Aviation News
The F-35’s United Operational Test Team has successfully conducted the first ever dual, external release of a GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) from an F-35. This successful test, which took place at Edwards Air Force Base, California, marks a critical milestone in integrating the LJDAM across all variants of the 5th-generation fighter.
Photo: U.S. Air Force
Continue reading “LJDAM integration on F-35 progresses with successful dual external release”
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is bidding farewell to its venerable fleet of C-130H Hercules transport aircraft after six decades of service. The official retirement date for the five-strong fleet was Friday, Jan. 30th, 2025, marking the end of an era for the workhorse aircraft that have served New Zealand both at home and around the globe. To commemorate their service, the Hercules fleet has recently conducted flypasts over Northland and the central North Island, and has scheduled further flypasts over the South Island for Monday and Tuesday, next week.
Corporal Naomi James, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Continue reading “RNZAF C-130H Hercules retires after 60 years of service”
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) is deploying its advanced F-35A stealth fighter jets for a joint training exercise with the United States and Australia near Guam this February. This marks the first time the JASDF has dispatched the F-35A to the Cope North exercise, and is being called the “first gathering of F-35s from all three countries”.
防衛省・自衛隊ホームページ, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Continue reading “Japan to deploy F-35A to Cope North for the first time”
The U.S. Marine Corps’ 3d Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) has executed a successful live-fire exercise of the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS), conducted at the Pohakuloa Training Area on Jan. 25. This event, marking the first live-fire of MADIS on a Hawaiian island since its introduction in December, underscores a critical step in the Corps’ Force Design modernisation efforts.
Continue reading “3d Marine Littoral Regiment unleashes MADIS in live-fire exercise”
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has been operating a modified Airbus A320, known as the Advanced Technology Research Aircraft (ATRA), which recently completed its first flight with a unique modification: the nose of a Eurofighter combat jet. The modified A320 is being used to test and mature a new radar system destined for Eurofighter combat aircraft.
Photo: Airbus
Continue reading “A320 testbed with a fighter jet nose”