Over the next decades with the F-35 Lightning II as Australia’s frontline combat aircraft, long-term sustainment costs are estimated to exceed $40 billion and that means plenty of work for Australian industry. With the RAAF’s first two F-35 aircraft set to make their Australian debut at Avalon on Friday, BAE Systems Australia has launched a new
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has issued Australian type certification to Bell Helicopter for its new five-seat single turbine 505 Jet Ranger X. “We are excited that the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X can now be delivered to operators in Australia,” said Bell Helicopter’s Asia Pacific managing director Sameer A Rehman. “The Bell 505 will fundamentally
Business aviation operator ExecuJet has taken over the Fixed Base Operations (FBO) at its Sydney Airport facility. The FBO was previously operated by Universal Aviation and includes a passenger lounge, private meeting rooms and a customs and border processing area. The facility was refurbished about a year ago. ExecuJet vice president for Asia Pacific Darren
Australia could end up paying under US$80 million for F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft as accelerating production drives down costs. US Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, head of the F-35 Joint Program Office in the Pentagon, said the production lot (LRIP) nine negotiated in 2015 was for 60 aircraft while the 2017 lot would
Last year saw the Airbus A400M airlifter achieve some significant milestones while the program also worked to resolve a technical issue with the aircraft engine’s gearbox. “Overall the aeroplane is a significantly better, more capable aeroplane than it was a year ago,” said Fernando Alonso, head of military aircraft for Airbus Defence and Space, at
As impressive as it was, the public unveiling of the Royal Australian Air Force’s new EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft was not the only show in town on the opening day of the 2017 Avalon Airshow. Also making an appearance was the RAAF’s new C-27J Spartan battlefield airlifter, which achieved initial operational capability (IOC) in
