During the “aerobraking”, the Boeing-made vehicle will use the drag of Earth’s atmosphere to slow it down, reducing its energy while only expending minimal fuel. It will then jettison its service module component before resuming its normal testing.
Chauncey McIntosh replaces Bridget Lauderdale, who will be retiring at the end of the year following a 38-year career with the company. The RAAF has a planned final fleet of 72 F-35s – which are still arriving – but has ruled out adding more aircraft.
Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs flew air combat training missions with Royal Malaysian Air Force F/A-18D Hornets and SU-30MKM Flankers during the training exercise from 30 September to 4 October.
In total, 400 ADF personnel will work closely with members from the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), a defensive arrangement between the nations of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
The ‘refuelling point aviation’ will be used as part of Operation Render Safe, the ADF-led operation that aims to remove World War II-era explosives in Pacific island countries.
Unveiled two years ago, the B-21 Raider is the ‘sequel’ to the UFO-like B-2 Spirit. It is designed to strike silently deep behind enemy lines with its 9,500km range and advanced stealth capabilities.
Outgoing chief executive Christine Zeitz is expected to retire at the end of September this year, according to a company statement published earlier this month.
The possible sale includes AH-64E Apache sustainment support services, US government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, technical data and publications, personnel training and other related elements of logistics, and…
The aircraft from the US Air Force’s 509th Bomb Wing and 131st Bomb Wing flew from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Australia earlier this month on August 16.