2017-08-15 By Todd Miller The desert skies of southern New Mexico currently host the USAF Light Attack Experiment (OA-X). During the experiment the three turboprops (Sierra Nevada Corp./Embraer A-29 Super Tucano, Air Tractor Inc./L3 Platform Integration AT-802L Longsword, Textron Aviation’s AT-6 Wolverine) and single jet (Textron Scorpion) are piloted by…
2017-08-14 By Todd Miller USAF leadership, international representatives and media gathered at Holloman AFB August 9, 2017 to focus on the USAF's OA-X Experiment. The event was organized under the auspices of the USAF Light Attack Experiment (OA-X) featuring the Sierra Nevada Corp./Embraer A-29 Super Tucano, Air Tractor Inc./L3 Platform…
2017-08-08 By Ed Timperlake and Robbin Laird The USAF is looking to add a light attack aircraft to its inventory to deal with air support operations at the low intensity warfare end of the equation. And they are conducting an experiment to determine a way ahead throughout the month of August…
2017-07-31 In a recent article by Andrew Tillett published in The Financial Review, the growth in Australian defense industry associated with the launch of new Australian defense programs is examined. Australia has had some success stories. Thales' Bushmaster vehicle proved its worth in Afghanistan by protecting soldiers from blasts and…
2017-07-31 The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft fleet recently exceeded 100,000 flight hours while the F-35 Integrated Test Force teams are completing the remaining requirements in the program's System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase. "This 100K milestone marks a significant level of maturity for the program and the…
2017-07-31 We often hear about the complexity of code in the F-35, but what is not realized is that code is found in the evolving industrial landscape everywhere one looks. 'According to a July 24, 2017 article by Aaron Brzozowski, the 2017 Ford GT Supercar contains more code than the…
2017-07-18 By Robbin Laird I have focused in several interviews on the basic shift towards building software upgradeable platforms as the base line for shaping a 21st century air enabled combat force. The strategic shift has been to develop and buy core multi-mission platforms and to modernize them through software…
2017-07-22 According to our partner defenceWeb in a piece published on July 18, 2017, the Overberg test range has hosted its first flight of a jet-propelled UAV. Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) used Denel’s Overberg Test Range (OTR) for the successful testing of a new aircraft type that will aid…