The UK MoD has released some details about the first flight of the BAE Systems Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle concept demonstrator last year. After several months of unconfirmed rumours, the MoD confirmed on February 4 that the aircraft made its first 15-minute flight on August 10 2013 from an “undisclosed” test facility, and added
Safran subsidiary Snecma and Rolls-Royse have agreed to continue the development of the next generation of combat aircraft engines following approvals from their respective French and UK governments. The two companies will continue their efforts to explore propulsion system concepts and technologies as part of the Anglo-French future combat air systems (FCAS) demonstration program preparation
Lockheed Martin has filed a request with the US FAA for a type design update for the Model L-382J, a civil-certified version of the C-130J-30 Super Hercules. The aircraft, which will be marketed as the LM-100J will be a radical improvement over the commercial L-100 model which was built from 1964 to 1992, but utilising
The latest US Defence budget ‘omnibus’ planning document for FY15 has reportedly failed to allocate any money for an upgrade of some of the USAF’s F-16 fleet. The previously touted combat avionics programmed extension suite (CAPES) would have seen about 300 late build F-16C/Ds upgraded with AESA radars, new weapons and other service life and
The RAAF has deployed seven F/A-18 ’classic’ Hornets and an E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C to Las Vegas for Exercise Red Flag 14-1. Led by OC 81WG GPCAPT Robert Chipman, the deployment is the first major exercise of 2014 for the RAAF and will comprise an intense two-week campaign of day and night missions against real target
The US Marine Corps’ new RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned system has commenced its initial operational test and evaluation period at Twentynine Palms in California. Built by Insitu as the Integrator, a development of the smaller ScanEagle unmanned system that was operated by the Australian Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Blackjack was selected to fulfil the
