Flight Testing
Could the B-1B Lancer become the USAF’s primary hypersonic missile testbed?
The USAF could turn to its supersonic-capable B-1B Lancer strategic bomber fleet to take over as the testbed for air-launched hypersonic weapons to help mitigate availability problems with the Cold War-era B-52H Stratofortress, which is currently in the process of being modernised
Success for Royal Navy in Wildcat’s first air-to-air firing of Martlet missile
In a recent series of trials, an AW159 Wildcat HMA2 multi-mission maritime helicopter from the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm’s 815 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, carried out the first successful test firing of a Martlet lightweight multi-role missile against an aerial target
Boeing passes major T-7A Red Hawk milestones as first production flight nears
Boeing marked the start of its flight-test programme for the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer when the first taxi tests were completed at its St Louis facility in Missouri on June 9
USMC's first CH-53K test aircraft completes final flight
US Naval Air Systems Command announced on June 9 that the first Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion test aircraft had been retired from use after the heavy-lift transport helicopter completed its final flight earlier in the month
NASA readies ex-USMC F/A-18D for chase mission ahead of X-59 testing
A former USMC-operated F/A-18D Hornet that was acquired by NASA from the US Navy in 2021 has been rolled out at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center – a part of Edwards AFB in California – after being rejuvenated and repainted ahead of its planned use in supporting the testing of the administration’s X-59 QueSST technology demonstrator
Raptor Resurrected: USAF F-22A involved in 2018 mishap returns to flight
Five years after a failed take-off at NAS Fallon in Nevada left F-22A Raptor (serial 07-146) – assigned to the USAF’s 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska – in a critical condition, the fifth-generation air superiority fighter has returned to the skies after a lengthy restoration and rebuilding process
Azerbaijani Frogfoot tests Aselsan KGK-83 bomb in Turkey
A Sukhoi Su-25K Frogfoot-A close air support aircraft belonging to the Azerbaijan Air Force carried out a flight test with two 1,000lb Wing Assisted Guidance Kit (KGK) -83 precision-guided bombs from Konya Air Base, Turkey, on May 10
F-22A Raptor pilots test USAF’s next-gen helmet at Eglin AFB
Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor pilots from the 301st FS – a US Air Force Reserve Command unit that is associated with the active-duty 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall AFB, Florida – have kicked off developmental flight tests for the USAF’s new Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet at nearby Eglin AFB
USAF's Big Safari Program receives TC-135W, prepares to divest last NC-135W
On February 14, a USAF-operated Boeing TC-135W departed Offutt AFB, Nebraska, for Greenville-Majors Airport, Texas, where it will be reassigned to the air arm’s Big Safari Program and redesignated as an NC-135 platform
First flight for C-27J Spartan in Slovenian colours
The first and only C-27J Spartan tactical transport currently on order for the Slovenian Air Force was spotted in its operational colours for the first time as it carried out a test flight from Leonardo’s production and flight test facility at Turin-Caselle Airport in northern Italy on January 12