Military Aviation

SpaceX has caught the eye of the U.S. Air Force and not because of the occasionally explosive nature of its testing programs. Air Force contractor Ball Aerospace, whose sole business is “building conformal antennas for tactical aircraft,” is working with SpaceX to see if the Starlink satellite internet service has military applications. The deal was […]

Some military brass say that unmanned aircraft need too many people to keep them flying. The issue came up with a proposed program called Operation Overwatch to supply armed airborne support for special operations personnel in isolated places. Those forces currently rely on the U-28A Draco, a militarized Pilatus PC-12 that bristles with sensors and […]

Boeing’s Loyal Wingman uncrewed military aircraft successfully completed its first flight this week at the at the Woomera Range Complex in Australia. Monitored from a ground control station, the autonomous aircraft flew a predetermined route for the flight, testing flight functionality and performance. The Loyal Wingman, which is the first military aircraft to be designed […]

The T-7A Red Hawk advanced military training jet has officially entered the production line, according to an announcement from Boeing on Tuesday. The aircraft, originally called the T-X, was designed entirely using the company’s 3D model-based definition and data management systems. It is intended to replace the U.S. Air Force’s 60-year-old T-38 fleet and it […]

The Air Force’s latest test aircraft is probably the slowest in the fleet but that’s the whole point. A CubCrafters XCub has been delivered to the Air Force Research Laboratory in Maryland where the aircraft, an updated version of an 83-year-old design, will be fitted with a state-of-the-art helmet and sensor system for “personnel recovery […]

The Air Force has ordered a review of security at all its facilities after an unarmed man was able get on the ramp at Joint Base Andrews and board a C-40, a military conversion of a Boeing 737-700 used to transport senior government officials. The Air Force isn’t releasing any details on the man’s identity […]

The latest generation of the venerable F-15 fighter took flight today in St. Louis, with Boeing chief test pilot Matt Giese at the controls. The flight lasted 90 minutes, and began and ended at Lambert field. The F-15EX is a technologically advanced version of the fighter that entered service in 1974, with fly-by-wire controls, a […]

Sikorsky and Boeing officially introduced their latest assault helicopter design for the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program, the Defiant X, on Monday. Based on the Sikorsky-Boeing team’s technology demonstrator, SB>1 Defiant, the Defiant X features a coaxial rotor system, fly-by-wire flight controls, pusher prop, composite construction and retractable landing gear. According […]

An  FAA air traffic controller has been recognized for preventing the crash of a CV-22 Osprey by noticing a maintenance snag from the tower. The student crew was taking off on a challenging night brownout landing training mission at Kirtland Air Force Base/Sunport International Airport in Albuquerque when Wendy Smith, who’s been watching Ospreys take […]

Lockheed Martin announced on Monday that it has delivered its 123rd F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft this year. The aircraft, an F-35A, was built at the company’s Final Assembly and Checkout (FACO) facility in Cameri, Italy, and delivered to the Italian air force last week. According to Lockheed Martin, 74 F-35s went to the U.S. […]