Squadron Leaders Andrew Jackson and David Bell have been named as the RAAF’s first two pilots selected to fly the F-35A Lightning. SQNLDR Jackson is currently executive officer with 2OCU at Williamtown and is a Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI) course graduate, while SQNLDR Bell is a qualified test pilot who has served with the Aircraft
The RAAF has declared FOC – full operational capability – for its fifth and sixth Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifters. The RAAF declared FOC for its first four C-17s in 2011, but two subsequent C-17s were delivered in September 2011 (A41-210) and November 2012 (A41-211). “I am pleased that this has been achieved within budget
The Royal Australian Air Force is preparing to celebrate the Centenary of Military Aviation in Australia with an airshow to be held at its birthplace, Point Cook near Melbourne over this coming weekend. The airshow will mark the March 1 1914 anniversary of Central Flying School Lt Eric Harrison’s flight from Point Cook in a Bristol
The Pentagon has released its proposed FY2015 defence budget, in which it plans to retire the USAF’s entire A-10C close air support and U-2S reconnaissance aircraft fleets. The FY15 budget commences on October 1 this year, and the planned cuts are designed to save money for higher priority programs such as the F-35 JSF, KC-46A
Two more MH-60R Seahawk Romeos have left Lockheed Martin’s Owego facility on delivery to NUSQN725 at NAS Jacksonville in Florida. The two new aircraft join the first two which were delivered to Jacksonville last December. NUSQN725 is currently training on the Romeo alongside US Navy units before returning to Australia to be based at HMAS
The US Navy has awarded Boeing a production contract for 16 P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, the first full-rate production contract for the 737 derivative. The order takes total US Navy orders to 53 P-8s, 37 of which had previously been ordered in low-rate production batches, and 13 of which have been delivered to date.
