Stephen Kuper

The tilt-rotor aircraft capable of both vertical take-off and landing and high-speed flight have been a familiar sight in the Top End for nearly a decade, supporting the annual Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) deployments.

Charles Darwin University’s North Australia Centre for Autonomous Systems (NACAS) has opened the Airspace Integration Research Facility (AIR-F) at its Katherine Rural Campus, the only purpose-built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test site in northern Australia.

The recruitment push comes as preparations ramp up for the basing of the advanced attack helicopters at RAAF Base Townsville later this year.

Nova Systems will provide both hardware and software solutions to support the Navy’s Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit (AMAFTU) with its modern flight testing requirements.

On social media, General Allvin highlighted that the F-47 would be expected to see some form of operational capability between 2025 and 2029, with a minimum number of aircraft of 185 airframes, or a one-for-one replacement for the F-22 Raptor fleet.

The exercise over California’s Mojave Desert also involved the British RAF, which, along with the US, is set to introduce its own Wedgetails into its fleet and obtain similar certification in future.