Khalem Chapman

Safran to support Portuguese Merlin engines

Safran Helicopter Engines has signed a ten-year contract with the Força Aérea Portuguesa (Portuguese Air Force) to support the engines of its AW101 helicopters.

Airbus C295 passes milestone in tanker test campaign

Airbus’ C295 medium-lift tactical transport has successfully achieved its first wet contacts as part of an air-to-air refuelling (AAR) flight-test campaign.  

USAF E-11A BACN crashes in Afghanistan

A US Air Force (USAF) operated E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) - registration 11-9358 (c/n 9358) has crashed in Afghanistan.

Dynetics’ X-61A Gremlin completes first flight

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Dynetics have announced the successful first test flight of the X-61A Gremlin.

UK orders additional H145 training helicopters

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has ordered an additional four new Airbus Helicopters H145 Jupiter HT1 training helicopters.

F-35s depart RAF Marham for Exercise RED FLAG

Five Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightnings from the RAF’s famed No 617 Squadron ‘Dambusters' have departed the UK to take part in Exercise Red Flag 20-1 at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada.

Boeing/Sikorsky compete for German CH-53G replacement

US-based manufacturers Boeing Defense and Sikorsky have placed bids to provide the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) with its next-generation heavy-lift helicopter.

Falco Xplorer completes first flight

Leonardo’s Falco Xplorer unmanned aerial system (UAS) – the largest the company has ever built – has successfully completed its first flight.

Israel activates second F-35I squadron

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has stood up 116 Squadron ‘Lions of the South’ as its second operational F-35I Adir unit.

India’s naval Tejas prototype completes carrier milestones

The naval prototype of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas – also known as the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) – has become the first Indian-made fighter aircraft to land and take-off from an aircraft carrier.