refueling to be conducted using a UAS tanker to supply a crewed aircraft. According to Boeing, the test aircraft flew 25 flights prior to Friday’s attempt to […]

The Air Force has said it’s looking at building a supersonic Air Force One and now it’s been revealed that the initiative will come at the expense of the current fleet of “Air Force Two” aircraft. The Air Force is redirecting funds that would go toward replacing its fleet of C-32A executive transports (often referred […]

Bell Textron announced on Thursday that the fleet of AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom attack and utility helicopters has passed the 400,000-flight-hour mark. The aircraft, which have been deployed for military operations since 2010, are the result of an upgrade program for H-1 helicopters launched by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1996. The Marine Corps […]

Bombardier confirmed on Wednesday that it has signed a deal to supply the U.S. Air Force with up to six modified Global 6000 aircraft. The jets will go to support the Air Force’s Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program, which currently operates three Bombardier Global Express E-11As and four Global Hawk E-Q4Bs. Bombardier has delivered […]