RAAF base Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains near Penrith, home of the RAAF’s Headquarters Air Command, will close in 2015. Originally slated for closure in 2010, the base, located in the former 1920s era Lapstone Hotel, will remain operational until upgrade works to RAAF base Amberley are completed and the new HQ Joint Operations
Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) and the ADF have signed a Deed of Standing Offer to conduct Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) testing and design services for ADF aircraft and systems. The deed allows ADF units to contract directly with BDA to conduct E3 work at its RAAF Amberley facility. “As the first company in the southern
Pakistan has unveiled its first locally built JF-17 Thunder fighter at a ceremony at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra near Islamabad. The JF-17, the Pakistani version of the Chinese designed FC-1, and is thought to be roughly equivalent to an early model F-16 or Mirage 2000 in capability. The aircraft has been developed
The prototype Airbus Military A400M is one step closer to first flight after taxiing under it own power for the first time on November 23. The taxi tests, conducted at Seville in southern Spain, saw the aircraft perform a series of low speed runs up to 20kt (37km/h) as well as steering, braking and reverse
Development of the Airbus Military KC-30 (A330 MRTT) for the RAAF continues, with the demonstration of simultaneous refuelling of two fighters last week. Little over a week after the first passing of fuel from one of the KC-30’s Cobham 905E hose and drogue refuelling pods, fuel has been simultaneously passed from the two pods to
The F-35B STOVL development aircraft which arrived at NAS Patuxent River on November 15 to begin vertical landing flight trials has been grounded following the reported discovery of a couple of issues which may take up to two weeks to be resolved. One issue reported has been the need to replace the aircraft’s cockpit canopy
