Tag: Aviation

USAF Considering Expanding CCA Pairing Capabilities Beyond F-22

Aviation Week reports, “The U.S. Air Force is only set, for now, to pair Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) with the Lockheed Martin F-22, though consideration is still ongoing for the rest of its fighter types. The service in a new report to Congress says the Raptor is the ‘threshold platform’ for CCA, though integration with F-16s, F-35As, F-15Es and F-15EXs is an emerging consideration. Uncrewed aircraft will eventually be paired with the upcoming Boeing F-47.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Research Aircraft Performs First Flight

Aviation Week reports, “NASA began flight tests of its needle-nosed X-59 Quesst quiet supersonic research aircraft with a 1 hr. 7 min. initial sortie from Palmdale, California, to the nearby Edwards AFB on Oct. 28. Flown by NASA X-59 lead pilot Nils Larson, the much-anticipated first flight of the Lockheed Martin-built aircraft began at 8:14 a.m. Pacific time with an unrestricted climb from Palmdale’s 12,000 ft.-long runway 07/25.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Gulfstream Aerospace Hits Stride as Bizjet Sales, Deliveries Take Off

Aviation International News reports, “Gulfstream Aerospace found its groove in the third quarter as business jet sales and shipments climbed 56% and 39%, respectively, Phebe Novakovic—chairman and CEO of parent General Dynamics—said this morning during an investor call. “There was robust order momentum at Gulfstream in the quarter,” she said, noting a 1.3:1 book-to-bill that increased aerospace backlog to $20.6 billion, a nearly $1 billion quarter-over-quarter rise.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

The MITRE Corporation Shows Its Might in Aviation Development

FROM THE INSTITUTE
Federally funded R&D Research Centers, or FFRDCs, supply federal agencies with objective data, engineering expertise, and systems-level solutions without competing commercially. MITRE’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) provides advice and technical expertise to improve the safety, security, and efficiency of the National Airspace System.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Amazon Delivers Emergency Supplies to Typhoon-Devastated Western Alaska

Flying Magazine reports, “You can get pretty much anything from Amazon, and the residents of the villages in western Alaska devastated by the recent typhoon pretty much need everything. So it makes sense that the Amazon Disaster Relief recently coordinated its first disaster response flight to the Last Frontier, bringing thousands of pounds of emergency supplies via Amazon Air to the Red Cross in Anchorage. The first shipment arrived on Sunday, October 19.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

GE Aerospace Raises 2025 Profit Forecast on Robust Aftermarket Demand

Reuters reports GE Aerospace raised its 2025 profit forecast on Tuesday, projecting a strong finish to the year on robust demand for aftermarket maintenance services due to a shortage of new jets. The jet-engine maker also lifted its growth forecast for LEAP engine deliveries to more than 20% in 2025. Shares of the company were up nearly 3% in premarket trading.
Full Story (Reuters)

Students Tasked with Studying One of Electric Aviation’s Biggest Challenges

Flying Magazine reports, “Over the next three years, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will send cohorts of students to Brazil to study one of the most pressing challenges facing electric aircraft: thermal management. The university on Friday announced a collaboration with Brazil’s Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) that will send students on 8- to 10-week trips in pursuit of strategies to keep electric aircraft batteries cool.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Netherlands Joins US Air Force’s CCA Program

Aviation Week reports, “The Netherlands has joined the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program as part of an effort to grow the effectiveness of its Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet. Dutch State Secretary Gijs Tuinman signed a letter of intent to join the initiative in Washington on Oct. 16. But it is unclear whether the Netherlands will simply become an observer of the program or make an investment in CCA development.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)