28 May – 3 June 2023 Aviation News Summary.
Telegram channel editor “Wings of War” It tells about the latest news from the aviation world.
military aviation
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation received a modified Il-76MD-90A
The upgraded Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft was delivered to the customer – the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, after flight and ground tests. This was reported in UAC’s press service.
The company noted that this machine is produced from domestic components. The advanced aircraft has improved core features compared to previous versions. In particular, flight range and cargo carried, as well as aircraft navigation, landing accuracy and quality of radio communication have been improved.
The ground and flight tests of the aircraft passed on time and successfully. New aviation equipment filled the air regiment of military transport aviation.
Several Il-76MD-90As provided by the 2023 production schedule are in varying degrees of readiness at Aviastar’s sites.
Another group of Su-34 went to the troops
United Aircraft Corporation has delivered a new batch of frontline bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The Su-34 aircraft passed a series of ground and flight tests. These machines make up a significant part of the striking power of Russian military aviation.
This technique has enhanced combat capabilities, which allows the use of advanced weapons. This will increase the range of destruction of ground and surface targets and improve the conditions and accuracy of bombing.
Troubled F-35 engines could cost Pentagon dearly
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter-bomber may need additional major engine overhauls in the coming years.
The US Accounting Office said in its annual report on the $412 billion F-35 Ownership Program (the world’s most expensive weapon system) that the aircraft’s cooling units were overloaded. This requires the engine to run at its limit.
The extra heat increases drivetrain wear, shortens life and increases maintenance costs by $38 billion.
A microwave system was tested in the United States that destroyed swarms of drones in a single salvo.
Obviously, drones for various purposes are gradually becoming an independent type of weapon, and in some cases already a stand-alone weapon. Moreover, we are no longer talking about individual cases, but about mass use – for example, the use of UAVs in the conflict in Ukraine.
Evaluating the trend, the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) developed a tactical operations system THOR designed to destroy groups of drones.
It applies the principle of exposing UAVs to directed energy “bursts” in the form of high-energy microwaves, where the installation hits drones over large areas. At the same time, it does not “cut” them like a laser, but burns the onboard electronics.
THOR costs $18 million. The system is housed in a standard six-metre shipping container that fits in the cargo hold of a C-130 Hercules, where it can be installed by two soldiers in three hours.
Indian helicopter makes emergency landing
An AH-64E Apache attack helicopter of the Indian Air Force made an emergency landing on a field near the village of Bhind, Madhya Pradesh.
According to the official statement, the rotorcraft was forced to land during a routine operational exercise. The crew and aircraft were not injured. The reasons for the incident will be determined after an investigation by a special commission.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation establishes a new military transport regiment aviation
The new VTA regiment will be formed in Russia during the summer training period, which began in the troops on June 1. This was reported in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
The Ministry said that within the specified time, the command of military transport aviation should form a new regiment, activate the young graduate pilots of 2023, train commanders and continue to master new, modernized aviation equipment, ensuring a high level. personnel training and serviceability of the aircraft.
According to the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the VTA is armed, in particular, with Il-76MD, An-26, An-22, An-124 aircraft, Mi-8MTV helicopters. The main tasks of military transport aviation are the transport and landing of troops, the delivery of weapons, ammunition and material.
US F-5 fighter jet crashes
A Northrop F-5N Tiger II of the VFC-111 Sun Downers fighter squadron crashed near Boca Chica Field on the morning of May 31, 2023, at 9:20 am local time. The pilot was ejected and taken to a Miami hospital for examination.
The US Naval Reserve’s 111th Squadron is based at Key West Air Force Base and acts as an adversary (attacker) during exercises. Because of this, the planes are color-coded for potential enemies (like Russia and China).
UK plans to test Mojave UAV
The country’s Navy Command plans to test the Mojave short takeoff and landing drone from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), according to a preliminary announcement from the UK Ministry of Defense.
The agency plans to sign a $1.9 million contract with the company to conduct a seven-month test, the purpose of which is to demonstrate the threshold capabilities of the UAV.
The Mojave is an unmanned aerial vehicle based on the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle-ER, designed to fly from aircraft carriers and short, impromptu runways.
In its lightest configuration, the aircraft has a takeoff distance of 122 m, which is less than half the 284 m flight deck of the British Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. The drone, whose take-off distance is increased to 304 m in a configuration containing 12 Hellfire missiles, also does not need a catapult to take off.
With more than 25 hours of flight time, the Mojave will allow the Navy to conduct long-range reconnaissance and, if necessary, strike targets.
Creating a new chapter for UAVs in the Kalashnikov concern
Concern “Kalashnikov” created a division of drones, called the special vehicles division. Tactical reconnaissance and assault will deal with the design and manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Relevant equipment – launchers, etc. Attention will also be paid to its creation. It has not yet been announced that new drone models will be created in its components.
According to the plan of the concern, the division of special vehicles will double the number of UAVs produced several times, but only in 2024.
civil Aviation
Riyadh Air plans to order more than 150 B737 MAX aircraft
Saudi Arabian state-owned airline Riyadh Air is in talks to purchase at least 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The total order can be up to 400 narrow-body airliners from different manufacturers.
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will also be part of a major contract. However, production of the most popular A321neo model is planned for the coming years. This limits the new airline’s ability to take delivery of aircraft as quickly as possible.
The Saudi airline placed its first pre-order in March 2023. It includes 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 33 options.
London airport hacked
The NoName hacker group claimed responsibility for hacking the IT infrastructure of London City Airport over the weekend. True, the damage from the attack was small: the site did not work for several hours; The hackers didn’t even demand any ransom.
But airline SAS, for example, was recently attacked by Anonymous Sudan, which blocked its mobile app and demanded a $175,000 ransom to remove the malware from its internal network.
The biggest of the latest attacks was carried out a year ago on SpiceJet, India’s low-cost airline. At that time, the airline’s infrastructure was blocked by a Trojan cipher, so the passenger departure control system (DCS) stopped working and they were unable to check-in for flights. Six flights had to be canceled and 147 more were delayed, affecting a third of all passengers flying that day on that airline’s plane.
Boeing to accelerate 787 Dreamliner production
American aircraft manufacturer Boeing is increasing production of Boeing 787 Dreamliner wide-body passenger aircraft to four per month and plans to produce five aircraft per month by the end of 2023.
In addition, the company plans to open a second production line at its Charleston, South Carolina plant after completing upgrades to the existing lines occupying the workspace.
Rostec creates an automated service system for civil aircraft
It will bring together information system developers, manufacturers, maintenance centers and airlines. This solution includes aircraft airworthiness maintenance, maintenance and repair, documentation preparation, etc. will automate it.
The service will become a “single window” for operators and will use only native software solutions. Some of its components are already working at the enterprises of the Rostec aviation complex. In particular, development is implemented in the SuperJet and MS-21 projects at Irkut Corporation.
Full implementation of the innovation in the country’s aviation ecosystem is scheduled by the end of 2025.
Asiana Airlines stops selling tickets for seats near Airbus A321 emergency exits
South Korean airline Asiana Airlines has decided to no longer sell tickets for seats near the emergency exit of its Airbus A321-200 aircraft.
Seats numbered 26A on the 174-seat A321, and 31A on the 195-seat models will no longer be available for sale. The company said in a statement that this is a precaution and applies even if the flight is full.
Recall that last Friday, a passenger on an Asiana Airlines flight opened the emergency exit door of the Airbus A321-231 shortly before landing at Daegu Airport. Nine people were hospitalized.
Chinese airlines start flying around Russia as they fly to the US
Chinese airlines flying to the United States began to avoid flights over Russian airspace.
These are flights that have been recently approved by the US authorities. On May 18, the US Department of Transportation approved new weekly flights operated by Air China (Beijing – New York), China Eastern (Shanghai – Los Angeles), Xiamen Airlines (Xiamen – Los Angeles) and China Southern (Guangzhou – Los Angeles). Chinese airlines, previously approved by Washington, can fly to the USA via Russia.
Also in early May, the US allowed Chinese airlines to operate 12 round-trip flights per week (previously they were not allowed to operate more than eight). The same number of flights are allowed for US carriers flying to China.
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Source: Riafan
I am Jackson Root, a professional writer and news author at The News Dept. I have been in the industry for over five years now and I specialize in covering trending news stories. I have been part of several high profile projects that made a significant impact on the industry.
