Prime Minister Tony Abbott has instructed the authors of the new Defence White Paper currently in preparation to consider the acquisition of the STOVL F-35B variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to operate from the Navy’s forthcoming LHD amphibious ships. “It is understood Mr Abbott has instructed planners working on his defence white paper
Nhill airport works completed
Nhill has shown off its new runway after the completion of recent construction work. The airport in Victoria’s north-west had its runway and taxiway resealed, as well as new line markings drawn, at a cost of about $160,000 which was funded by the state government. Victorian minister for aviation Gordon Rich-Phillips said the upgrades improved
Exelis chooses Melbourne for Asia-Pac HQ
US aerospace, defence, information and services company Exelis has chosen Melbourne for its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters. The research and development, testing and systems integration facility in the Victorian capital was expected to create 60 new jobs and support local and export opportunities, Exelis said in a statement. Exelis chief executive David Melcher said the company
Nextant Pacific has sold its first dedicated air ambulance in Australia to local aeromedical operator Careflight Ltd. Careflight has bought a modified Hawker 400XP to be based in Darwin and operated by Business Aviation Services (BAS), Nextant Pacific said on Thursday. Nextant Pacific was able to competitively source the aircraft as the 400XP is the
Virgin, Air NZ, boost Tasman summer schedule
Alliance partners Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia plan to increase flights to Queenstown and Christchurch over the summer months. The two carriers say there will up to seven extra services a week between Australia and Queenstown between November and March, representing a 50 per cent increase in seats compared with the prior year. “All
The RAAF has released these images of Exercise Stoneage, which it describes as a “long-range strike exercise” involving Amberley-based 1 Squadron over May 12 – 24. “The exercise involved the release of the Joint Stand Off Weapon (JSOW), Guided Bomb Units (GBU)-10, GBU-24 and GBU-31 at the Woomera Air Weapons Range,” the RAAF said.
