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Originally developed for the U.S. military, Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider uses the company’s X2 technology to demonstrate a different performance path for future helicopters. The aircraft’s development now points to the challenge of finding a new customer and translating its capabilities into a funded program.
Military Aircraft Procurement
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Originally developed for the U.S. military, Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider uses the company’s X2 technology to demonstrate a different performance path for future helicopters. The aircraft’s development now points to the challenge of finding a new customer and translating its capabilities into a funded program.
The first new-build F-16 Block 70 fighters ordered for Taiwan have been seen departing Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, production facility and traveling toward Asia. Two aircraft were previously spotted landing at the facility, marking visible progress in Taiwan’s long-awaited fighter acquisition.
Israel carried out eight airstrikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib, days after restored Su-22 fighter-bombers were seen flying there. The operation drew U.S. criticism and Turkish condemnation, with Washington warning that the strike risked an escalation between Israel and Türkiye over Syria.
Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia has completed heavy maintenance, structural overhaul and avionics modernization on a second Indonesian Air Force C-130H Hercules. The A-1319 aircraft is reportedly the first C-130 prototype to undergo major structural work and avionics upgrades outside Lockheed Martin facilities.
The U.S. Army has selected Hanwha Defense USA, a unit of South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace, to supply prototypes for its new Mobile Tactical Cannon. The decision gives South Korea’s largest defense company a significant entry point into the U.S. weapons market.
Israel intends to ask the United States for information on Boeing’s F-47, according to Israeli media, in an early effort to assess whether the next-generation air-superiority fighter could eventually become available to the Israeli Air Force.
The U.S. Army has selected Robinson’s R66 helicopter as its new flight-school training aircraft. The choice forms part of a $10 billion contract awarded to M1 Support Services to provide Army flight-training support, reshaping the platform used to prepare future Army helicopter pilots.
The U.S. Air Force plans to field a more affordable, mass-producible successor to the MQ-9 Reaper by 2031 while developing a broader family of aerial targets. The systems would range from expendable quadcopters to reusable drones capable of mimicking fifth-generation fighters and UAV swarms.
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