US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has proposed cuts to the planned F-35 JSF production ramp up in order to free up additional funds for the struggling aircraft’s development program. The cuts, proposed in a document signed by Gates on December 23 and leaked to Bloomberg, would see as many as 122 F-35s cancelled from the
Embraer delivered the first Phenom 300 light jet to a customer on December 29. The aircraft was delivered to Executive Flight Services on behalf of an undisclosed customer. “As the first FAA Part 135 operator to take delivery of the Phenom 300, Executive Flight Services will be managing an aircraft that has met all design
The Qantas and AirAsia groups have announced an alliance between AirAsia and Jetstar aimed at reducing fleet acquisition, operating, fuel and spare parts costs for both low cost airlines. The announcement, made in Sydney by Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, and Jetstar CEO Bruce Buchanan on January 6, aims to pool the
US lawmakers have finalised the US$636.4bn (A$700bn) FY2010 US defence budget, and it has been signed into law by President Obama. As expected, the FY010 bill sees production of the Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter wound up in early 2012, which will give the USAF a total of 187 F-22s. The bill has also seen the
The second F-35B development aircraft, BF-2, joined its BF-1 sister at NAS Patuxent River near Washington DC on December 29 prior to the commencement of STOVL flight trials. BF-1 had been grounded since arriving at Pax River in mid November, ostensibly for only 15 days so that ‘scheduled maintenance’ could be performed on the aircraft,
China Eastern Airlines has ordered 16 A330s for delivery between 2011 and 2014, but as yet has not specified whether they will be -200 or -300 variants. The airline currently operates a mixed fleet of A330s all powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines. This deal appears to be the final major order of 2009 to
