The World of Aviation

For the third time in almost a decade, the USAF has received bids for its much delayed KC-X tanker program for 179 new tankers to replace 45+ year old KC-135E/Rs. Bids from three companies were delivered to the USAF’s KC-X project office at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio by the noon deadline on July 9.

Boeing’s F-15SE Silent Eagle demonstrator has made its first flight with a new conformal weapons bay (CWB). The aircraft, converted from Boeing’s F-15E1 development aircraft, flew for 80 minutes from St Louis and successfully opened and closed its left CWB, a design based on the F-15E’s conformal fuel tanks (CFT), and deployed a dummy AIM-120

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress on July 7 of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Australia of 24 MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopters. The notification says the deal, estimated to cost US$2.1bn (A$2.4bn), includes “equipment, parts, training and logistical support”, as well as 60 GE T700-401C engines (including 12 spares), “communication equipment,

Airbus CEO Tom Enders said that he is “surprised and disappointed” by the announcement by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that it will delay a report into alleged subsidies received by Boeing which was filed in 2004 as a countersuit to a similar case filed by the US against EU aid given to Airbus. The

Boeing delivered 114 commercial aircraft during the second quarter of 2010, comprised of 95 737NGs, 16 777s and three 767s. The airframer expects to deliver between 460 and 465 aircraft this year.

Embraer has delivered 69 aircraft for the second quarter of 2010. In the commercial segment, it delivered 29 aircraft, consisting of two ERJ-145s, four E-170s, three E-175s, 15 E-190s and five E-195s. The Brazilian manufacturer also delivered 40 executive aircraft, comprised of 35 Phenom 100s, four Phenom 300s and one Lineage 1000. In addition, one