Defense Projects and News

This probably was a bit to close for comfort for these spectators. A Turkish F-16 landing at the Waddington Airshow in England.

Predator C Avenger...

Mexican Navy takes delivery of first of four Beechcraft King Air 350ER aircraft

Rear Admiral Jose Marie Macedo, Director General of Naval Aviation Operations, visited company headquarters in Wichita, Kan., to accept delivery of the aircraft, which will be stationed at the naval base in Veracruz. The remaining three aircraft will be delivered by the second quarter of 2015.

“SEMAR recognizes the Beechcraft King Air as a cost-effective and reliable partner for special missions work within the country,” said Dan Keady, vice president, Special Missions. “The Mexican Navy operated a King Air C90 in the past and it’s great to see the King Air family return to its fleet. The delivery of the King Air 350ER further expands the Beechcraft relationship with SEMAR, which earlier this year placed an initial order for two T-6C+ military trainers.”

This week at Farnborough, the Textron Aviation display includes a specially modified Beechcraft King Air 350ER, which is operated out of Northern Europe and fitted with a unique and flexible mission package that supports search and rescue, fishery inspection, pollution monitoring and seaway/shipping lane surveillance missions. The King Air 350ER was selected for these missions due to its high dash speeds, long endurance, high reliability and low operating cost.

Russian Su-24...

Roll-out ceremony for the first Australian F-35

Italian business aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aero has furthered the flight test regime of its medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) derivative of the P.180 Avanti. Flight trials of the aircraft are continuing in Sicily using the first prototype P.1HH Hammerhead demonstrator that made its first flight in November 2013.

According to Piaggio, the company — which is working with Selex ES — has “validated and fine-tuned” the control laws, including augmented modes, flight envelope protection and automatic flight. Automatic management of ground run during takeoff and landing also has been added, the company says.

Unmanned K-MAX...

Airbus Defense A400M for the Royal Air Force doing tests...

Airbus Defense and Space, Inc. recently hosted a successful demonstration of its SONEX-P threat detection system to representatives of major international airports, homeland security agencies, and federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations. Attendees included representatives of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Pennsylvania State Police, Virginia State Police, and the Domestic Nuclear Defeat Organization.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/airbus-defense-space-inc-demonstrates-172233456.html

Extending the reach of the warfighter through robotics

Beechcraft Corporation, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced it has delivered two Beechcraft T-6C+ military trainers ordered earlier this year to the Mexican Navy Secretaría de Marina (SEMAR), as well as one King Air 350ER, the second of four on order, as part of the Mexican Navy’s ongoing fixed-wing aircraft modernization program.

Boeing QF-16: The Unmanned Moving Target

Boeing to Highlight Combat Helicopters and KC-46 Tanker at MSPO Exhibition in Poland

Boeing [NYSE: BA] will participate in the annual MSPO International Defence Industry exhibition in Kielce, Poland, which runs Sept. 1-4. The company will highlight several of its defense products and services including the AH-64 Apache and AH-6i combat helicopters, the KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tanker, and unmanned aerial systems such as the ScanEagle, among other programs.

“Boeing products and capabilities can help modernize Poland’s military and strengthen its defense industry and leadership in technology,” said Joe McAndrew, regional director, International Business Development for Europe, Israel & Central Asia. “We look forward to meeting with our customers at MSPO to discuss their defense needs and how we can support their requirements.” As a partner, customer and supplier, Boeing has actively participated in the Polish aerospace community for many years, contributing to – and benefiting from – its tradition of innovation and excellence. “We are committed to playing an active role in Poland and to developing stronger partnerships in the commercial aviation and the defense sectors,” said Henryka Bochniarz, president, Boeing, Central & Eastern Europe, who will also be present at MSPO.

This year, visitors to the Boeing booth, located in Hall F, will be able to experience the KC-46 Air Refueling Operator Station (AROS). Based on the proven Boeing 767 commercial airplane, the KC-46A tanker is a next-generation widebody, multi-mission aircraft updated with the most advanced refueling technology. Boom operators will control refueling at a console just behind the cockpit, allowing them to work uninterrupted during night-vision and daytime operations.

The AROS features dual, independent controls with high resolution 24-inch 3D displays. A Remote Vision System, which is a 3D display consisting of cameras, a video processor and display, replaces the windows that existing tanker operators use for viewing aircraft refueling operations, making the KC-46 refueling capabilities much more advanced. Boeing will also feature models of the AH-64 Apache – the world’s most advanced combat helicopter – and AH-6i light attack / reconnaissance helicopter. A full scale model of the ScanEagle unmanned aerial system also will be displayed. Boeing’s subsidiary Miro Technologies will have a demonstration of its GOLDesp advanced software solution for maintenance, supply, repair and operations for total lifecycle management of complex assets for air, land, sea and space.

Germany is looking for price cuts and longer cancellation periods on the A400M military airlifters it has ordered from Airbus, but which will be delivered later and less equipped than planned, a newspaper reported on Sunday. Bild am Sonntag quoted from a letter from the defence ministry to the finance ministry and the court of auditors, in which it said the ministry was also pushing Airbus to disclose its "further planning and connected project risks". It has long been known that the A400M military airlifters Germany bought would be delivered later than initially planned and would be costlier.

The newspaper said Berlin was pushing for "price reductions for lower performance as well as continued rights to terminate the contracts" and would decide on a case-by-case basis whether to take individual A400Ms depending on their equipment. A ministry spokesman declined to comment on the report, but said the ministry was in close contact with the company. The army will receive one plane from Airbus Military in November as planned, but the aircraft will not have the full military capabilities the army has ordered.

(Reuters)

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) and Piaggio Aero Industries (Piaggio Aero) are pleased to announce that Piaggio Aero has been selected as the winner bidder by the RTAF Special Procurement Committee to provide a photo reconnaissance aircraft.

Here is a look at the U.S Presidential jet in the Boeing 747-8 form. Perhaps that may replace the current Boeing 747-200. Perhaps the Boeing 787 may be utilized in the fleet renewal as well. We will have to see what will happen.

Looks like one of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Testbed aircraft is going to be delivered to the Mexican Air Force.

Former 787 testbed ZA006 will be delivered to the Mexican Air Force shortly, registration XC-MEX (photo by Karadion)

Unmanned X37B about to return to earth

http://www.tactical-life.com/news/us-air-force-x-37b-space-plane/

Airbus warned of a possible accounting impact from production delays in its A400M military airlifter, which it said would be assessed with its full-year results. It continued to target stable revenue and aircraft deliveries, and "moderate" operating margin growth in 2014. Airbus said it had run into delays in enhancing the military capabilities of the A400M and that a clause allowing buyers to cancel had come into effect from November 1. But it said it was "highly unlikely" that this right would be exercised.

The A400M was developed at a cost of EUR€20 billion for seven European NATO countries and received a EUR€3.5 billion bailout in 2010 following delays and cost overruns, which Airbus blamed in part on a poorly designed fixed-price contract. In a statement, Airbus said the heavy cargo and troop plane had been hit by "military functionalities challenges", and delays in producing and delivering the aircraft to customers. Actions to address this "are under assessment and will be finalised for the 2014 full-year accounts," it said. Airbus reaffirmed plans to deliver the first A350 to Qatar Airways in the fourth quarter after it received Type Certification from European and US regulators. Chief executive Tom Enders said in a statement the ramp-up of A350 and A400M production, as well as a planned upgrade to the A330, "continue to require strong management focus".

(Reuters)