Aviation Week reports, “The U.S. Air Force has not taken delivery of KC-46 tankers from Boeing in more than two months as a new issue on the aircraft’s boom was discovered during inspections.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: military aviation
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)
V-22 Program Office Eyes Technology Refresh to Extend Osprey’s Life
Defense News reports, “The V-22 program office is studying the future of the tiltrotor aircraft, weighing both a technology refresh as well as whether it could rip off the wings and nacelles to add decades of additional life to the airframes.”
Full Story (Defense News)
Navy Eyes First Test Flight of MQ-25 In Spring 2025
Defense Daily reports, “After Boeing delivered the first MQ-25 Stingray to the Navy in February for testing, a lead official said Monday the service is on schedule for the first flight test with that platform in spring 2025.”
Full Story (Defense News – Subscription Publication)
Boeing MH-139 Nuclear Security Helicopter Enters Operational Service
FlightGlobal reports, “An operational US Air Force unit has for the first time received one of the new Grey Wolf helicopters, which will replace the Bell UH-1N in supporting physical security at the service’s nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile silos.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal – Subscription Publication)
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)
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)
Role of CV-22s Under Review by U.S. Air Force Amid Grounding
Aviation Week reports “Air Force Special Operations Command is reviewing the role of its CV-22 fleet, focusing on if it is organized and equipped for safe operations, amid a three-month-long grounding of the fleet following a fatal crash.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
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)