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Next phase for Future Combat Air System as £250m contract awarded
The UK Ministry of Defence announced on July 29 the signing of a £250m contract with British industry ‘Team Tempest’ partners to develop the next generation of combat air
Refurbished An-32s return to Sri Lankan service
Three Sri Lankan Air Force Antonov An-32 transport aircraft returned home on the evening of June 11 after completing an extensive overhaul and refurbishment process in the Ukraine
Indonesia receives two more Bell 412EPi helicopters
A further two Bell 412EPi utility helicopters have entered service with the Indonesian Army
USMC F-35Bs damaged in lightning strike over Japan
A pair of USMC-operated Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs have been damaged after the two fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighters were recently struck by lightning in the vicinity of Makurazaki, Japan
Runway problems disrupt Voyager ops at RAF Brize Norton
Unusually hot weather caused damage to the runway at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, on July 18, which resulted in the disruption of operations for almost a week, particularly with the RAF’s Airbus A330-243MRTT Voyager KC2/KC3 fleet
Germany’s first C-130J-30 rolled out
Lockheed Martin has completed the production of the first C-130J-30 Super Hercules heavy-lift tactical transport for the German Air Force
UK orders 13 more Protector RG1s
UK Defence Minister Jeremy Quin has confirmed that a £195m contract has been signed with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for a further 13 MQ-9B Protector RG1 remotely piloted aircraft for the RAF
KC-46A’s centreline drogue system approved for operational use
Headquarters Air Mobility Command announced on July 12 that the USAF’s Boeing KC-46A Pegasus Centerline Drogue System mission set has been approved for operational use
MAKS 21: Russia unveils Sukhoi ‘Checkmate’ light fighter
After days of hype, Russia has officially revealed a full-scale mock-up of its new stealthy, single-engine, fifth-generation lightweight fighter, dubbed the Sukhoi ‘Checkmate’, but also referred to as the Legkiy Takticheskiy Samolet (LTS, Tactical Light Aircraft)
Nigerian Alpha Jet crashes in Zamfara
A Nigerian Air Force-operated Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet A/N jet trainer/light attack aircraft crashed in the country’s north-western Zamfara state after being hit by intense ground fire from bandits
Bell restarts Czech UH-1Y production
Bell Textron announced on July 19 that it has restarted UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter production to fulfil an order from the Czech Republic, which will become the first international operator of the type
RAAF graduates first F-35A pilots trained in Australia
Four RAAF Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter pilots have graduated from the platform’s first operational conversion course to be completed in Australia
France orders nine more Pilatus PC-21s
Pilatus Aircraft announced on July 16 that the French Air and Space Force has ordered an additional nine PC-21s, adding to the 17 examples purchased by France in 2017 for training purposes
Indian MH-60Rs arrive at NAS North Island
The first two Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk maritime utility helicopters for the Indian Navy have been flown to NAS North Island at Naval Base Coronado in California, where Indian crews are now being trained on the type
NASA retires world’s last flying S-3B Viking
NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, has retired its sole Lockheed S-3B Viking, which was the last example of the type flying anywhere in the world
Colombia’s first two T-6C Texan IIs enter service
Two Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs, which were delivered to the Colombian Air Force in May, have been formally inducted into operational service and will begin replacing the air arm’s Cessna T-37Bs in the training role
Report claims spatial disorientation caused Michigan F-16C crash
A US Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation Board report into the loss of an F-16C in the Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan, on December 8, 2020, has found that spatial disorientation caused the crash
Indian Navy receives tenth P-8I Neptune
Delivery of the tenth Boeing P-8I Neptune to the Indian Navy was completed on July 13, when the aircraft – serial IN329/N536DS (c/n 64891/8296), callsign ‘BOE232’ – arrived at INS Hansa in Goa-Dabolim
USAF unveils another special schemed A-10C
A USAF-operated Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II from the Indiana ANG’s 122nd FW has been painted in a distinctive, non-standard black and grey colour scheme to commemorate 100 years of aviation in the Indiana ANG
US Coast Guard orders more MH-60T Jayhawks
An additional five MH-60T Jayhawk fuselage hulls have been ordered from Sikorsky by the US Coast Guard to support the ongoing service life extension of its existing fleet of 45 aircraft
Heavily damaged Iraqi Mi-171 moved at Al Asad
A heavily damaged Mil Mi-171 (NATO reporting name: Hip-H) tactical transport helicopter belonging to the Iraqi Army Air Corps (IqAAC) was moved by US personnel at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq’s Anbar province on July 7
British Army retires final Defender, Islander aircraft
Army Air Corps operations with the Britten-Norman Defender and Islander have finally ended following the departure of the last aircraft from 5 Regiment’s No 651 Squadron at Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove (Belfast International Airport) in Northern Ireland
RNLAF ceases F-16 operations from Leeuwarden
After 42 years, the Royal Netherlands Air Force has ended Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM (MLU) Fighting Falcon multi-role fighter operations from Leeuwarden Air Base in Friesland
Norway’s first P-8A Poseidon leaves paint shop
The first Boeing P-8A Poseidon for the Royal Norwegian Air Force – serial 9582 ‘Vingtor’ – was rolled out of the paint shop in Renton, Washington, on July 9, after receiving its RNoAF livery, complete with 333 Skvadron’s famed ‘Saint’ logo on the tail
US Navy orders three more MH-60R Seahawks
Three additional Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk maritime utility helicopters have been ordered by the US Navy as ‘replacement in kind’ platforms to replace three examples that were transferred to the Greek government
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