Airbus has secured a potential $135.6 million follow-on contract from the U.K. ministry of defense to help sustain the country’s fleet of Puma 2 helicopters throughout the platform’s service life. The company said Dec. 22 its helicopters business will repair, overhaul and provide logistics support for the U.K. air force’s Puma 2 fleet through March 2022. or […] More

An Airbus-built military transport plane refueled multiple F-18 fighter jets of the Spanish air force during an aerial refueling mission that took place Dec. 13. Airbus said Thursday its A400M aircraft completed an AAR human factors certification flight with six F-18s from Spain’s Center of Logistics for Armament and Experimentation and the Torrejon-based 12th Operational Wing. The AAR […] More

Germany-based sensor provider Hensoldt has tested its counter unmanned aerial vehicle system designed to defend airports and other infrastructure from potential threats. The company said Wednesday its Xpeller counter-UAV system was demonstrated at the Airbus airfield in Hamburg, Germany for spectators that included airport operators and representatives from armed forces, industrial companies and police forces. […] More

Esri has signed an enterprise agreement to extend Airbus‘ access to a geographic information system to support the intelligence program line of the latter’s defense and space business. Airbus seeks to expand its use of Esri-built ArcGIS platform in efforts to help address  environmental, social and economic challenges globally with the use of the mapping and geospatial analysis […] More

Airbus‘ defense and space segment has secured a contract from Turkey-based communications satellite operator Turksat to build two new satellites slated for geostationary orbit. Turksat 5A and Turksat 5B will be based on the electric orbit raising variant of the Airbus Eurostar E3000 satellite model powered by electric propulsion technology, Airbus said Thursday. The first spacecraft is designed to […] More

Poland’s air force has accepted a full-flight simulator developed by CAE and Airbus Defense and Space to help train pilots of the military branch’s C295 transport aircraft fleet. C295 FFS is equipped with CAE’s True six degree-of-freedom electric motion technology, Medallion-6000 visual system and a computer-generated forces tactical environment, the company said Tuesday. The platform also features an architecture based on the […] More

Airbus has ordered an additional two flight training simulators from Thales for the AM400 military transport aircraft crewmen of the French and German air forces. Both simulators are designed to prepare A400M crews for missions such as in-flight refueling and low-level tactical operations, Thales said Tuesday. Thales has delivered A400M full flight simulators and a pair of flat panel flight training […] More

Rockwell Collins has supplied its FMC-4212 mission computer to Airbus‘ helicopters business unit to support the latter’s onboard weapon system program. Airbus’ HForce weapon system works to convert of any of the company’s commercial helicopters into a military aircraft, Rockwell Collins said Tuesday. Claude Alber, Rockwell Collins vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said FMC-4212 […] More

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will serve as the launch provider for a satellite that Airbus built for Inmarsat‘s sixth generation satellite fleet. The Inmarsat-6 F1 satellite will be launched aboard the MHI H-IIA launch vehicle in 2020 to offer new capacities for the former’s customers including advanced global safety services, mobile services and Internet of Things applications, […] More

Airbus, BAE Systems and General Dynamics have worked with the U.K. army to develop a concept demonstrator for a new tactical network technology designed to help frontline troops communicate with command headquarters. BAE said Tuesday the service branch awarded the industry team a $1.6 million contract for the development and delivery of two experimental STRIKE Tactical Hotspot systems. The […] More

Airbus has received a contract from the European Space Agency to provide a service demonstrator for the Governmental Satellite Communications program that aims to update satellite communications capability in Europe. The two-year contract consists of a first phase that entails the production of a ground system that can facilitate the sharing of satellite functions as well […] More

A business unit of Airbus Group has landed $34.5 million contract modification to continue logistics and sustainment support for the U.S. Army‘s UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters. The Defense Department said Monday Airbus’ helicopters business will perform work in Grand Prairie, Texas, through April 30, 2018. The Army Contracting Command obligated the full amount of the modification from the military branch’s […] More