The RAAF has resumed flying its fleet of Hawk lead-in fighter trainer aircraft after they were grounded on February 4 following an engine incident. The aircraft were suspended from flying as a safety precaution after the pilot of a Hawk operating a routine training flight from RAAF Base Pearce “noticed an engine warning light”. According
The RAAF marked 10 continuous years of Hercules deployments to the Middle East on February 11. Two C-130H aircraft arrived in the Middle East on February 11 2003 to support Operation Bastille in the Persian Gulf, since then RAAF C-130Hs and C-130Js have transported 220,000 passengers and some 43,000 tonnes of cargo in the Middle
Assembly of the 100th Joint Strike Fighter is underway at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility. AF-41, a F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, is one of 89 F-35s currently in production at Fort Worth and Marietta. AF-41 is destined for pilot training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
Five of the Navy’s retired Sea King helicopters, withdrawn from service in December 2011, have been sold to Aerospace Logistics (ASL), which plans to part them out to sustain operations of the type elsewhere in the world. Announcing the sale, Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare said the ASL bid offered the highest return to the
A second F-35A Joint Strike Fighter has achieved 500 hours of flight testing. AF-1 – the first conventional takeoff and landing test aircraft – reached in the milestone in 272 flights. Lockheed Martin reports to date that the F-35A has completed 43 per cent of its overall test program. Combined the three F-35 variants have achieved
The first former RAAF C-130H is being prepared for transfer to the Indonesian air force. Photographed by H-model fan Joshua Williams at RAAF Base Richmond, A97-006 was seen departing the base on a test flight following deep-level maintenance. With evidence of significant work having been performed on the aircraft by Qantas Defence Services, it is
