General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) today announced its successful demonstration of Predator B’s Electronic Attack capability on the U.S. Marine Corp’s (USMC’s) Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course held at Marine Corp Air Station (MCAS) Yuma on April 12. “With this powerful display of Predator B as a viable and capable EW platform, we’re poised to offer even greater value as a multi-mission RPA solution for the Marines to deal with their EW requirements,” said Frank W. Pace, president, Aircraft Systems Group, GA-ASI. The purpose of the demonstration was to judge the viability of a RPA to conduct electronic... Read More »

The bid of startup company, AVX Aircraft Corporation, took many all at once when it announced plans to take part within the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) predecessor to the long run Vertical Lift (FVL) program. The newly formed company has sky-high hopes of being selected to construct technology demonstrators and finally win the JMR/FVL program. AVX is against the heavyweights of the U.S. defense industry like Boeing, Bell, and Sikorsky. If successful, AVX could pull-off one of the most biggest upsets in defense military history. Founded by former Bell employees, AVX is a brand new competitor within the fierce JMR/FVL program... Read More »

Intense, excitement and fun are most of the words that start to describe the way in which two parachute riggers from the 101st Sustainment Brigade “Task Force Lifeliner,” 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), feel as they prepare for sling load operations. Spc. Vonza Abney, a local of Hinesville, Ga., and Pfc. Hanook M. Chi, a local of Seoul, South Korea, arrive every morning prepared to stand the wild and chaotic rotor-wash as a way to sustain Soldiers through sling load operations. As the aircraft hovers above these two riggers able to pick up the cargo, the warriors brace themselves against... Read More »

The primary Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II to be assigned to Air Combat Command’s (ACC) 347th Rescue Group at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., was ferried from the company’s Aeronautics facility located here. Maj. Gen. H. D. Polumbo, Jr., commander, Ninth Air Force, Air Combat Command, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., flew the Super Hercules (Lockheed Martin aircraft serial number 5725) to Moody AFB. The Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II is the U.S. Air Force’s only dedicated fixed-wing personnel recovery platform and is flown by ACC and Air Education and coaching Command. This C-130J variant, which replaces existing... Read More »

A Russian company is developing nanotechnology that could allow production of sunshine-weight ceramic armor for the army and police as early as by the tip of 2015, the Izvestia newspaper said Tuesday. Ceramic armor plates manufactured with using boron carbide powder might be used to make bulletproof vests, armor protection for combat vehicles or even for combat aircraft as they might be four times lighter than the prevailing armor plates. “The effectiveness of protection…will be 5-6 times higher than that of existing armor while the worth will drop by as much as 25 percent when compared with existing models,” Izvestia... Read More »