USAF grounds the KC-46 due to tools and debris left during manufacturing.

https://www.seattletimes.com/busines…ed_buffer_tw_m

[USER=”37785″]Rob_in_NM[/USER] :Thank you for the link.

Its’ unbelievable that a Boeing factory can’t follow proper routines… that Boeing, a 100+ year company, certainly put first in place. Litter and debris, as dangerous as they can be when left in cavities, are of a slightly minor concerns here. But tools should be registered and accounted at the end of the day.
The mad tempo and tight budget are certainly a primary cause in this debacle.

If an adversary ever sees the F-35, I want them to have something show up on all their screen savers that says, “We’re here” — not “I’m here,” but “We’re here.” If they ever do see an F-35, which is highly unlikely, it will never be alone. We’re going be there in space — we’ve been there for a while; we’re going to be there with high altitude, ISR; we’re going be there with the B-21. It’s about to wreak havoc, and there’s nothing they can do about it. And there’s one weapon system that we’ve designed to quarterback, to call the audibles inside enemy airspace, and that’s the F-35. It fuses information, it fuses data. For me, we are not going to integrate the F-35 into the joint team, we are going to integrate the penetrating joint team into the F-35.

[…]

The weapons system that we designed to call the audibles — because nothing in war goes exactly as planned — is the F-35. So how we train the force in the T-X [trainer jet] to be able to get to that level of operation understanding is where we’re going. And it’s my experience that in the career of an aviator, what makes the difference between a really good pilot and a great pilot is not stick and run; it’s mental. Who can make the leap that can take all that’s going on and build this three-dimensional model in your head to understand what’s going on miles away from you, in a way that you can never see? We’ve made that easier by bringing these displays together to fuse the information.

A must read on DefenseNews.com

More view here: https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/26/bo…ot-flown-jets/

A full-scale mock-up was revealed at the Australian National Airshow today:

[…]

The Loyal Wingman is 38 feet long and should have a 2,300-mile range. It will fly independently but will almost certainly remotely as well, and can be equipped with a variety of sensor packages and other goodies.

And (from AviationWeek):

Designed by Boeing Australia (a very dynamic place to be lately):

MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 27, 2019 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] has introduced its newest unmanned platform, the Boeing Airpower Teaming System.

Designed for global defense customers by Boeing Australia, it is the company’s largest investment in a new unmanned aircraft program outside the United States.

The aircraft will complement and extend airborne missions through smart teaming with existing military aircraft.

A model of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System was unveiled at the Australian International Airshow by the Australian Minister for Defence, the Hon. Christopher Pyne MP. As a research and development activity, the Australian Government and Boeing will produce a concept demonstrator called the Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program that will provide key learnings toward the production of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System.

“The Boeing Airpower Teaming System will provide a disruptive advantage for allied forces’ manned/unmanned missions,” said Kristin Robertson, vice president and general manager of Boeing Autonomous Systems. “With its ability to reconfigure quickly and perform different types of missions in tandem with other aircraft, our newest addition to Boeing’s portfolio will truly be a force multiplier as it protects and projects air power.”

The Boeing Airpower Teaming System will:
— Provide fighter-like performance, measuring 38 feet long (11.7 metres) and able to fly more than 2,000 nautical miles
— Integrate sensor packages onboard to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions and electronic warfare
— Use artificial intelligence to fly independently or in support of manned aircraft while maintaining safe distance between other aircraft.

“This aircraft is a historic endeavor for Boeing. Not only is it developed outside the United States, it is also designed so that our global customers can integrate local content to meet their country-specific requirements,” said Marc Allen, president, Boeing International. “The Boeing Airpower Teaming System provides a transformational capability in terms of defense, and our customers – led by Australia – effectively become partners on the program with the ability to grow their own sovereign capabilities to support it, including a high-tech workforce.”

First flight is planned for 2020.

“We are global, and that is an important point here. We can leverage that global talent footprint and experience in autonomous systems,” says Robertson. “We teamed with Australia, and they are leading design and development of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, with local industry support.” Suppliers include BAE Systems Australia, Ferra Engineering and RUAG Australia.

Boeing’s largest presence outside the U.S. is in Australia, where since 2000 the company has acquired most of the major names in local aircraft manufacturing, including the former Government Aircraft Factories and Hawker de Havilland. “This is one of the first times, as Boeing, that we have created a new product in a country like Australia,” says Shane Arnott, director of Phantom Works International.

Source:
https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2019-02…?sf208148253=1
https://aviationweek.com/defense/boeing-unveils-loyal-wingman-uav-developed-australia?fbclid=IwAR37h2LDGwcEoDcMJ7jyMY-3BV9LEJ2rF7GvjybYS8P1731CcGZYYtkKR8s

115 millions d’euros pour des aubes de nouvelle génération (études dites « Turenne 2 »). Ces études permettront de gagner 150 degrés d’ici 2025 sur la température des turbines haute pression des moteur. « Aujourd’hui, un moteur de Rafale supporte une température déjà très élevée d’environ 1850 degrés, il s’agit de rendre un moteur capable de supporter une température d’environ 2000 degrés. Ce type de développement technologique est essentiel pour le développement du moteur de l’avion de combat du futur », explique le ministère des Armées.
————————————————

115 million euros for new generation [M88’s] blades (so-called “Turenne 2” studies). These studies will make it possible to gain 150 degrees by 2025 on the temperature of the high-pressure engine turbines. “Today, a Rafale engine withstands an already very high temperature of about 1850 degrees, which is to make an engine capable of withstanding a temperature of about 2000 degrees. This type of technological development is essential for the development of the engine of the combat aircraft of the future, “explains the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Source:
https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/conte…ault-et-airbus

there was no opposition known as such during asymetrical exercises between F-35 and eurocanards

Still, words like “exponentially more challenging” Red Flag”and “equally capable red force” were heard.

Extract:

The Red Force was made up of hybrid threats, combinations of the “most advanced weapons systems out there,” meant to replicate “near-peer” enemies in a large scale conflict. The shift closely aligns with the National Defense Strategy.

Let’s hope that they didn’t fall asleep. Crew exhaustion was pointed in the media.

EDIT:
Security video shows the plane going down in a steep dive without any attempt to pull out

“The aircraft is in the video… at a steep descent – [a] steep nose-down attitude,” NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt said during a press conference on 24 February. “I saw no evidence of the aircraft trying to turn or pull up at the last moments.”

The security video was taken from a county jail at a distance of slightly more than 1nm (1.9km) from the site where the Boeing 767-300ER Freighter crashed following a flight from Miami.

Authorities have confirmed three people were aboard the aircraft. Atlas Air says there were no survivors.

Source:
FlightGlobal.com

First RAF Typhoon use of Brimstone missile destroys ISIS boat in Syria

On February 19, a Typhoon deployed to the Euphrates river “where a boat used by Daesh had been identified and was destroyed using the Brimstone missile,” the release said, adding that the RAF on February 11 destroyed two ISIS strong-points, including a heavy machine-gun position, using Paveway IV laser-guided bombs.

Source:
DefensePost.com

From the Osprey to the CH-53K: Progress in Building a Maintainable Aircraft

[ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:”Click image for larger version Name:tSikorsky CH-53K Seating-Head-Torque.jpg Views:t0 Size:t1.26 MB ID:t3852658″,”data-align”:”none”,”data-attachmentid”:”3852658″,”data-size”:”full”,”title”:”Sikorsky CH-53K Seating-Head-Torque.jpg”}[/ATTACH]

Aren’t you with the logs demo shaping domain knowledge rather than manuals to launch the K fleet experience?

Lambert: That is correct.

“We are focused on having the Marines working with the airplane get familiar and comfortable with the maintenance approach and indeed, to shape that approach.

“In Osprey interviews which you published from a decade ago, one of the challenges highlighted was the lack of knowledge, the lack of being comfortable with the airplane which led to a high amount of premature removal of parts for unknown failures.

“We are focused on training the Marines to make good sound judgment calls when troubleshooting and performing maintenance.”

An interesting piece worth reading

Source:
Second Line of Defense.com