U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Dwyer Dennis has said a budget-related postponement of the T-X trainer replacement initiative allowed the military service to rethink the program’s acquisition and requirements process, Aviation Week reported Monday. Amy Butler writes Dennis, director of global reach programs in the Air Force’s office of the assistant secretary for acquisition, told […] More

Lockheed Martin has unveiled the first F-35A fighter jet for the Italian air force at a final assembly and check out facility in Cameri, Italy. It is the first of eight F-35As being integrated at the site and is slated to take a maiden flight later this year, Lockheed said Thursday. Lockheed and Finmeccanica‘s Alenia […] More

A new Strategic Defense Intelligence report projects the global unmanned aerial vehicle market’s compound annual growth rate at 5.66 percent from 2015 through 2025, with autonomous combat vehicles to dominate the market. The report predicts North America and Europe to account for more than 67 percent of the UAV market over the next 10 years, ReportsnReports […] More

The Northrop Grumman-led team of contractors in a competition to build a new trainer jet for the Air Force will offer a new airplane design for the $1 billion program, Aviation Week reported Friday. Amy Butler writes Northrop’s Scaled Composites subsidiary will work on the design for the intended T-38 replacement jet and aims to conduct the first flight […] More

A new Research and Markets report states that the global military airlift market will decline at a 0.43-percent compound annual growth rate through 2019 due to high acquisition and operations costs for military transport aircraft. The company said Wednesday current trends in the market include the development of smaller aircraft for carrying supplies or military personnel or supporting […] More

Patrick de Castelbajac has been appointed CEO of French aviation firm ATR, a joint venture of Airbus Group and Finmeccanica‘s Alenia Aermacchi. Airbus said Monday the appointment follows the end of Filippo Bagnato’s four-year mandate as CEO in May. De Castelbajac has experience in both legal and aeronautical fields, previously working with MBDA before joining Baker & McKenzie as a lawyer. He […] More

Airbus, Dassault Aviation and Alenia Aermacchi have completed a proposal to develop a new unmanned aerial system for European governments. The joint development teams submitted the definition phase proposal to the defense ministries of France, Germany and Italy, Airbus Group said Monday. “We have reached an important milestone for the development of a European MALE […] More