Germany won't let up in military aid to Ukraine, Scholz says

On the same subject

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  August 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  B-21 Avionics Testbed Aircraft Now Operating, USAF Official Says

  Steve Trimble The U.S. Air Force has commissioned a flying testbed aircraft to test the avionics system and software for the Northrop Grumman B-21 bomber, a senior official said on Aug. 13. The first B-21 test aircraft is still being assembled in Palmdale, California, but the flying testbed allows the stealth bomber program to “buydown risk,” said Randall Walden, director of the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office, which is managing the program. “We have a flight test aircraft that we've been hosting some of these subsystems on,” Walden said. “We're doing it kind of in a parallel approach, working out some of the bugs with the software as well as the subsystems.” Walden, speaking to the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute, did not identify the flying testbed, but his remarks come two months after the appearance of a green Boeing 737 owned by the Air Force with registration N712JM. The Lockheed Martin F-35 program also used a 737 to check out avionics and mission systems before test flights of the stealth fighter started in 2006. “When you can buydown risk with subsystems on even another platform, no matter what it is like you get into the air and use some of the software and work those bugs out it goes a long way,” Walden said. The Air Force expects to field the B-21 in the mid-2020s, about a decade after awarding the engineering and manufacturing development contract to Northrop in 2015. The development program remains on track, but Walden is eager to begin testing as soon as possible. “All of the tough critical designs, all of the hard engineering, is behind us,” Walden said. “I know we're not going to be immune from design flaws. We're going to have to work through those, and we're doing some of that today. I want to find out what those design deficiencies are as fast as I can to get on with the solution.” https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/b-21-avionics-testbed-aircraft-now-operating-usaf-official-says

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  June 10, 2022 | International, Land

  After Rheinmetall bid for Oto Melara, Italian government awaits Fincantieri's move

  '€œWe will wait for September for a Fincantieri offer, we want to have the entire picture,'€ a government source in Rome said.

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  October 16, 2020 | International, Naval

  Huntington Ingalls delivers Montana sub to dry dock

  Christen McCurdy Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Huntington Ingalls announced Thursday that it has transferred the Montana submarine to the floating dry dock at Newport News in advance of the vessel's planned November launch. Earlier this month, the vessel was transported out of Huntington Ingalls' construction industry using a transfer car system, according to the shipbuilder. "Moving Montana to the floating dry dock is an important accomplishment for the 10,000 shipbuilders who, through the teaming agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat, have collaborated to get us to where we are today," said Jason Ward, Newport News' vice president of Virginia-class submarine construction. "It signifies that the submarine is prepared to start the next and final stage of its construction before going to sea," Ward said. The Montana is the Navy's 21st Virginia-class attack submarine, and was christened by former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell Sept. 12 in front of a virtual audience. Construction of the 7,800-ton Virginia class sub began in 2015 and is nearly 85% complete. It was previously scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in late 2020, but Huntington Ingalls now expects to deliver the vessel late next year. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/10/15/Huntington-Ingalls-delivers-Montana-sub-to-dry-dock/6311602790820/