Following the vote of the European Parliament on February 14, allocating an exceptional budget to the Iris2 constellation (Infrastructure for Resilience and Secure Interconnection by Satellite), we interviewed its rapporteur, French MEP Christophe Grudler, member of the Mouvement Démocrate and the Renew Europe group.
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Following the announcement of the delivery of its MiG-29s to Ukraine, Slovakia has been offered by the United States the purchase of 12 new AH-1Z Viper helicopter gunships and 500 AGM-114 Hellfire II anti-tank missiles. This $1 billion proposal will cost Slovakia only $340 million
Two days after the collision between a Russian Su-27 Flanker and a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, a USAF RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV was tasked with reconnaissance from Romania and also over the Black Sea. The U.S. is demonstrating that despite attempts at intimidation, reconnaissance flights continue in this region. A British RC-135W Rivet Joint and one of the few US Navy EP-3E Aries IIs (less than 20 in service) were also present in Romania.
Nine months after announcing the withdrawal of the NH-90, Norway has chosen the MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopter. A total of six helicopters will be ordered from Lockheed Martin to be armed by the Norwegian Coast Guard. In addition to performing coast guard missions, these helicopters will also have an anti-submarine warfare capability.
The U.S. European Command has released the video of its MQ-9 Reaper drone lost over the Black Sea. It is clearly possible to see that one of the Russian Su-27s collided with the rear of the drone. This video contradicts the version put forward by the Russians in their communiqué.
After several hesitations, the Pentagon has decided that the three versions of the F-35 Lightning II will not incorporate a new engine. The Pratt & Whitney F135 had shown several weaknesses, forcing the U.S. Armed Forces to launch the AETP program to get a new engine. The cancellation of the AETP program will see the F-35 Block 4 integrate a Pratt & Whitney enhanced F135.
A Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with an American MQ-9 drone while on patrol in international airspace over the Black Sea. The MQ-9 then crashed, resulting in the total loss of the drone.
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Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has successfully completed the first flight of a B777-300ER passenger aircraft after converting it to a freighter configuration for AerCap. IAI is currently in the final stages of the certification process for the "Big Twin" 777-300ERSF, with a firm order backlog of more than 60 aircraft expected to be delivered over the next five years.
The addition of the service, usually operated via Los Angeles, will allow Air Tahiti Nui to offer six to seven weekly frequencies between Papeete and Paris CDG all year round.
The Hong Kong-based airline received an award at the PATA Awards 2023 for its environmental initiatives, including its Fly Greener program, which allows the airline's passengers to purchase carbon offsets.
Flexjet has welcomed its first Sikorsky S-76 super-midsize helicopter to its European fleet, becoming the first private jet operator in Europe to launch an integrated helicopter division. The new service, which is being rolled out initially in the UK, aims to redefine luxury private point-to-point travel, a first in Europe. It follows a similar launch last year by the company in the US, which offers helicopter operations in the north-eastern US and Florida.
Japan Airlines will replace its Boeing 737-800 aircraft with Boeing 737MAX-8 aircraft on its domestic and regional network. JAL intends to start introducing the aircraft into its fleet from 2026.
CFM International and StandardAero have signed a CFM Branded Services Agreement (CBSA) for both LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines. Under the terms of the agreement, StandardAero will provide the full scope of LEAP Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) services for operators worldwide.
Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI) and Lufthansa Technik Middle East (LTME) announced the recent signing of an agreement regarding a close cooperation in the field of aircraft component services on Boeing 777 and 787.
Under the agreement, Joramco will perform nose to tail C checks and modifications on Boeing 777 aircraft from the Emirates fleet.
HAECO Global Engine Support has added a new 8-bay gantry system at its Dallas facility to improve CFM Leap capabilities.
To meet the increasing demand, Lufthansa Technik is now further qualifying people who have already completed a technical or craft apprenticeship and will invest 7.5 M€ in a training center in Hamburg-Rahlstedt.
The new Joint-Venture will greatly enhance presence of ST Engineering in China, where the Group currently operates airframe MRO facilities in Guangzhou and Shanghai.
Airbus has delivered the first A321neo aircraft assembled at its Final Assembly Line Asia in Tianjin to China’s Juneyao Air.
Mitsui Bussan Aerospace (MBA), the authorised distributor for the Leonardo AW139, AW169 and AW189 helicopter models in Japan, announced with Leonardo orders recently signed for a total of six AW139s, to meet the requirements of various upcoming opportunities in the country. These latest orders confirm the continuous success of the AW139 in Japan with nearly 70 units currently in operation.
Nearly 70 Leonardo AW139s in service in Japan to date with over 110,000 flight hours logged performing a wide range of missions.
Sikorsky is currently studying a fully autonomous hybrid-electric demonstrator (HEX) with electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) capabilities. This aircraft will serve as a test bed for the possible creation of a new family of both military and commercial aircraft, with fuel savings and increased range.
AutoFlight announced on 16 March 2023 that it had signed a contract with Evfly, following its record-breaking 250 km flight of its electric aircraft on a circuit.
The H145's success as an emergency medical evacuation helicopter continues and the five-blade version adds further capabilities. The latest purchaser of the machine is Norwegian Air Ambulance, which has ordered two five-bladed H145s for use in rescue missions in Norway.
Boeing announced the successful completion of the first flight of the Loyal Wingman UAV.
The Warmate UAV is deployed in the Polish forces.
General Atomics delivered 2 UAV MQ-9A Block 5 to Ejercito del Aire (Spanish Air Forces)
According to Vadym Ihorovych, Managing Director of Ukrspetsexport, Ukraine and Turkey are currently developing a joint venture for the production of Turkish UAVs.
Flyability announced having conducted an inspection inside Chernobyl’s Reactor five, using its UAV Elios 2.
Gazprom sees drones as a new way of linking its production sites
Each weekend, an image that made the news or caught our attention. On March 24, Airbus shared a series of rare views confirming the deployment of a communications satellite into geostationary orbit.
After five years of work, the renovated and expanded premises on rue Mario-Nikis in Paris reopened on March 22.
The Vietnamese Maritime Administration has selected the Meolut Next antenna from the French-Italian manufacturer, capable of locating distress signals from thirty satellites at the same time.
The United Kingdom is supporting research into how nuclear energy could be used to power a future lunar base for astronauts.
Much more accessible than a real trip around the Earth, thematic trips to space centers are sometimes proposed to the public. In France, the agency Nomade Aventure proposes a unique offer. Interview with its general manager, Fabrice Del Taglia.
Numerous photos and videos confirm that the Russian Armed Forces are moving T-54 medium tanks on their rail network. Their final destination seems to be Ukraine, but their usefulness there will be limited and they will be very vulnerable to Ukrainian battle tanks, delivered battle tanks or modern anti-tank systems. The longer the conflict in Ukraine drags on, the more the Russian Land Forces seem to pull out older and older vehicles from their stocks.
A video confirms the first confirmed destruction carried out by a Ukrainian Crotale NG anti-aircraft system. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have received two launchers and missiles from France to increase their anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities by the end of 2022.
Following the recent Polish announcement, Slovakia confirms that it will deliver 13 MiG-29 fighters, 10 of which are fully operational. A still unknown number of Kub-M2 short-range anti-aircraft systems will also be transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Poland is about to deliver four of its MiG-29 fighter aircraft to Ukraine in the next few days. These aircraft will be joined by others that require maintenance before delivery. In total, the Ukrainian Air Force is about to receive more than a dozen Polish fighter jets... and perhaps more, if other countries decide to follow Poland.
What do we know about the incident? What are the versions of both sides? Is it a first in terms of interception by Russian fighters? So many questions answered by Simon Desplanque on the airwaves of the podcast "20 minutes to understand".
In the United States, discussions are reportedly underway for a possible delivery of AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles to equip Ukrainian combat aircraft. The use of this missile would be advantageous in several ways for Ukrainian pilots, but it would first be necessary to resolve numerous technical problems concerning the use of this American missile on Soviet-designed aircraft.
Interview with Christophe Grudler, rapporteur of the European Iris2 constellation
Eutelsat's Hotbird 13F satellite greets you from GEO orbit
Delta relaunches its Nice-New York service and opens a Nice-Atlanta service starting May 13
LYTE Aviation unveils its 40-seat hybrid eVTOL, SkyBus and SkyTruck
The world's first successful flight of a B777-300ER converted to a freighter.
Airbus Final Assembly Line in China delivers its first A321neo
Air Tahiti Nui annualizes its Papeete-Paris CDG service, via Seattle-Tacoma
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