Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy have created a powerful laser which can be used to ignite fuel for hypersonic scramjets while travelling at speeds up to Mach 10. Dr Sean O’Byrne, lead researcher in the laser diagnostics group, and PhD student Stefan Brieschenk have proved that laser-generated sparks
A US Presidential commission set up to study ways of reducing that country’s massive deficit has identified several potential targets within the defence budget, including the F-35B STOVL version of the JSF. The commission has suggested that cancelling the F-35B would save US$17.6 billion, while also slowing the acquisition of early build F-35A and F-35C
The Indonesian Ministry of Defence has selected the Embraer Super Tucano to replace the TNI-AU’s Rockwell OV-10 Bronco light attack aircraft in service. The order for eight aircraft also includes ground support equipment and an integrated logistics package, and is the first for the Super Tucano in the Asia Pacific region. Deliveries are scheduled to
A group of British flag officers has written an open letter to the UK MoD urging them to reconsider the recent decision to retire the UK’s fleet of Harrier strike fighters, a move which they say will leave the UK without a carrier borne fighter for almost a decade and leave the UK’s few remaining
The USAF has awarded Boeing a US$106 million contract to deliver 2700 Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs) from January 2012. The order takes total USAF orders to 12,379 of the 120kg SDB Increment I, of which about 7000 have been delivered to date.
The first F-35C carrier variant arrived at the US Navy’s test facility at NAS Patuxent River near Washington on November 6. The aircraft, designated CF-1, joins four F-35Bs at Pax River, where it will undergo air-to-air refuelling and performance testing by US Navy test pilots. The aircraft flew non-stop from Fort Worth with its F/A-18B
