Northrop Grumman unveils Firebird
Northrop Grumman has revealed the Firebird, an optionally piloted intelligence gathering aircraft, designed to operate up to four ISR and communications payloads simultaneously through a universal interface, and pitched at the medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAS market. Northrop Grumman developed the Firebird’s unmanned systems architecture, control and mission systems, while Scaled Composites designed, built and tested
LRIP 2 F-35 makes first flight
The first LRIP 2 (low rate initial production lot two) F-35A Joint Strike Fighter has flown, taking off from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base on May 6. The USAF bound F-35A, AF-8, is due to be the first F-35 delivered to Eglin Air Force Base later this year. It’s first flight followed
787 to be discussed at UQ public lecture
The University of Queensland (UQ) will host a free public lecture this Monday (May 23) to discuss Boeing’s next-generation 787 Dreamliner. Entitled ‘Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Future of Commercial Aviation Today’, the lecture will be hosted by Boeing’s US based Technical Fellow of Aircraft Configuration Design, Michael Drake. In addition to explaining the evolutionary development of
Pilot sets landing record for MAF
Pilot Ron Watts has set an Australian record for the number of aircraft landings in one day, taking off and landing 102 times from Illawarra Regional Airport on May 7, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). Watts, MAF”s national bequest manager, flew his Beechcraft 19A in a marathon five sessions
GAMA (General Aviation Manufacturers Association) reports that in the first three months of 2011 general aviation aircraft shipments fell 4.6 per cent, from 390 units in the first quarter of 2010 to 372 units this year. Billings were also down, by 20 per cent to US $3.7 billion when compared to the same period last
Emirates announces record profit
The Emirates Group has reported a record AED 5.9bn (A$1.49bn) net profit for its 2010-11 financial, the 23rd consecutive year the airline group has posted a profit. Comprising Emirates Airline, air service company dnata and its various subsidiaries, the Emirates Group’s revenue for 2010-11 increased 26.4 per cent to AED 57.4bn (US$ 14.5bn), with its
