The World of Aviation

The BAE Systems Mantis UAV completed its first flight at the Woomera range in South Australia recently, BAE announced on November 13. The Mantis is a large medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV with twin pusher turboprop engines mounted on rear fuselage sponsons, and was displayed in mockup form at the 2009 Avalon Airshow. BAE

The first production optimised F-35A JSF, vehicle AF-1, took to the air for the first time on November 13 for a 96 minute flight after a delay of about eight months. The aircraft is an instrumented test aircraft and is the first F-35A CTOL jet to be built on the Fort Worth moving production line

Pakistan has agreed to a deal with China for 36 Chengdu J-10B fighters worth up to US$1.4bn (A$1.5bn). The J-10, roughly the equivalent in performance and capabilities to late model F-16s, is entering service in large numbers in China, and Pakistan is known to have shown some interest in the aircraft for some time. The

Airbus has launched its new ‘sharklet’ wingtip device for A320 Family aircraft, which promise “at least” a 3.5 per cent fuel burn improvement over longer flights, with an order commitment from Air New Zealand. One of the 14 A320s recently ordered by Air New Zealand will be the first aircraft delivered with the ‘sharklet’ in

Boeing has completed the side-of-body modification on the first 787 and shortly expects to conduct validation testing, ahead of the delayed airliner’s first flight, which it still expects to make by the end of the year. The modification involved installing new fittings at 34 stringer points within the wing-body joint, and was completed on the

Jetstar Pacific may be forced to rebrand after the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) raised objection to the use of the ‘Jetstar’ name. According to Vietnamese media reports, the CAAV and Ministry of Transport have told the airline that its use of the Jetstar name was against its local aviation law, particularly as it