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Irish CityJet to option 6 more Russian-made airliners

Irish regional airline CityJet has agreed to option six more Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) airliners with a $210 million list price, the Irish Independent reported. The airline plans to turn an existing 10-order option for Russian airplanes into orders, according to CityJet founder an...

Australia set to acquire three more CH-47F Chinooks

The US Department of State has approved the possible sale of three more Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopters to Australia. The potential Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program deal, which is valued at US$180 million and includes related equipment and support, would take the Australian A...


700th R66 Rolls Off Production Line

Robinson’s 700th R66 turbine helicopter rolled off the production line on December 18, five years after the five-place helicopter received FAA certification. S/N 700 is an R66 Turbine Marine, which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats. The helicopter will be delivered to Robinson dealer Air Technology Belgium. This will be the first Turbine Mari...

IAG converts 15 A320neo options into firm orders

International Airlines Group (IAG) has firmed up options for a further 15 A320neos. “IAG and its airlines are one of Airbus’ most prestigious and loyal customers with fleets and orders covering the full range of our products,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer – Customers. “IAG is one of the biggest customers for Airbus single aisle aircraft and demonstrates...

Blue Skies and Stars Part of the Future Airplane Cabin

Airline customers want to set their cabins apart from the competition and give passengers a positive experience that they’ll remember and want to have again and again. So, airlines are looking to Boeing to provide a cabin that offers that “wow” factor. Engineers in Commercial Airplanes Product Development are working on concepts that will deliver that “wow” and set...

Airbus Beluga XL production starts

The first cut of the Beluga XL MSN001 rear fuselage has been successfully achieved in Spain, paving the way for the final assembly to begin in early 2017. MSN001 will be the first Beluga XL to fly. The rear fuselage, produced by Aernnova, will be the first part to be delivered to the Beluga Final Assembly Line in Toulouse. The Beluga XL entry into service is planned in mid-2019. The Beluga X...

China-Russia Heavy Lift Helicopter Contract Deferred To Mid-2016

A contract to develop the Advanced Heavy Lift (AHL) helicopter should be signed between China's Avicopter and Russia's Rostec in mid-2016 instead of end-2015, Dmitry Shugaev, Deputy CEO of Rostec has said. "We can say that both sides have a desire to come together and finalize their contractual obligations as well as sign an intergovernmental agreement by the middle of next year. T...

RAAF KC-30 completes F-16 refuelling trials

A RAAF KC-30A tanker transport has completed inflight refuelling trials with a US Air Force F-16. The seven flights from Edwards Air Force Base, between December 3 and 15, saw the KC-30A conduct 444 ‘contacts’ with the F-16, offloading over 25 tonnes of fuel, and are a key element in achieving conditional clearance for the tanker transport to refuel the F-16. &ldqu...

Lockheed to reveal 'ultimate offering' for T-X next year

Lockheed Martin has yet to reveal its “ultimate offering” for the US Air Force's hotly contested advanced pilot training competition despite joining Korea Aerospace Industries in the unveiling of its possible T-50 Golden Eagle-based T-X proposal in South Korea this week. Earlier this year, the company disclosed that its Skunk Works advanced design and development division had al...

Boeing raises protest of ‘irreparably flawed’ bomber selection

Boeing protests ‘irreparably flawed’ bomber selection Boeing and Lockheed Martin have reaffirmed their objection to the US Air Force’s October award of the next-generation bomber development contract to Northrop Grumman, dismissing the lengthy source-selection process as “irreparably flawed”. The losing industry team on 17 December submitted a “133-page br...

Qatar initiates Rafale contract

The contract for the purchase of 24 Rafale aircraft by Qatar from Dassault Aviation came into force. © Dassault Aviation Signed in Doha on 4th May 2015, in the company of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and Mr. François Hollande, President of the French Republic, the contract represents a new milestone in the strategic partnership bet...

Royal Saudi Air Force to acquire 30 An-178 transports

Saudi Arabia has tentatively signed for 30 examples of the developmental Antonov An-178 tactical transport, in a deal that could eventually see the Kingdom producing the aircraft locally. Detailed in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Antonov and Saudi company Taqnia Aeronautics, the deal will see the partners deliver the aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force. It further builds on t...

Second Bell 525 joins test campaign with three following in 2016

Bell Helicopter’s first 525 “Relentless” commercial helicopter now has a companion on the test and certification campaignwith Flight Test Vehicle-2 (FTV-2) joining the programme last week, the company confirms. The company says it remains on track to achieve certification of the 9.1t super-medium-class helicopter in 2017, with three more developmental 525s coming online i...

Boeing Delivers SF Airlines' First 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighter

Boeing and SF Airlines yesterday celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), which is also the first owned by an airline in China. The delivery took place at Boeing supplier ST Aerospace Services Co. in Singapore, where the conversion work was performed. It is the first of five 767BCFs the airline will receive during the next year. &ldq...

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SkyDrive signs Australia’s first eVTOL agreement with Gold Coast Helitours

SkyDrive signed a Letter of Intent with Gold Coast Helitours, a premier helicopter operator based in the Gold Coast, Australia. This milestone agreement represents SkyDrive's first LOI w...

Textron Aviation celebrates 500th Cessna Citation CJ4 delivery as Gen3 era advances

Textron Aviation delivered the 500th delivery of a Cessna Citation CJ4 series business jet, underscoring more than a decade of customer confidence in the company’s largest light jet an...

New high-tech composite center for 300 employees in central Switzerland begins operations

With its striking new “Schwarzhorn” building, Pilatus has officially opened an ultra-modern center of advanced composite competence in canton Nidwalden: effective immediately, the developm...

Heart Aerospace completes first flight off World's largest electric aircraft

Heart Aerospace announced the successful first flight of the company's X1 demonstrator aircraft. Spanning 106 feet, measuring 76 feet nose to tail, and weighing more than 25,000 pounds at takeoff,...

NOEMI Aerospace and Pawan Hans sign strategic MoU to explore electric seaplane operations in India

NOEMI Aerospace has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pawan Hans, India's leading helicopter operator, to explore the introduction of electric amphibious aircraft for regional air tra...

Archer to shape physical AI future of aerospace & defense with acquisition of Boeing’s Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid subsidiaries

Boeing and Archer Aviation have signed definitive agreements in which Archer will acquire Boeing’s Wisk Aero, SkyGrid and Insitu subsidiaries. The deal will combine complementary capabilities de...

EH216-S completes Central Asia’s first pilotless human-carrying eVTOL flight in the heart of Kazakhstan’s capital

EHang flagship EH216-S successfully completed Central Asia’s first pilotless human-carrying flight of an eVTOL aircraft in Astana, Kazakhstan. During the Games of the Future 2026, the...

iOS Apps development in Riga, Latvia

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EHang launches Global Fast Track Program to accelerate international commercialization of pilotless eVTOL; Sri Lanka first to adopt

EHang launches its Global Fast Track Program — a structured and accelerated pathway for the assessment and introduction of pilotless eVTOL operations in international markets. Sri Lanka is...

ATR identifies demand for 209 new domestic air routes in Indonesia

ATR identified 209 new domestic air routes in Indonesia that would be economically viable if served by regional turboprop aircraft. Total demand for these routes is 16 million passengers per...

Do228 NXT makes its African debut at El Alamein Airshow in Egypt and AAD 2026 in South Africa

In September 2026, General Atomics AeroTec Systems will put a major focus on Africa. With two trade show appearances, the German aircraft manufacturer is highlighting the strategic importance of...

Horizon Airways doubles down on fleet modernization with order for second Tecnam P2012 STOL

Queensland-based Horizon Airways has signed an order for a second Tecnam P2012 STOL aircraft. Slated to join the Australian fleet by the end of 2026, this subsequent order rapidly...

SkyDrive signs Australia’s first eVTOL agreement with Gold Coast Helitours

SkyDrive signed a Letter of Intent with Gold Coast Helitours, a premier helicopter operator based in the Gold Coast, Australia. This milestone agreement represents SkyDrive's first LOI w...

Textron Aviation celebrates 500th Cessna Citation CJ4 delivery as Gen3 era advances

Textron Aviation delivered the 500th delivery of a Cessna Citation CJ4 series business jet, underscoring more than a decade of customer confidence in the company’s largest light jet an...

Eve Air Mobility and RV Connex sign MOU to advance urban air mobility regulatory framework in Thailand

Eve Air Mobility and RV Connex Co., Ltd., a leading Thai engineering and aerospace company, are signing a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on regulatory development that will hel...