Australia issues Triton Letter of Request
The Australian government has confirmed its interest in acquiring the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft by announcing the issuance of a Letter of Request (LOR) seeking further information from the US. Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Dr Mike Kelly said in a statement on May 16 that the LOR would give [...]
Budget reveals RAAF Orion retirement
The Australian Defence budget for 2013-14 released on Tuesday night reveals that a single RAAF P-3C Orion has been retired, with the operational fleet now at 18 aircraft. “One AP-3C has been retired”, a footnote to the ‘Air Force Deliverables (Flying Hours)’ table notes. Australian Aviation is seeking further details on the aircraft’s retirement.
NZ approval for QF-EK alliance on the trans-Tasman
Qantas and Emirates have received approval for the last major element of their strategic alliance, with New Zealand’s Transport Minister authorising coordination of fares and schedules on trans-Tasman routes. In approving the arrangement, Minister Gerry Brownlee said the alliance would be beneficial to passengers, exporters and the New Zealand tourism sector. “Qantas and Emirates will [...]
A350 emerges from the paintshop
Airbus has eschewed the traditional lavish ‘rollout’ ceremony for its new A350 XWB twin. Instead, Airbus employees in Toulouse “welcomed” MSN001 after it emerged from the paint shop on Monday. The aircraft was painted in under seven days after the completion of MSN001’s flight test instrumentation verification. MSN001′s engines were installed last month, following which it underwent [...]
Qantas continues Olympic team sponsorship
Qantas has extended its longstanding partnership with the Australian Olympic Committee. Under the renewed agreement, Qantas will provide airline travel for Australian Olympic teams for the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 and the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. “We’re extremely proud to continue as the Official Airline of the Australian Olympic Team as they head [...]
Biofuel “bioport” for Brisbane Airport?
Virgin Australia, Brisbane Airport and SkyNRG have announced plans for a feasibility study into establishing a “bioport” at Brisbane Airport, with the aim of allowing aircraft to be fuelled with sustainable biofuels. A memorandum of understanding will see the three parties undertake a feasibility study, expected to take 12 months, which “will involve researching the [...]
Heron moves to SRG
Control of the RAAF’s 5 Flight, which operates the Heron surveillance UAV in Afghanistan, has been transferred from Air Combat Group to Surveillance and Response Group (SRG). At the time the Heron capability was stood up in January 2010, Air Combat Group was deemed the most suitable FEG (Force Element Group) for the nascent UAV [...]
New build Growlers, renewed commitment to F-35 mark new Defence White Paper
The Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Minister for Defence Stephen Smith today announced the acquisition of 12 new-build Boeing EA-18G Growlers electronic attack aircraft to help cover the transition to a RAAF air combat fleet of at least 72 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The news came at the same time as the government released its [...]
White Paper to confirm 12 Growlers, 100 F-35s – report
The Defence White Paper, due to be released on Friday, will confirm Australia will acquire 12 new build Boeing EA-18G Growlers but reaffirm the government’s commitment to an ultimate fleet of 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, news wire service Reuters has reported. According to the report, citing unnamed “defence sources and analysts”, the government’s faith [...]
Rob Sharp new Tiger Australia CEO
Former Qantas executive Rob Sharp has been appointed to head up Tiger Airways Australia, following ACCC approval of Virgin Australia’s effective takeover of the Australian arm of the Singapore-based low cost carrier last week. Sharp has held a number of commercial roles at Qantas over the past 15 years including in strategy and as head [...]
Norway revises F-35 schedule
The Norwegian government has requested approval from the country’s parliament to buy six F-35 Lightning II aircraft for delivery in 2017, in a plan that sees it bring forward its initial purchase by a year but stretch out subsequent deliveries over a longer period. Norway’s revised F-35 acquisition plans envisage delivery of six aircraft each [...]
