Army’s IBCS wraps up initial operational testing

Army’s IBCS wraps up initial operational testing
Army’s IBCS wraps up initial operational testing

The service’s decision to move IBCS into full-rate production is expected “early next year,” a spokesperson for prime contractor Northrop Grumman said.

Upgraded UH-60 ‘V’ Black Hawk model completes initial operational test

Upgraded UH-60 ‘V’ Black Hawk model completes initial operational test
Upgraded UH-60 ‘V’ Black Hawk model completes initial operational test

The testing took place under “realistic battlefield conditions” and five UH-60V’s completed a total of 200 flight hours, the Army says.

16 Months Late, F-35 Starts Key Tests: IOT&E

16 Months Late, F-35 Starts Key Tests: IOT&E
16 Months Late, F-35 Starts Key Tests: IOT&E

WASHINGTON The F-35 program office announced today the aircraft had finally reached its initial operational test & evaluation phase, which is expected to wrap up next September. That’s three months behind previous projections for mid-summer — the result of the program’s first crash (fortunately non-fatal) and a subsequent grounding — and 16 months behind the…

F-35 Testing May Slow Two Months Due To Fuel Tube Crash

F-35 Testing May Slow Two Months Due To Fuel Tube Crash
F-35 Testing May Slow Two Months Due To Fuel Tube Crash

More than 80 percent of operational F-35s have returned to flight operations but the fuel tube problems may delay testing another two months.

KC-46 Faces 3 Category One Deficiencies; Two Affect Boom

KC-46 Faces 3 Category One Deficiencies; Two Affect Boom
KC-46 Faces 3 Category One Deficiencies; Two Affect Boom

AFA: The four-star chief of Air Mobility Command wants his new KC-46 Pegasus tankers “yesterday,” but the tanker’s boom has a nasty tendency to scrape up planes it’s trying to refuel, as well as two other category one deficiencies, and contractor Boeing has to fix those. The paint scraping problem — formally known as “undetected…

F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%

F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%
F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%

ARLINGTON: One week after President-Elect Donald Trump tweeted that the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was “out of control,” the F-35 program office announced the price of most variants had dropped yet again. The contract for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 9 will buy 57 aircraft, 34 for the US and 23…

Navy’s ‘Klingon Bird Of Prey’ Passes Key Tests: LCS Trimaran

Navy’s ‘Klingon Bird Of Prey’ Passes Key Tests: LCS Trimaran
Navy’s ‘Klingon Bird Of Prey’ Passes Key Tests: LCS Trimaran

[UPDATED with shock trials] The strangest-looking ship in the Navy is conducting two crucial tests. A broad, triple-hulled “trimaran” design likened to a villain’s vessel from Star Trek, the Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship completed its Initial Operational Test & Evaluation on June 3rd. What’s more, the Navy Sea Systems Command announced yesterday, the USS Coronado (LCS 4) wrapped…