Aussies buy seven more MQ-28 Ghost Bat CCAs following live-fire demo
The deal was announced after the MQ-28 successfully engaged and shot down an aerial target at a southern Australian test range.
The deal was announced after the MQ-28 successfully engaged and shot down an aerial target at a southern Australian test range.
Australia has been cleared to buy 60 Global Lightning – Joint Tactical Terminal – Transceivers (JTT-X) and 24 Next Generation Electronic Attack Units (NGEAU) under the package, according to an announcement from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
All personnel were accounted for and one sailor sustained a minor injury, according to a Navy statement.
“It will take time — we’re rebuilding a workforce that needs the experience,” said Mark Sears, Boeing’s vice president for fighters. “For F-15, you can be a good mechanic, but it's mostly about the number of times to do a job that makes you a good mechanic.”
“There’s a lot of conversation internally, could we turn this into a Growler,” Boeing F-15 business development lead Rob Novotny told Breaking Defense. “So we're looking at some trade work.”
Through the deal, Boeing’s litigation with supplier GKN Aerospace will be dropped, and the aerospace giant will take possession of a St. Louis-area factory it used to own.
The desire for technical data rights “is one of those areas where industry and government have been at odds for a long time. And certainly Boeing on F-18 and the Navy as well," Boeing fighters VP Mark Sears told Breaking Defense. "So being able to put that on a path to final resolution ... is a really positive step."
The production line could be extended to 2027 if the Indian Navy chooses the fighter aircraft.
Fear over a defective part led to grounding and inspection of hundreds of planes. After all that, only four problems were actually discovered. Was shutting down flight operations worth it?
During a marathon markup session that started on Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment that would add $37 billion to the defense topline.
The F-35 handily won out over its competition in the capability assessment, scoring a 4.47 compared to the 3.81 of the second-place company.
House lawmakers say they are "highly circumspect" of the Navy's analysis for closing the strike fighter shortfall.
A senior naval aviation officer says a change to the F-35C squadrons, additional reserve aircraft from other services and a successful maintenance program will be key to resolving the longstanding shortfall.
"Switzerland has no industrial or program stake in the program, and Swiss procurement, like the country, is largely neutral, so this reflects very well on the F 35’s overall technical appeal," aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group says.