The U.S. Air Force has issued a draft solicitation for the Light Attack Aircraft program as the service prepares to release the final request for proposals in December. The draft RFP comes after it wrapped up the Light Attack Experiment’s second phase that involved aircraft offerings from Textron and the Sierra Nevada–Embraer team, the Air Force said […] More

Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, top acquisition official at the U.S. Air Force, has said the service will call off the remaining flights in its light-attack experiment following the death of a naval pilot in an aircraft crash on June 22, Defense News reported Tuesday. The accident involved the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft from the Sierra Nevada–Embraer team. […] More

NASA and Uber Technologies have teamed up to identify new urban air mobility-related technologies and concepts designed to ensure safety of aerial transportation operations in populated areas. The agency said Wednesday Uber will share its implementation plans for an urban aviation rideshare network, while NASA will use computer modeling and simulation for airspace management to […] More

Brazil’s air force has selected Rockwell Collins to deliver avionics systems and flight support services under two separate deals. Rockwell Collins said Tuesday it will supply its Pro Line 21 avionics suite to update the Brazilian air force’s fleet of Hawker 800XP aircraft and support the fleet’s compliance with upcoming airspace requirements. Marcelo Vaz, managing director for […] More

Jairo Soterio, former marketing manager for Latin America at Rockwell Collins, has been named as the company’s managing director for the region. Rockwell Collins said Wednesday Soterio will oversee its LATAM government and commercial systems business operations as the demand for military radios, C-130 and P-3 cockpit upgrade services, simulators and training continues to increase. […] More

“Mark my words: A combination of airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile. But it will come.” –Henry Ford, 1940 The future is here, and with the advent of unmanned aerial systems, autonomous vehicles and the impossibly well-connected Internet of Things, that which was science fiction is now science fact–do not be afraid. The […] More

Industry participants in the U.S. Air Force‘s OA-X light attack aircraft demonstration are eyeing a separate opportunity to sell light attack planes to the U.S. Special Operations Command, Defense News reported. The Air Force released a presolicitation notice on FedBizOpps in July to gain industry feedback on “platform-agnostic” light attack aircraft technologies that can address the needs […] More

A team of L3 Technologies and Air Tractor will bring their light-attack aircraft to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico to participate in the U.S. Air Force’s OA-X demonstration, DoD Buzz reported Monday. The companies will demonstrate their AT-802L Longsword aircraft through a two-day flight test that will kick off on Aug. 8. AT-802L […] More

The U.S. Air Force has examined two close-air support aircraft models to perform light attack missions and potentially serve as a short-term replacement for the service branch’s current fleet, FlightGlobal reported Sunday. Leigh Giangreco writes Air Force has investigated Beechcraft’s AT-6 and Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano as possible short-term replacements to its Fairchild Dornier A-10 fleet and seeks to […] More

A team comprising General Dynamics, DRS Technologies and Leonardo-Finmeccanica will build a training facility in Comox, British Columbia if the team wins a $3 billion contract to build search-and-rescue aircraft for Canada. Former Canadian Air Force chief Steve Lucas told a press conference that Team Spartan offers to construct a 73,000-square-foot building to serve as the location for the group’s […] More

A General Atomics subsidiary has partnered with Fokker Technologies, a division of GKN Aerospace, to develop landing gear technology for the Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft system. Netherlands-based Fokker and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. have worked together to offer Predator B to the Dutch armed forces and aim to integrate Fokker’s technology onto the UAV as the companies anticipate a potential drone procurement by […] More

United Technologies Corp. will establish a new facility in Foley, Alabama to accommodate manufacturing and nacelle assembly activities of UTC’s aerospace systems segment. The 80,000-square-foot building will be built to serve as the assembly area for nacelle components and house the propulsion system integration work in support of the Airbus A320 aircraft, UTC said Tuesday. UTC expects the […] More