Multimission Anti-Sub Copter Begins Testing

The first of 31 NH90 Sea Tigers took off on a maiden flight from Airbus' Donauwörth, Germany facility earlier this week. The helo will be known as the 'Sea Tiger Multi-Role Frigate Helicopter' in Bundeswehr service, replacing their aged Mk88A Sea Lynx aircraft from 1981. German armed forces already operate NH90 platforms thanks to previous orders of the Sea Lion, an aircraft that recently scored its first naval rescue operation in the North Sea. The Sea Tiger, adapted from the NH-90 NFH (a specialized naval version) will find itself well equipped for the anti-sub mission, with a standard dipping sonar, sonobuoy loadout, and electro-optical suite with ESM capabilities.

Finished with Testing and Evaluation, the 6th Aircraft Delivery Heralds Start of Mass Production

Boeing has begun its move towards low rate initial production for the MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter after tending the 6th and final test aircraft to the USAF in October, ending its Research, Development, Test & Evaluation phase. LRIP will begin assembling 13 new aircraft as contracted, with up to 80 more on order should they be chosen. The first of the new batch has already headed into final assembly, and Boeing believes they can have the first completed unit of the batch in customer hands in 2024.

Prototype UAV Expected to Fly in 2025

Airbus finalized a deal with the Spanish Ministry of Defence for the development and acquisition of SIRTAP, a "High Performance Tactical UAS that will reinforce the tactical capabilities of the Spanish Army and the Air and Space Force." The contract will include 9 total systems, each including a suite of 3 uncrewed aircraft and one control station. To help provide cost-effective training, a pair of simulators will be included too. SIRTAP sports a payload of 330 lbs and a range of 1,200 sm. Its 20-hour endurance provides a flexible, stationable, responsive day/night operator even in controlled airspace. All of that remains somewhat theoretical at the moment, with the first prototype flight expected to take place in 2025.

KC-46A Sees Lot 10 Contract

Boeing will build 15 more KC-46A Pegasus tankers under a Lot 10 contract awarded by the USAF to the tune of $2.3 billion. Those new aircraft will join the USAF fleet of 76 of the type already delivered. At the moment, the fleet boasts 153 of the refuelers on contract around the world to various clients, and the more hours they rack up, the more trustworthy they appear to would-be customers. Earlier this year the USAF awarded a Block 1 upgrade contract to the firm, looking to add "more advanced communications capabilities to enhance the aircraft's data connectivity and situational awareness."

T-6 Trainers Run on StandardAero Overhauls, with more than 500 Happy Engines

StandardAero just capped off 10 full years of support for the military's favorite advanced trainer aircraft, the T-6 Texan II. Since obtaining the contract to provide engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, the firm has worked on more than 500 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop engines. The full spectrum of T-6s can be daunting for some, given its -A, -B, -C, and -D models, not to mention foreign iterations like their sister ship the Canadian Harvard.