Military Aircraft Procurement News

FlightGlobal • Greg Waldron

Australia receives first two Boeing AH-64E Apaches, kicking off 29-aircraft acquisition

Australia has taken delivery of the first two Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters — the opening pair of a 29-aircraft purchase — arriving at RAAF Base Townsville on Oct. 2. The deliveries begin a phased replacement of the Army’s Airbus Tiger fleet and establish local sustainment work tied to ~230 jobs.

2025-10-02T21:05:09.550875-07:00

Janes

Dutch F-35A downs Russian drone over Poland, earns first 'drone kill' emblem

2025-10-02T04:20:12.582807-07:00

Reuters

Senators urge Boeing to end eight‑week St. Louis strike disrupting fighter and munitions production

2025-10-02T10:48:28.175596-07:00

AeroTime

Boeing‑IAM mediation collapses as union rejects company's offer, demands its own contract

2025-09-30T06:29:38.459563-07:00

Military Aircraft Procurement News Timeline

heliopsmag.com

US Air Force Retires HH-60G Pave Hawk After Decades of Search-and-Rescue Service The U.S. Air Force has formally retired the HH-60G Pave Hawk after decades of conducting combat search-and-rescue and personnel-recovery missions, removing a long-serving dedicated rotorcraft from USAF inventory and marking the end of its operational role over its service life.

2025-10-04T11:38:38.623681-07:00

US Air Force Retires HH-60G Pave Hawk After Decades of Search-and-Rescue Service

nationalsecurityjournal.org

How the U.S. Navy’s 1970s CVV Decision Became a Strategic Mistake In the 1970s the U.S. Navy studied a 50–60,000‑ton CVV "medium" carrier meant to deliver faster, cheaper conventional carriers for ASW, ISR and flank protection during Vietnam and the Cold War. The program’s rejection is now viewed as a strategic mistake that helped shape subsequent carrier force posture.

2025-10-03T17:45:14.363421-07:00

How the U.S. Navy’s 1970s CVV Decision Became a Strategic Mistake

Aviation Week

USAF Accelerates Next‑Gen Tanker to 2036, Seeks KC‑46 Production Extension The U.S. Air Force is pushing to field a next‑generation aerial refueling system by 2036 and is using that timeline to justify extending Boeing KC‑46 production. A recent USAF document outlines the evolving tanker strategy and specifies what the service says is needed to continue the KC‑46 run.

2025-10-03T12:23:43.041046-07:00

USAF Accelerates Next‑Gen Tanker to 2036, Seeks KC‑46 Production Extension

ANI News Agency

IAF says it destroyed Pakistani F‑16s and JF‑17s in Operation Sindoor, rejects Islamabad’s counterclaims India’s Air Force chief publicly said the IAF destroyed 12–13 Pakistani military aircraft — including US‑made F‑16s and Chinese JF‑17s — during May’s Operation Sindoor, detailing strikes on airfields, radars and aircraft. He dismissed Pakistan’s assertions of downing Indian jets as “Manohar kahaniyan.”

2025-10-03T09:44:40.173678-07:00

IAF says it destroyed Pakistani F‑16s and JF‑17s in Operation Sindoor, rejects Islamabad’s counterclaims

FlightGlobal

Australia receives first two Boeing AH-64E Apaches, kicking off 29-aircraft acquisition Australia has taken delivery of the first two Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters — the opening pair of a 29-aircraft purchase — arriving at RAAF Base Townsville on Oct. 2. The deliveries begin a phased replacement of the Army’s Airbus Tiger fleet and establish local sustainment work tied to ~230 jobs.

2025-10-02T21:05:09.550875-07:00

Australia receives first two Boeing AH-64E Apaches, kicking off 29-aircraft acquisition

Air & Space Forces Mag

F-35 F135 Lot 18–19 Engine Contract Award Pushed to Spring 2026, JPO Says The F-35 Joint Program Office said a contract award with Pratt & Whitney for Lots 18 and 19 of the F135 engine will slip until spring 2026, deferring planned production commitments. The timing change will affect engine build scheduling and sustainment pacing across the Joint Strike Fighter fleet.

2025-10-02T15:57:30.028303-07:00

F-35 F135 Lot 18–19 Engine Contract Award Pushed to Spring 2026, JPO Says

Bloomberg

Boeing, Union Resume Federal Mediation After Nearly Eight‑Week St. Louis Defense Strike Boeing and the union representing striking defense workers agreed to resume negotiations with a federal mediator in a bid to end a nearly eight‑week work stoppage. The strike has idled production at St. Louis‑area defense plants, threatening deliveries and defense supply chains.

2025-10-02T15:29:34.543642-07:00

Boeing, Union Resume Federal Mediation After Nearly Eight‑Week St. Louis Defense Strike

FlightGlobal

Polish pilots demo Boeing F-15EX in St. Louis as Warsaw weighs it against F-35A programme A Polish Air Force delegation, including inspector general Ireneusz Nowak, visited Boeing’s St. Louis facility for familiarisation flights and evaluations of the twin‑engined F-15EX Eagle II. The visits form part of Warsaw’s assessment of the F-15EX as an option alongside its ongoing F-35A acquisition programme.

2025-10-02T13:41:33.560617-07:00

Polish pilots demo Boeing F-15EX in St. Louis as Warsaw weighs it against F-35A programme

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