All Defence articles
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Analysis‘Brightest explosion that I’ve ever seen’: inside US effort to develop a bomb for Iran’s nuclear sites
The US military’s top officer says development of the bunker-busting 13,600kg (30,000lb) GBU-57 bomb began 15 years ago and involved significant use of supercomputers.
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NewsUS Air Force seeks to retire all A-10 Warthogs by 2027
Congress must approve the plan, which would see the US Air Force accelerate retirement of its entire A-10 fleet by two years.
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NewsTrump Administration ‘all in’ on F-47 but plans minimal funding for F/A-XX naval fighter
A senior Pentagon official tells FlightGlobal the Trump Administration will focus resources on developing a sixth-generation fighter on the US Air Force’s F-47 programme, with the US Navy’s new carrier-based equivalent in a holding pattern.
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NewsPentagon seeks to cancel E-7A procurement instead opting for more E-2Ds
Congress must provide final approval to the plan, which would see the US Air Force forego the development of a new Boeing E-7A airborne early warning and control fleet, instead investing in new space-based capabilities and the existing Northrop Grumman E-2D platform.
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NewsAirbus validates A400M firefighting performance in French tests
Airbus Defence & Space has successfully validated the firefighting performance of its A400M airlifter during a series of test flights in southern France earlier this year.
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NewsAustralia completes first MQ-28 flight from active RAAF base
Complete with a new all-grey combat livery, Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat logged its first flight sortie from an operational Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base, as the airframer’s Australian subsidiary seeks to accelerate development of the uncrewed jet.
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NewsBell delivers first MV-75 virtual prototype to US Army
The advanced simulator of the army’s forthcoming tiltrotor will be used to inform early design improvements and help the service to start developing tactics and procedures for the new aircraft.
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NewsUS Air Force releases footage of B-2s preparing for Iran strike mission
Video shot through a low-light night vision lens shows multiple Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers taxiing and launching under cover of darkness, and later returning to land during daytime conditions.
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NewsBoeing defence chief optimistic about prospects for US E-7 acquisition
Despite indications the Pentagon has soured on purchasing new E-7A airborne early warning and control jets from Boeing, the head of the airframer’s defence unit remains sanguine on the aircraft’s prospects.
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NewsUS strikes Iranian nuclear facilities with largest B-2 mission in history
After more than a week of uncertainty about whether Washington would directly join Israel’s military operation against Iran, US President Donald Trump carried out air strikes against Tehran’s nuclear development sites on the evening of 21 June US time.
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NewsFormer air mobility chief calls out USAF vulnerability amid Middle East build-up
Retired US General Mike Minihan, who oversaw the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) mobility fleet, says the current flow of combat assets into the Middle East is providing “false comfort that tomorrow’s war will look like today’s rehearsal”.
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NewsRAF Voyagers damaged on the ground by pro-Palestine activists
In what the UK government is describing as an act of sabotage, two activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged a pair of the Royal Air Force’s Airbus A330 Voyager multi-role tanker transports
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NewsSafran sharpens propulsion talents to deliver M88 T-Rex upgrade for F5-standard Rafale
Safran Aircraft Engines’ goal for the T-Rex enhancement for its Dassault Aviation Rafale-powering M88 engine is to “deliver more thrust with minimal changes” to the design, according to the company’s chief executive.
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NewsLockheed expands C-130J wing lifespan by 40% with new test campaign
The airframer says a new testing programme funded by the USA and Canada determined the C-130J’s wing structure will remain viable and safe for nearly twice the original specification design life.
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NewsGCAP partners name industry joint venture Edgewing
The industrial joint venture responsible for the design and development of a next-generation fighter through the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) is now officially up and running and has been named Edgewing.
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NewsNorthrop Grumman unveils Beacon testbed for autonomous aircraft development
Based on the Scaled Composites Model 437 Vanguard low-cost jet, the Beacon platform will be offered to third-party partners for testing and refinement of autonomous aviation solutions.
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NewsFrance and Saab to negotiate GlobalEye acquisition
France’s DGA defence procurement agency and Saab have entered an agreement related to the possible acquisition of the GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft.
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NewsUpdated Sniper pod to help F-35 to share data with other aircraft
Known as the Hybrid Base Station, Lockheed Martin’s upgraded Sniper targeting pod will allow fifth-generation fighters to directly share targeting data with older fourth-generation models, something previously restricted.
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NewsSikorsky sees growing role for AI, automation in helicopter operations
Sikorsky executives feel that artificial intelligence and automation will play an increasingly important role in manned helicopters.
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NewsPartners launch ‘architecture study’ for future NH90 upgrade
NH Industries (NHI) partner companies Airbus and Leonardo have launched formal studies related to a future Block 2 enhancement of the NH90 military helicopter, aiming to present operators with a menu of options by end-2027.