Americas * The Marines are exploring possible upgrades to their fleet of V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. This plan would involve bringing 131 A and B model Ospreys up to the C spec in order to access the higher availability rates offered by the C variant. The C model...
Americas * The Navy is reportedly considering reducing the number of F-35C fighters it plans to procure, alluding to budgetary concerns. The Navy is also less enthused by the Joint Strike Fighter compared to the Marines and Air Force because of the Service operating...
FAP's F-16AMs(click to view full) Portugal currently owns 45 F-16s as the backbone of its air force: 20-25 fly with 201 Sqn as F-16A/B Block 15s, while another 20 were upgraded via the Mid-Life Upgrade program to F-16AM status for 301 Sqn. The F-16AMs add considerable...
(click to view larger) In the 1970s, fighter aircraft began to appear with Head-Up Displays (HUD) that projected key information, targeting crosshairs etc. onto a seemingly clear piece of glass. HUDs allowed pilots to keep their eyes in the sky, instead of looking...
Americas * The Navy's new Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) carrier will undergo shock testing, despite this likely causing schedule delays of up to six months. Previously, Navy officials planned to carry out the tests - designed to replicate extreme combat stress - on the...
Americas * Navy surface ships and submarines are to be equipped with General Dynamics-developed Digital Modular Radios (DMR), with a $29 million contract modification covering the delivery of 56 sets. The company received a similar contract for DMRs in 2005, however...
General Dynamics C4 Systems in Scottsdale, AZ received a $53.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for 81 AN/USC-61C digital modular radios (DMR), DMR 100 and 200 watt power amplifiers, and other ancillary hardware. Currently approximately 300 software-defined radios,...
Americas * The Air Force has handed out three one-year contracts to further develop competing designs for the JSTARS replacement program. The competition to replace the fleet of Northrop Grumman E-8Cs is scheduled to lead to a production contract before the JSTARS...
Darfur refugees(click to view full) The Swiss Pilatus PC-9M was a recent candidate to an RFP for COIN aircraft issued by Iraq. An incident involving the African nation of Chad would appear to have removed this possibility for them, and shrunk Pilatus' market sharply...