News and Stories

Russia’s Other  Big Biplane

Russia’s Other Big Biplane

A huge production number characterized both of Russia’s well-known biplanes. More than 20,000 examples of the large, postwar Antonov An-2 have been built, but eclipsing this is massive production of an estimated 40,000+ examples of the Polikarpov PO-2. The PO-2 is a smaller biplane than the An-2 and much older in concept, the prototype first […]
Freighter-Town USA

Freighter-Town USA

As the world’s fleet of aging Boeing 727 and DC-8 freighters needs replacement, up steps Miami-based Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI). AEI has been converting out-of-time passenger airliners at Miami since 1958, and to date has converted more than 350 different aircraft to carry the world’s air freight. Conversions of older Boeing 737-200s, 300s and 400s […]
Hydrogen-fueled propulsive system takes wing

Hydrogen-fueled propulsive system takes wing

The AeroVironment (AV) Global Observer unmanned air vehicle has flown successfully at Edwards Air Force Base in California. This is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system that is touted by AV “to combine the best attributes of satellites and both manned and unmanned aircraft.” Its revolutionary liquid hydrogen-fueled propulsive system, an LH2 internal combustion powerplant […]
Third Time’s the Charm:  Boeing Wins the KC-X Competition

Third Time’s the Charm: Boeing Wins the KC-X Competition

The Boeing Airplane Company won the KC-X competition the first time it was held more than 10 years ago, but the contract was rescinded due to high program leasing plan costs and heavy lobbying by the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS). The second time around, EADS won the KC-X competition in February 2008, […]
X-47B UCAS-D  enters  flight-test  activities

X-47B UCAS-D enters flight-test activities

The first of two Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Aircraft System-Demonstration (UCAS-D) air vehicles built for the U.S. Navy has been successfully flown at Edwards AFB, California. Aircraft carrier demonstration sea trials will follow after thorough flight testing of the X-47B unoccupied UCAS-D air vehicles is complete. The X-47B UCAS-D air vehicles are strike fighter […]
P-8A Poseidon  Enters Into Low Rate  Initial Production

P-8A Poseidon Enters Into Low Rate Initial Production

The U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command started its initial production phase of the P-8A Poseidon with a six-plane $1.6 billion contract order to initiate Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) at the Boeing Plant 3 facility in Renton, Washington. This first LRIP contract includes spares and logistic and training devices. “In 2004, the U.S. Navy […]
Socata Centenary

Socata Centenary

This year marks 100 years of continuous aircraft design and manufacturing by the famous French company Morane-Saulnier, now Daher-Socata. The Morane-Borel monoplane was the company’s very first aircraft; it was put in to limited production as the Morane-Saulnier Type A after the type proved successful in the 1911 Paris-Madrid air race in which Raymond Saulnier […]
F-4  still tows the mark

F-4 still tows the mark

The 82nd Aerial Target Squadron (ATRS) based at Tyndall AFB, Florida, operates a fleet of surplus aerial target drones to train fighter pilots in the art of air-to-air combat. Some of these drones, designated QF-4, are now used to tow banner targets behind them to give pilots additional gunnery training. Originally built by the McDonnell […]
Helldiver arrives at Udvar-Hazy Museum

Helldiver arrives at Udvar-Hazy Museum

A Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver is the first resident in a new restoration hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The Helldiver aka “Beast” was transported from the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage facility in Maryland; this facility will eventually […]
First C-27J Spartan  arrives late for duty

First C-27J Spartan arrives late for duty

The first C-27J Spartan Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) to become operational with U.S. forces has arrived at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport in Ohio. The Italian-built C-27J has been called a “Mini C-130” because it houses two engines (instead of four), and its propellers are identical to those of second-generation Hercules transports. Mansfield’s first aircraft (no. […]
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