Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton HALE UAS completes first flight

Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft is one step closer to serving the Navy in maritime reconnaissance and surveillance missions, having just completed its first flight at Palmdale, California. The drone spent 80 minutes in the air, reaching an altitude of 20,000 feet. 

The MQ-4C Triton, the airborne element of the U.S. Navy's Broad Area Maritime 

Surveillance (BAMS) system which also include the Boeing P-8A Poseidon MMA aircraft .

The aircraft can soar at up to 60,000 feet and stay airborne for as long as 30 hours. By 2015, the Triton will undergo operational testing and evaluation, and the Navy hopes to add additional aircraft to its existing fleet (currently just two strong). 

First flight-test A350 emerges in full colours

Airbus A350-900

Airbus has unveiled the first A350-900 flight-test prototype in its full paint scheme, as the airframer makes final preparations for the twinjet's maiden sortie.

The aircraft has been fitted with its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and the painting process marks one of the final stages before the flight-test regime begins.

Customers have ordered 414 of the -900 variant, the first of the three-member family to be developed.

Urban Aeronautics upgrades AirMule with new propellers

Urban Aeronautics Air Mule

Israeli manufacturer Urban Aeronautics is testing its AirMule vertical take-off and landing unmanned air system with new propellers to enhance its capabilities.

It has replaced the UAV's previous four-blade propellers with new six-blade composite versions.

The new rotors retain the diameter of the originals and operate at the same RPM, but are expected to increase the aircraft's payload by approximately 200kg (440lb).

In a parallel effort, Urban Aeronautics is accelerating the assembly of a second AirMule prototype in preparation for a series of demonstration flights requested by potential customers.

The second prototype is intended primarily as a reserve aircraft to ensure uninterrupted flight testing once customer demonstrations, planned for mid-2014, are underway.

Read more at: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/urban-aeronautics-upgrades-airmule-with-new-propellers-385918/

X-47B Catapult launched From Aircraft Carrier-Creates History

The U.S. Navy launched an unmanned, autonomous aircraft the size of a fighter jet from a warship for the first time today, a development that could herald the end of Top Gun-style piloted air combat missions.

The X-47B drone is the first designed to operate an aircraft carrier, which allows it to be used around the world without needing permission to take off from airfields in other countries.

But there are concerns about the legality of what has been dubbed America's 'covert drone war'. Strikes cause widespread civilian deaths and operate with only limited oversight, critics say.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2324571/U-S-Navys-X-47B-stealth-drone-launches-aircraft-carrier-time--critics-warn-heralds-rise-killer-robots.html

P-8I delivered to Indian Navy touches down

India's long-range maritime snooping and anti-submarine warfare capabilities will get a huge boost when the first of the eight contracted Poseidon-8I aircraft touches down at the Arakkonam naval air station in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

Under the $2.1 billion deal inked with US aviation major Boeing in January 2009, the second and the third P-8I aircraft will reach the naval air station INS Rajali in August and November, with the other five being progressively delivered by 2015. India is going in for a repeat order of four more P-8I in a contract worth over $1 billion.

Dream Chaser shipped to NASA Dryden for glide tests

SNC Dream Chaser Post Flight

Sierra Nevada has shipped the Dream Chaser orbital spacecraft to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center near Palmdale, California, for glide tests.

The Dream Chaser departed Sierra Nevada's factory near Denver, Colorado by truck, headed for NASA's Dryden centre, which is co-located with flight test facilities at Edwards AFB.

The spacecraft will be reassembled, then undergo tests including suitability for towing, ground resonance and captive-carry tests slung beneath a helicopter, leading up to a series of autonomous glide tests.

For the glide tests, the spacecraft will be brought to various altitudes by a Sikorsky CH-53 and released to glide back to the runway on its own.

Read more at: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dream-chaser-shipped-to-nasa-dryden-for-glide-tests-385798/

India's Sukhoi-30MKI's to dominate South India and Indian Ocean

       

Even as the western and eastern fronts with Pakistan and China are bolstered with additional Sukhoi-30MKI squadrons, India has also kick-started plans to base its most lethal 'air dominance' fighter in south India to keep a 'strategic eye' over Indian Ocean. 

       Defence minister A K Antony will inaugurate the new airbase at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu on May 27, which will eventually house a Sukhoi squadron (16 to 18 jets) after the requisite “tech-flight hangers, avionic bays, labs, fuel dumps and other infrastructure” comes up over the next few years.

India, US to jointly develop, produce defence equipment

 Washington and New Delhi are firming up "practical projects" for joint development and production of defence equipment in India to take the defence relationship between the two countries to the "next level", US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns disclosed Friday.

        "We have made some concrete suggestions about areas in which we think co-production and co-development would make sense for both countries, and we just need to sort through the practicalities of that with our Indian counterparts," Burns, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday, said.

Read more at:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-us-to-jointly-develop-produce-defence-equipment/1114404/

F-35B performs first vertical take-off

Sources say that test pilots at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, performed the firstLockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter vertical take-off on 10 May.

The US Marine Corps' short take-off and vertical landing variant had a requirement to perform vertical take-offs right from the outset of the JSF programme. However, the capability is not emphasised because the F-35B would not be able to carry a tactically significant payload in that configuration.

Operationally, the USMC envisions its F-35Bs performing short rolling take-offs carrying a full load of ordnance and fuel, and then performing a vertical landing once the aircraft returns to the amphibious assault ship or expeditionary airfield.

The concept of operations is similar to that currently flown by the USMC's Boeing AV-8B Harrier II squadrons. Although the Harrier is often touted as a vertical take-off and landing machine, it flies a similar short take-off and vertical landing profile for the overwhelming majority of its missions.

The original X-35B prototype demonstrated the ability to take off vertically in 2001.

Embraer expects first operational KC-390 buyer in 2014

Embraer KC 390

Embraer expects to sign the first firm order for the KC-390 airlifter and tanker in the first quarter of 2014, as the pace of development and testing accelerates 20 months ahead of the scheduled first flight milestone.

"We will fly this aircraft at the end of next year, which is like saying, tomorrow - it's so close, but we'll do it," says Paulo Gastão Silva, Embraer's KC-390 programme director.

Embraer is already on contract to build the first two KC-390 prototypes for the flight test programme. Six countries have signed commitments to buy 60 more of the twinjets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic and Portugal.

Iran unveils latest home-made UAV

Iranˈs latest indigenized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dubbed as Hemase (Epic) was unveiled at the presence of Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi on Thursday night, IRNA reported.

The unveiling ceremony was held concurrent with the closing ceremony of the congress titled ˈthree martyred ministers, war engineering commander and 1,000 martyrs of Iranˈs defense ministry.

The Iranian UAV has been made by Aviation Industries Organization of the Defense Ministry. The home-made UAV is reconnaissance-offensive and its important feature is its flight duration.

Indian Military Blog: India launches Rs 13,000 crore IAF aircraft proje...

Indian Military Blog:
India launches Rs 13,000 crore IAF aircraft proje...: India launches Rs 13,000 crore IAF aircraft project involving private sector Indian AirForce Avro      India has kick-started ...

Turkish TFX fighter concept revealed at IDEF

     Three potential designs for a planned TFX Turkish fighter concept have been shown for the first time at the International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul, with the programme's current initial design phase due to conclude later this year.

       Images depict a single-engined aircraft with and without canards and a twin-engined design, with these having been influenced by discussions between the Turkish air force and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).

TAI says the initial designs will be ass
essed against air force requirements during a workshop, with a report to be submitted by Turkey's undersecretary of defence industries by the end of September 2013.

TAI was awarded a contract last year to perform the activity, with the company working with Swedish manufacturer Saab.

Under current plans, the TFX project could lead to the first flight of a Turkish-built fighter in 2023, with the type to potentially be acquired as a replacement for the air force's oldest Lockheed Martin F-16Cs.
Source:http://www.flightglobal.com

India launches Rs 13,000 crore IAF aircraft project involving private sector

Indian AirForce Avro

     India has kick-started another mega defence project by floating the global tender for the over Rs 13,000-crore acquisition of 56 transport aircraft to replace the ageing Avro fleet of IAF. The project, under which the first 16 aircraft will be bought off-the-shelf and the rest 40 will be manufactured in India, breaks new ground by specifying that the foreign aviation major eventually selected will have to tie-up with an Indian private sector company to produce the planes. 

       Defence PSU, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which has a virtual monopoly in the military aviation arena, is being kept out of this project. The tender, or request for proposal (RFP), was issued to eight aviation majors — Embraer, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Ilyushin, Casa, Saab and Alenia Aeronuatica — on Wednesday. Incidentally, Alenia Aeronautica is part of the Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica, which is facing charges of paying bribes to swing the Rs 3,546-crore contract to supply 12 VVIP helicopters to India in favour of its UK-based subsidiary, AgustaWestland.
Read more at: TimesofIndia

Boeing selected Honeywell avionics suite for 777X, consultant says

Boeing 777

Boeing has decided to transfer major elements of the 787's Honeywell cockpit systems to the new 777X, perhaps preserving the common cockpit rating achieved between the 787 and the legacy 777series.

The decision was announced on 7 May by vice-president of marketing and business development Mike Bair at a Boeing-hosted conference for investors and analysts in New York, says aerospace consultant Ernest Arvai, who attended the meeting.

Boeing did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Read more at: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-selected-honeywell-avionics-suite-for-777x-consultant-says-385672/

Anthony to commission MIG-29 K fighter planes into Navy

 Union Defence Minister A K Anthony will commission MIG-29 K fighter planes into the Indian Navy on May 11 in Goa. The squadron, named INAS 303 Black Panthers, will be commissioned on May 11 by the Defence Minister at INS Hansa Naval base in the state, Indian Navy PRO said. 


         The MIG-29K (K stands for ‘Korabelny’ meaning “Carrier Borne” in Russian) is a potent carrier borne fighter, which, once integrated with ‘INS Vikramaditya’ will bolster the Navy’s punch with its multi-role capability, the PRO said. The aircraft, armed with its arsenal of weapons, including advanced anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, precious bombs and sophisticated systems to support weapon delivery, will not only be able to dominate the air in all spectrum of conflict but simultaneously project power to meet the nation’s military objectives.        
     Source:TheHindu

Northrop Grumman X-47B makes first arrested landing

The Northrop Grumman X-47B test bed has completed its first landing using an arrestor cable on 4 May, the same method used to land on an aircraft carrier, bringing the aircraft one step closer to an actual carrier landing.

The landing, conducted at the US Navy's flight test airfield at Patuxent River, Maryland, was successful. Called a 'trap' in Navy parlance, the manoeuvre is one of the most challenging tasks Navy pilots regularly conduct. In contrast, the X-47Bs' trap was conducted completely by computer guidance, with human oversight from a landing officer beside the runway.

"It moves us a critical step closer to proving that unmanned systems can be integrated seamlessly into Navy carrier operations," says Capt Jaime Engdahl, the Navy's programme manager. "The entire system has performed very well across a large set of shore-based testing events including aircraft performance, flying qualities, navigation performance, catapult launches, and precision landings designed to stress system operation."

Source: Flightglobal

India planning two more tests of long-range Agni-5 missile

         Seeking to enhance its long-range strike capabilities, India is planning to carry out two more tests of its over 5,000-km range Agni-5 ballistic missile this year after which it would be ready for operational deployment. 
        "We are planning to carry out two more tests of the Agni-5 missile and they are likely to be held this year after which it would be ready for induction into operational service," DRDO spokesperson Ravi Gupta said here. India had joined the elite club of nations with such capability including the US, Russia and China when it carried out the first test of Agni-5 in April last year.
        India is also planning to equip its most powerful missile with multiple warheads.

Terrafugia to develop flying VTOL car

Terrafugia is exploring the feasibility of a four-seat, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) plug-in hybrid-electric flying car which it has dubbed the TF-X, the company announced on 5 May.

"Incorporating the state-of-the-art in intelligent systems, fly-by-wire controls, and currently available technology, the TF-X will further increase the level of safety, simplicity, and convenience of personal aviation," Terrafugia says.

Furthermore, the company says that the hybrid VTOL aircraft/car will cost about as much as a luxury ground vehicle. "It is likely that TF-X will be more expensive than a 'normal car' due to the higher costs of the enabling light-weight materials," Terrafugia says. "But with investment in automotive scale production, early studies indicate that it is possible that the final price point could be on-par with very high-end luxury cars of today."

Terrafugia says that the aircraft/car will have a non-stop flight range of about 435nm (805km) and should be able to take-off vertically from a 30m (100ft) diameter clearing.

The TF-X should be safer than a car, the company asserts and will include a back full-vehicle parachute system. It will also include an auto-land system for emergencies. Terrafugia further asserts, "Learning how to safely operate a TF-X vehicle should take an average driver no more than five hours." Additionally, "TF-X will give the operator significant freedom in flight - controlled in a manner similar to steering a car," the company says.

Source: DAVE MAJUMDAR Flightglobal

Navy set to receive the first P 8I aircraft from Boeing

Indian Navy P 8I during its first flight

The Indian Navy is all set to acquire its first US-made long-range maritime patrol and ASW aircraft to counter the growing influence of China in Indian Ocean Region(IOR), .  The first of the aircraft, known as P8I Poseidon, is expected to land in India around May 15, said an Indian  Navy official. 

      The  aircraft will be based in INS Rajali, a naval base on the Tamil Nadu coast. With a range of about 8600 km and an endurance of 10 hours, P8I Poseidon can fly non-stop up to Australia – much beyond India’s neighbouring maritime zones – and augment Navy’s surveillance capability by leaps and bounds.  



      India is buying eight P8I ,from Boeing, at a cost of $2.1 billion. These aircraft will replace the Russian Tu-142 of Indian Navy, inducted 25 years ago. The Navy will receive the first three in 2013 and the remaining five will arrive by 2015. India is the first customer of P8I, outside the USA. New Delhi is negotiating with Washington to buy four additional P8Is from Boeing for further expanding its maritime footprint. Acquisition of 12 P8I will complete the first phase of the Navy’s requirement of 24 long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft.