China's large amphibious aircraft AG600 took and off, flew and landed back to successfully mark its first water-based test flight Saturday at a lake in Jingmen, Central China's Hubei Province. State owned media, Global Times reported that the aircraft lifted off from the water of Jingmen's Zhanghe Reservoir at 8:51 am, and landed back on to water at 9:05 am, quoting a statement its manufacturer Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) today
The United States State has approved a Foreign Military Sale to the United Kingdom of 16 H-47 Chinook (Extended Range) helicopters made by Boeing for an estimated cost of $3.5 billion
Egypt has announced it has inducted Chinese-made Wing Loong Attack drones into its Air Force. Video of the Wing Loong drone, taking off with missiles on its hard-points and knocking off a ground target was shown as part of a publicity video telecast on Egyptian media on the occasion of the 45th Air Force Day
The Portuguese Ministry of Defence (MoD) has selected Leonardos AW119Kx as its new multirole single engine helicopter to meet its future operational requirements. The Portuguese Air Force is set to take delivery of five aircraft with an option for a further two units
The Pakistan Navy Commissioned PNS MOAWIN, an indigenously constructed 17,000 ton combat support ship which is the largest warship ever built in Pakistan. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, President of Turkish Defence Industry Prof Dr Ismael DEMIR and Turkish Deputy Minister of National Defence Muhsin Dere were also present on the occasion at the Naval Shipyard in Karachi Tuesday, local media reported quoting an official release
Key sub-systems of the Airbus Helicopters RACER (Rapid and Cost-Efficient Rotorcraft) technology demonstrator have now passed their preliminary design review (PDR) giving way to the launching of first components manufacture. Final assembly of the prototype is planned to start in Q4 2019
The Chinese Z-19E armed light helicopter is expected to start batch production in the foreseeable future probably for an unknown international customer. According to its developer the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the Z-19E helicopter has under gone professional scrutiny regarding its performance tests and passed verifications, demonstrating the model is capable of entering the production phase, AVIC said in a statement quoted by various Chinese media
A production line to manufacture Apache Helicopters for the Qatari Amiri Air Forces was launched Saturday in Boeings US facility in Mesa, Arizona. Qatar had signed a contract to buy 24 Apache armed helicopters for 667 million in 2016
The Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), acting on behalf of the French, German and Spanish Armament agencies DGA, BAAINBw and DGAM, has awarded a de-risking study to a European consortium comprising Airbus Helicopters, Thales and MDBA for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of the Tiger attack helicopter to the Mk 3 standard. France, Germany and Spain will prepare together the development of new features and identify the innovations needed to improve the Tigers survivability and keep it fully operational beyond 2040
The Chinese Z-10 attack helicopter, considered a competitor to the Boeing Apache, has been shown equipped with armor made from graphene, according to a video released by China Central Television (CCTV) last week. Commenting on the video report, state owned Global Time said that extra armor modules could be seen on the side of the helicopter near the cockpit