The World of Aviation

The final UK Harrier sortie was flown on December 15, ending 41 years of Harrier operations with the RAF and Royal Navy. The final flight was conducted by 16 GR.9 and T.12 Harriers of the RAF’s 1 Squadron and the RN’s 800NAS, with flypasts of several bases before returning to Cottesmore for the last time.

Qantas has taken delivery of its seventh A380 after VH-OQG Charles Ulm (MSN047) landed in Sydney on Saturday morning, after having been handed over to the airline at Airbus’s Toulouse delivery centre on December 16. VH-OYG’s delivery was delayed by several days after one of its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines had to be replaced after

A number of new air related project phases have been included in the latest update to the Defence Capability Plan (DCP), released by Defence Minister Stephen Smith on December 17, including acquisition of a fourth squadron of F-35 JSFs, a ‘multi-mission’ UAS, and upgrades to the Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft and Tiger ARH helicopter. Update 2

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has announced the consolidation of RAAF F/A-18A/B ‘classic’ Hornet refurbishment projects into a new combined program with a cost capped $250-300 million budget. “This combined program is estimated to result in savings of more than $500 million over the previously planned approach, but deliver the same enhanced capability result,” the Minister

Two Conair Convair CV580 firebombers arrived at Ballarat, Victoria, last week to take up duty for the 2010-11 fire season. The Convairs, C-FKFA and C-GYXC, as well as three Air Tractor 802s and a Turbo Commander 690, have been leased by the Victorian state government, and will be based at Avalon.

Command of the RAAF’s Air Lift Group (ALG) officially transferred from Air Commodore John Oddie to Air Commodore Gary Martin on December 15. AIRCDRE Oddie had been Commander ALG since December 2008, and in early 2011 will take up the position of Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East Area of