Process reforms carried out on the maintenance of the RAAF’s 12 C-130J transport aircraft have delivered the equivalent of an extra aircraft being available for missions, Head of the Defence Materiel Organisation’s (DMO) Aerospace Systems Division, Air-Vice Marshal Colin Thorne has said. “Defence has increased C-130J availability by eight per cent, which for a fleet
BAE Systems has been awarded new contracts to remain the in-service support provider for the RAAF’s Hawk 127 Lead-In Fighter fleet and to upgrade the aircraft. The five-year through-life support contract, with potential extensions out to 2026, will deliver deeper maintenance, engineering, full logistics and training systems support for 33 Hawk fighters at RAAF Williamtown and
Exercise Talisman Saber will be played out off the coast of North Queensland from July 15, bringing with it the entire complement of the US Navy 7th Carrier Group Five. Central to the deployment will be the USS George Washington, with which Australian forces will exercise. The Townsville Bulletin reported 15 American and 11 Australian
The first of 24 MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ helicopters for the Royal Australian Navy successfully competed its first flight from Sikorsky’s Stratford, Connecticut facility on June 26. The aircraft undertook a number of checks during the flight, including of controllability, engine performance, vibration analysis and navigation. With ‘contractor flight acceptance’ now completed, the MH-60R will now be
Airservices and the Department of Defence have released a Request For Tender (RFT) for Australia’s future air traffic management (ATM) platform. When implemented, the new system will provide a generational improvement to the way air traffic is managed by aligning civil and defence ATM requirements under a single unified national solution. The tender comes as
Boeing has started production of the first US of 179 Air Force KC-46A aerial refueling tankers. The aircraft will be delivered over the next 14 years starting 2016. The KC-46A, which has been under development for the last two years and is based on the 767-200ER, features an enhanced flight deck and a modernised refuelling
