Bell selected over Boeing to build DARPA SPRINT X-Plane
The programme first began in 2023 with Bell and Boeing’s concepts progressing to Phase 1B, in which testing has been carried out over the last year.
A USAF RC-135 Rivet Joint lands at RAF Mildenhall on 18 April 2019. (Photo: USAF/Airman 1st Class Joseph Barron)
Raytheon has received a ten-year, $960 million IDIQ contract from the USAF Nuclear Weapons Center to support Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) radiation-hardened SATCOM terminals aboard aircraft.
Services include interim contractor support, contractor logistics support, terminal depot activation, terminal hardware/software procurement and studies associated with support of AEHF terminals.
Raytheon provides protected AEHF terminals for the USAF, US Army and USN, with more than 500 systems in service.
The company obtained a $442.3 million contract in mid-January 2020 under the Force Element Terminal (FET) programme, to install AEHF terminals aboard USAF B-52 strategic bombers and RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft.
Both aircraft types are switching from the Military Strategic Tactical Relay satellite constellation to AEHF.
The programme first began in 2023 with Bell and Boeing’s concepts progressing to Phase 1B, in which testing has been carried out over the last year.
The report discloses that while the capability provided by the F-35 is superior to previous UK aircraft, delays from the UK Ministry of Defence on the programme have significantly impacted the country’s warfighting capabilities.
The new ‘Entente Industrielle’ will work on a range of other projects to boost the UK economy and defence industry, including joint development on new high-tech frequency weapons and extended range air-to-air missiles.
The E-7A is one of three aircraft submitted for the South Korean AEW&C II competition, which seeks to acquire four more aircraft of the type for its air force by 2028.
Tensions on the programme have long simmered, with Airbus and Dassault recently clashing over workshare in June ahead of the Paris Air Show. The sixth-generation fighter programme is due to replace Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon jets beginning in 2040.
The trainer aircraft recently completed the second round of extreme weather trials after enduring icy, windy and sunny conditions.