Electric Aircraft Shaping Up to Be Hot Commodity for Military Logistics

Pyka has leveraged its expertise in building electronic uncrewed cargo aircraft to offer the RUMRUNNER, a defense-oriented variant of their Pelican Cargo. in order to offer something workable to military clientele, Pyka tapped in SNC Partner for their "expertise in customizing solutions for the world's most complex challenges". The RUMRUNNER is the result, the "largest 100% electric cargo UAS for sustainment in contested operations."

Updates and Upgrades Continue for Allied Operator

Airbus Helicopters has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence of Brunei for the acquisition of six H145M helicopters. The new aircraft will replace the country's older Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BO-105s. The West German platform was pretty good for its day, offering the country a nimble twin-engine helo that could pull off missions outside strike roles alone. That's a nice value add for more cash-strapped nations, since they can't necessarily purchase and maintain an expansive fleet of single-purpose airframes.

Autonomous Falcon Shows Just how Far the Tech Has Come

US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall was given a turn around the patch in the 'X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft, or VISTA, to illustrate just how far autonomous aircraft have come. The aircraft sounds much snazzier than it is in reality, being a 30-year old, 2-seat F-16D with a nifty paint job and an R2-D2 in one of the seats. The aircraft has long been in the US Air Force Test Pilot School, where it received modifications for multi-axis thrust vectoring and aerodynamics. It went on to be used in the Skyborg program, equipped with an autonomous control system. Its latest guise now holds an updated and upgraded AI 'pilot', making it the very first AI fighter to dogfight against a human opponent. Kendall took a turn on the stick - well, near the stick - and went out for a spin in the VISTA, to USAF note. While it's ultimately a small thing in the grand tradition of powered flight, it's notable that the Air Force was willing to put someone of rank at the mer

First Of The Four Airplanes Is Expected To Arrive In Late Summer Of 2025

Premier Scott Moe and Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman have disclosed details on the four re-purposed land-based airtanker aircraft, consisting of two Dash 8-Q400AT models and two Dash 8-Q400MRE models, being purchased for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) at an approximate cost of $187.06 million. The planes will replace the current fleet of land-based airtanker aircraft, which consists of four Convair 580 airplanes. Those planes will approach the end of their useful lifespan in 2027.

This Was The Depot’s First Time Restoring An A-4 Skyhawk For Historical Display

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) artisans recently had the rare opportunity to restore a piece of aviation history for display onboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) opened its doors Dec. 16, 1943 as the Assembly and Repair Department at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. As an aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, FRCE’s Aircraft Clean and Paint shops prime and paint each aircraft that passes through the facility. However, artisans had the chance to “travel back in time” as they restored a retired Douglas A-4M Skyhawk – a platform that has not been serviced by the depot in more than 20 years – to its former glory.

Air And Marine Operations Crews Have Rescued 98 People Since The Beginning Of Fiscal Year 2024

A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) UH-60 aircrew rescued a man trapped in rugged terrain in the Baboquivari Mountain region on April 30. The Tucson Air Branch aircrew was en route to a media event to demonstrate Search and Rescue (SAR) procedures for visiting journalists. During the transit, the aircrew diverted to respond to reports of an undocumented migrant in distress in the remote mountain range.

AW-139 Helps Motor Vehicle Crash Victim in Allegany County< MD

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command had its work cut out for it, last week, as it rescued a man injured from a motor vehicle rollover down an 80-foot embankment in Allegany County. At approximately 6:50 a.m. on May 3, 2024, Maryland State Police Aviation Command was requested to assist Allegany County Fire and EMS personnel with a motor vehicle accident with entrapment, over an embankment. The Trooper 5 helo, based out of the Cumberland Section, responded to the scene. While on scene, the crew of Trooper 5 was able to make contact with the patient and rescue crews.