France has agreed to a sale of four Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia, in a deal reportedly worth US$1.94 billion. Russia’s order for the 200 metre long ‘command-and-control’ carriers is the first major purchase of NATO military hardware by the former Soviet state. However, the purchase has rattled some of Russia’s neighbours, most notably Georgia
The RAAF’s last F-111 made its final journey from Amberley to Point Cook this week, marking an official end to the long-serving fighter’s 37-year presence in Queensland’s south-east. F-111 A8-125 was dismantled and loaded onto a semi-trailer at RAAF Amberley on May 23, and left the base in the early hours of May 24 to
Engineering firm Quickstep Holdings Limited has been awarded Manufacturer of the Year at this year’s 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards, highlighting the company’s recent success in entering the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) global supply chain. Quickstep, which also took out the Global Integration Award, was recognised by the Endeavour panel for their efforts
Lockheed Martin has announced that its final F-35 Joint Strike Fighter development aircraft has completed its first flight, taking off from NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base on May 21. The F-35C, designated CF-3, is the final US Navy prototype carrier variant, and will join two CF-1 and CF-2 along with four US Marine F-35Bs
Two of the RAAF’s long-delayed Airbus A330 MRTT KC-30A Tankers could be making their way to Australia in June following Airbus Military’s recent approval of a safety modification to the first aircraft’s fly-by-wire refuelling boom. The RAAF’s first A330 MRTT is currently having its flight test instrumentation removed and is undergoing a major service at
One of the RAAF pilots involved in last Thursday’s (May 18) Pilatus PC-9/A crash has spoken to local media regarding his experience, after a suspected engine failure during a routine training flight caused both pilots to eject from their aircraft. QFI SQNLDR Bruce Collenette and instructor trainee FLTLT Steve Andrews were both hospitalised following their
