Tag: military aviation

USAF’s Sixth Generation Fighter Officially Enters Development

Defense News reports that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said during an event at the Heritage Foundation that the service’s “secretive and highly classified Next Generation Air Dominance fighter program has started its crucial engineering and manufacturing development phase.” Kendall said that the service “began early experimental prototyping on NGAD in 2015, when he was the Pentagon’s top acquisition official. This was essentially an X-plane program, he said, designed to reduce risk and develop key technologies needed for the production program.” Kendall said that the technology has continued to progress and the “NGAD effort is now envisioned as a ‘family of systems’ incorporating several elements, including a handful of autonomous drone aircraft accompanying the manned aircraft in formation.” Kendall said, “The clock really didn’t start in 2015; it’s starting roughly now. … We think we’ll have capability by the end of the decade.”
Full Story (Defense News)

Next-Gen Fighter Still On Tap, But More Affordable Redesign Needed, Kendall Says

Defense News reports, “The U.S. Air Force has not abandoned its program to build an advanced next-generation fighter, but it does need a redesign to get costs under control and better integrate its planned drone wingmen, the service’s secretary told Defense News. Secretary Frank Kendall also said a revamped Next Generation Air Dominance fighter platform could end up with a less complex, smaller engine than originally intended to try to hold down its price.”
Full Story (Defense News)

T-7A Red Hawk Trainer Wraps Up Extreme Temperature Testing

Flying Magazine reports that the U.S. Air Force’s new Boeing T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer has finished extreme temperature testing to evaluate “its endurance from hot deserts to deep-freeze conditions.” The monthlong trial, conducted at the McKinley Climatic Lab at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, included testing the aircraft’s electronics and instrumentation “in temperatures ranging from 110 degrees to minus-25 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

U.S. Air Force to Boost its MH-139 Fleet by Adding Over a Dozen Helos

Breaking Defense reports, “After moving to halve the fleet in fiscal year 2025, a new Pentagon review says the Air Force now plans to add over a dozen MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters back into the aircraft’s program of record — averting a “critical” cost breach in the process. The planned procurement boost is likely a boon to prime contractor Boeing as well as Italian firm Leonardo, whose commercial AW139 serves as the Grey Wolf’s baseline.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)

USAF General Says Crewed Warplanes Will Be Needed for Many Years

Defense One reports, “The U.S. military is many years away from letting robots take over the role of human pilots, according to the Air Force official who oversees development of AI piloting technology. ‘There may be someday we can completely rely on robotized warfare’ but ‘it is centuries away,’ said Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert, commander of the 412th Test Wing.”
Full Story (Defense One)

US Naval Air Systems Command Grounds V-22 Ospreys After New Incident

Aerotime reports, “The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has issued an operational pause for all Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft flights across the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force as of December 6, 2024. The decision, first reported by AP, follows a precautionary landing of a US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) CV-22 Osprey on November 20, 2024, at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, likely due to a material failure.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

First MH-139A Grey Wolf Delivered to US Air Force

Defense News reports, “Boeing announced on Monday it has delivered the first production MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter to the U.S. Air Force.” Boeing’s MH-139A Grey Wolf is slated to conduct security patrols at nuclear missile fields, but plans to slash the fleet have triggered cost overruns. “The helicopter will be stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Boeing said.”
Full Story (Defense News)

Air Force Says 2023 V-22 Crash Caused by ‘Catastrophic’ Mechanical Failure and ‘Casual’ Crew Decisions

Breaking Defense reports, “Air Force investigators have determined the fatal CV-22B crash that occurred off the coast of Japan in November was caused by a ‘catastrophic failure’ of a proprotor gearbox — a mechanical failure that the service said was made more likely due to the crew’s in-flight decisions and the Osprey program office’s prior failure to effectively communicate relevant data to the military services.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)

Will the Air Force Proceed with a Next-Gen Fighter Jet?

Defense One reports, “Delays in Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program and Boeing’s lackluster performance on its own defense efforts could be driving recent—and unexpected—comments from Air Force leaders that it might not build a next-gen fighter jet. Aviation observers were thrown for a loop last week when service chief Gen. David Allvin declined to commit to building the future Next Generation Air Dominance aircraft…”
Full Story (Defense One)

KC-46 RVS, Refueling Pod Fixes Delaying Test Process

Aviation Week reported that the Pentagon’s operational test and evaluation office “has collected all the data it can on the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, as it awaits two key fixes to the tanker – a revamp of the aircraft’s wing refueling pods and the long-awaited redesign of its Remote Vision System.”
Full Story (Aviation Week – Subscription Publication)

Boeing Expects Grey Wolf Helicopter Deliveries to USAF to Begin This Year

Air Force Times reports that The Boeing Company “expects to start delivering the Air Force’s first field-ready MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters later this year.” In a Friday release, Boeing “said it finished construction on the first low-rate initial production Grey Wolf in late December.” That helicopter “also started its flight testing at Italian aerospace firm Leonardo’s facility in Philadelphia, the company said.” Boeing “said the MH-130 is continuing the Federal Aviation Administration’s certification testing process.” The Air Force “plans to buy up to 80 MH-139s to replace its fleet of 63 UH-1N Huey helicopters.” Security forces airmen “will use them to patrol the service’s nuclear missile fields, and the service also plans to use these helicopters to transport senior military officials.”
Full Story (Air Force Times)

US Aerospace Manufacturers Join USAF’s Autonomous Fighter Effort

FlightGlobal reports that three major US aerospace manufacturers “have confirmed they will participate in a US Air Force (USAF) effort to develop autonomous fighter aircraft.” Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman “have all been selected for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, the companies tell FlightGlobal on 26 January.” The three defense giants “join start-up Anduril, which confirmed its participation in the effort on 25 January.” The CCA program “aims to deliver pilotless jet aircraft that can be produced at a relatively low cost and fielded in large numbers to supplement crewed fighters.” The USAF “plans to team CCAs with a secretive future sixth-generation fighter platform, known as Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD).”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)

DoD Clears V-22’s to Fly

Defense Daily reports, “The Defense Department approved all variants of the V-22 Ospreys for flight clearance following a months-long review into the cause of a deadly Air Force crash in November.”
Full Story (ExecutiveGov – Subscription Publication)

Lockheed Martin to Upgrade USAF F-22 Raptor Infrared Sensors

Aerotime reports, “Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $270 million contract by the US Air Force to integrate next-generation infrared defensive sensors on the F-22 Raptor. Under the agreement, the F-22 will be equipped with a distributed set of embedded TacIRST sensors, collectively known as the Infrared Defensive System (IRDS). These sensors are designed to bolster the Raptor’s ability to detect, track, and counter adversarial threats in the infrared spectrum.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Pyka, Sierra Nevada Team Up to Offer Large Cargo Drone to US DOD

Flying Magazine reports, “The companies behind an autonomous, all-electric, school bus-sized drone designed for contested military operations are now seeking customers within the U.S. Department of Defense. Pyka, a manufacturer of electric uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), on Monday partnered with aerospace and defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to introduce a variant of its flagship Pelican Cargo drone for DOD use.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Leonardo, Textron Pitch M-346 as Best Option for Navy’s Next Jet Trainer

Janes reports, “Leonardo has teamed with Textron Aviation Defense to offer its M-346 jet trainer for the US Navy’s (USN’s) Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) program. The service’s current jet trainer, the T-45 Goshawk, entered service in 1991 and has experienced numerous technical issues in recent years.”
Full Story (Janes – Subscription Publication)