Breaking Defense
• Robbin Laird
Boeing and Lockheed have dropped out of the Navy’s competition to replace the T-45 trainer, forcing service officials to move faster rather than “slow-roll” the program. The change raises urgency around sustaining the timeline for delivering a next-generation jet trainer to the fleet.
FlightGlobal
• Ryan Finnerty
By FlightGlobal: The sortie included J-16 fighters escorting H-6K and Tu-95 strategic bombers. Russia and China have conducted a large joint air patrol over the East China Sea, including fighters, strategic bombers, aerial tankers and other support aircraft.
FlightGlobal
• Craig Hoyle
By FlightGlobal: Activity concerns final clearance of MBDA-produced munitions. Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract modification worth around $74 million to finalise work to integrate European-developed weapons with its F-35 for London and Rome.
Vertical Mag
• CHRIS THATCHER
By Vertical Mag: The CH-146 Griffon life extension project is paused. Read about the reasons behind the delay and future plans for the fleet.
Payload
• Douglas Gorman
By Payload: Modern warfare relies heavily on space-based technologies, and the US Army is making moves to tightly integrate those capabilities with the rest of its military might.
AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
By AeroTime: China and Russia fly 11th joint strategic air patrol with bombers, fighters, tankers and support aircraft, drawing Japanese and South Korean interceptors.
Bloomberg
• Josh Xiao
By Bloomberg: China’s military appeared to give its first glimpse of a new fighter aircraft widely believed to be a sixth-generation prototype that could eventually rival advanced stealth warplanes under development in the US.
FlightGlobal
• Murdo Morrison
By FlightGlobal: Marshall built its reputation on the C-130, including for the UK RAF and customers around the world Thomas Saunders Marshall Aerospace Cambridge-based military MRO specialist still recovering from UK decision to prematurely retire fleet of stalwart transport aircraft Take a tour of Marshall Aerospace’s extensive maintenance, repair and overhaul centre at Cambridge airport and around almost every corner you will see a Lockheed Martin C-130, the military transport type that made the UK company’s modern reputation.