Air Warfare

Four more US Air National Guard wings to receive C-130J Super Hercules

19th September 2023

The USAF has selected four Air National Guard Airlift wings as the preferred locations to receive C-130J Super Hercules to replace the ageing C-130Hs.

Air Warfare

DSEI: Raytheon delivers first B-52 AESA radar to Boeing

15th September 2023

RTX, through its business division Raytheon, has delivered the first AESA radar for the B-52 Radar Modernization Program (RMP), enhancing the aircraft's capabilities with improved navigation, targeting and detection range.

Air Warfare

Initial F130 engine tests for USAF B-52J bomber due to complete by end 2023

8th September 2023

Rolls-Royce is on track to complete initial testing of the F130 engine for the B-52J Stratofortress by year-end. The testing programme has achieved success and gathered significant data, de-risking the integration process.

Air Warfare

USAF and Raytheon complete successful AIM-120C-8 missile firing test

4th September 2023

The USAF and Raytheon conducted successful flight test of the AIM-120C-8 missile, the latest variant of AMRAAM, which included downing an aerial target.

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

RQ-20B Puma (USAF)

Programme Background Requirement According to the AeroVironment Vice President and product line general manager, Trace Stevenson, the USAF Security Forces requires a small UAV to ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

MQ-9A Reaper (USAF)

Programme Background Procurement & Inventory According to the USAF FY2019 Budget Estimate document, the USAF set aside funds to acquire 433 MQ-9 Reapers by the end of ...

APCs/IFVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

JLTV Oshkosh Contract (US Air Force)

As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USA]

Programme Background Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) - Vision - The USAF envisages several UAVs working alongside a single-crewed aircraft, such as the future sixth-generation fighter or the F-35. ...

AEW&C

E-7A Wedgetail (USA - Forecast)

Programme Background Speaking on 21 September 2021 during the annual Air Force Association (AFA) Meeting in Washington DC, USAF Chief of Staff Gen Charles Brown ...

Transport/tanker aircraft

KC-Y Tanker Aircraft (USA)

Programme Background The USAF is replacing its fleet of 396 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft, built in the 1950s and 60s, and 59 KC-10 Extenders, which entered service ...

AEW&C

E-7A Wedgetail (USA)

Programme Background Speaking on 21 September 2021 during the annual Air Force Association (AFA) Meeting in Washington DC, USAF Chief of Staff Gen Charles Brown ...

Transport/tanker aircraft

KC-46A (USA)

Programme Background The first four Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) KC-46A aircraft were delivered to McConnell AFB in Kansas in January 2019. As of December 2020, a ...

Fighter - multirole

F-15EX - USAF (Contracted)

Programme Background USAF is looking to procure 144 F-15EX fighter aircraft, including two RDTE configurations and six low-rate initial production aircraft. F-15EX will replace ageing ...

Fighter - multirole

F-15EX - USAF (Announced)

Programme Background The F-15EX will be based on the 2-seat F-15QA (Qatar) configuration upgraded with USAF-only capabilities, including the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability ...

ISR/special mission

EC-37B Compass Call [USAF]

Programme Background The retirement of the EF-111A in 1990 left the USAF largely out of the operational and tactical level radar jamming business. Lockheed Martin EC-130H ...

APCs/IFVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

JLTV Future Procurement (US Air Force)

Programme Background According to the FY2021 USAF budget request documents, the USAF procured 103 JLTVs in FY2019, 146 in FY2020 and 142 in FY2021. The ...

Fighter - multirole

F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

USAF has ordered 400 F-35 aircraft until FY2020, the remaining 240 out of 1377 fighters will be acquired at a rate of 48 per year ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

Skyborg [USA]

Programme Background Programme Intention Skyborg is one of three USAF Vanguard programs outlined in the Air Force Science and Technology 2030 initiative. The program intends ...

Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

Teal 2 [USAF]

Programme Background On 8 August 2023, Teal Drones announced it had received a $2.6 million deal for 172 Teal 2 UAVs, spare parts and training from ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

EX-3 Revenant

The EX-3 Revenant is a developmental fixed-wing aircraft being developed by Exosonic. It is a Mach 1.2 supersonic UAV designed to be a 5th-generation representative, modular, autonomous ...

Air: transport/tanker simulators

USAF KC-135 ATS

The KC-135 Aircrew Training System (ATS) programme delivers initial qualification, requalification, continuation and upgrades training for USAF KC-135 aircrews, including pilots, co-pilots and boom operators. ...

Major networking projects

C2 ConstellationNet

According to David Tillotson, director of C4ISR architecture AF/XI, in a report to Congress: 'The ConstellationNet is the communications network – air, space and terrestrial ...

Fighter - air superiority

F-22A Raptor

F-22A Raptor is a fifth-generation stealth air superiority fighter with limited air-to-ground attack capability. It was developed by Lockheed Martin to meet the requirement of the ...

Air: aerial targets

QF-16 FSAT

The QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) is an optionally piloted supersonic aerial target developed to replace the QF-4 in USAF service. Retired F-16 fighters are ...

Major networking projects

DCGS 10.2 Upgrade

Raytheon’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Block 10.2 upgrade allows intelligence data to be posted to the network for immediate use by analysts and warfighters, ...

Bomber

B-2 Spirit

The B-2 Spirit is a multirole stealth bomber manufactured by Northrop Grumman for the USAF. The Spirit is a flying wing aircraft, meaning that it ...

Combat Search and Rescue

HC-130P/N

HC-130P/N is a SAR aircraft developed as extended-range version of C-130 Hercules transport airframe to execute all weather personnel recovery operations from austere airfields and ...

Air: AEW/fire control radar

AN/APG-83 SABR

The AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) is being developed as an upgrade option for the F-16. It is designed to replace the existing AN/APG-66 ...

EW test systems

JTE

The Joint Threat Emitter (JTE) is a multi-threat, high-fidelity simulator with realistic ERP levels, which simulates single- and double-digit surface-to-air and anti-aircraft artillery radar systems. ...

Data links

MIDS JTRS

The ViaSat Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) terminal combines the network-centric communications capability with a real-time operating picture. The four-channel ...

Military helicopters - multirole, Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

Hexa

The Hexa, or LIFT Hexa, is a rotary-wing aircraft developed by LIFT Aircraft for military and commercial markets. Due to its configuration and triple redundant autopilot ...

EO/IR systems

Q-39

The AN/AAQ-39 is the EO/IR fire control system operational on Air Force Special Operations Command AC-130U gunships. The Q-39 targeting system consists of a large-aperture ...

ISR/special mission

EC-130H Compass Call

The EC-130H is an EW aircraft based on the modified C-130H transport aircraft. It is used by the USAF to disrupt enemy command and control communications ...

Air: Head-up displays

R-HUD

The Replacement Heads-Up Display (R-HUD) is a Primary Flight Reference system designed to replace legacy HUD units on C-17 aircraft. Manufactured by Elbit Systems of ...