Qatar flies into Melbourne
Qatar Airways operated its first service to Australia on December 6, with the airline’s inaugural QR030 service arriving at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport at 2225 local time. On board the maiden flight from Doha was the airline’s CEO Akbar Al-Baker, the Australian ambassador to Qatar and the UAE Doug Trappett, and members of the media. “We
USAF confirms secret UAV
The USAF has confirmed reports that it is operating a previously unknown reconnaissance UAV out of Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan. The aircraft, designated the RQ-170 Sentinel, was photographed earlier this year and again in early November, and is believed to have been designed and built by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. The latest photographs of the
Army to upgrade air defence training system
BAE Systems Australia has been awarded a contract to upgrade the Australian Army’s Advanced Air Defence Simulator (AADS). The $5 million contract will see the facility, located at the 16th Air Defence Regiment’s facility at Woodside near Adelaide, equipped with new projectors, upgraded computers and software, and other enhancements under Project Land 19 Phase 2B.
Boeing flight tests first Apache Block III
The first Boeing AH-64D Apache Block III structures test aircraft completed its first flight at Boeing’s Mesa, Arizona, facility on November 23. The test aircraft is equipped with new composite blades, a composite horizontal stabiliser, a split-torque face gear transmission and uprated engines. The upgrades follow earlier efforts to enhance the Apache’s networking ability and
Korean Air orders five 747-8Is
Boeing announced on December 4 that Korean Air has ordered five 747-8 Intercontinentals, making it the first Asian airline to sign on for the passenger variant of the 747-8. Korean has indicated that the five aircraft, which have a list value of US$1.5bn (A$1.62bn), will slot in between the airline’s 777-300ERs and A380s and operate
Etihad signs for Permagard paint program
Etihad Airways has announced that it will introduce the Permagard exterior cleaning program to its fleet, making it the first airline to bring the solution to long haul aircraft. Developed by Permagard Aviation in France, the system cleans and seals the aircraft’s exterior with a fine polymer which protects the paintwork and reduces the need
