Triton flies
Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton completed its first flight on May 22, taking off from Palmdale, California at 7.10am for a 1.5 hour test flight. “First flight represents a critical step in maturing Triton’s systems before operationally supporting the Navy’s maritime surveillance mission around the world,” said Capt James Hoke, Triton program manager with Naval Air
MH-60R training milestone achieved
The first Australians have complete their initial MH-60R Romeo qualifications, marking a milestone in the AIR 9000 Phase 8 Project. Members of the Integrated Test Team (ITT) LCDR Simon Lam, LCDR Joshua Carey and LEUT Timothy Clerke form the MH-60R test team embedded into the DMO to support the introduction of the MH-60R. Lam and
Australian study benchmarks biofuel pricing
A three-year study into the viability of aviation biofuels has been released by The University of Queensland, James Cook University, Boeing, Virgin Australia, Mackay Sugar and IOR Energy. Researchers at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology looked at the engineering and associated financial viability of biofuel production. The work involved detailed techno-economic modelling of
United’s Skywest orders 40 E-Jets
Embraer has announced a firm order for 40 E175 jets from United Airlines, with another 60 firm re-confirmable orders that are subject to regional subsidiary SkyWest being awarded capacity purchase agreements with major US airline partners. Additionally, the agreement includes options for another 100 E175s, taking the total order potential up to 200 aircraft. This
Boeing has begun test flights of a 747-8 featuring a package of performance improvements that promise a 1.8 per cent fuel burn saving. The performance improvement package includes improvements to the GEnx-2B engines and flight management computer (FMC) software. The test program will validate the design changes and demonstrate the operation of the horizontal tank
Pilatus launches PC-24 twin-jet
Pilatus has entered the business jet age, unveiling the PC-24 twin-jet at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exposition (EBACE) in Geneva this week. Work on the prototype is underway, with roll-out scheduled for the third quarter of 2014. The PC-24 will take off on its maiden flight towards the end of 2014. Pilatus says
