DefenceTalkDaniele Romiti, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland said “We are proud to achieve this major milestone on schedule. The start of full scale production brings us closer to the first AW189 delivery later this year and the when customers who already operate the AW139 will start benefitting from the Family advantage.” The AW189 flight test programme […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-generation-aw189-helicopter-enters-full-scale-production-48166/

DefenceTalkThe Department of the Navy announced May 15 that the RQ-21A Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (STUAS) received Milestone C approval authorizing the start of low rate initial production. With MS C approval, the RQ-21A program, managed by the Navy and Marine Corps STUAS program office (PMA-263) here at NAS Patuxent River, enters the production […]https://www.defencetalk.com/navy-and-marine-corps-small-tactical-uas-enters-production-phase-47865/

DefenceTalkIran unveiled on Tuesday a new uranium production facility and two extraction mines, only days after talks with world powers on its disputed nuclear programme again ended in deadlock. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hailed the advances and boasted of mastery over “the entire chain of nuclear energy,” while demanding that the work be accelerated. The announcements […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-unveils-new-uranium-mines-production-facility-47425/

DefenceTalkArmy planners are rethinking how their service will acquire 700 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters over the next 14 years in light of declining procurement budgets. InsideDefense reported on March 6 that the Army’s fiscal 2014 budget request will defer any new production of the service’s airborne tank-killer until 2018 at the earliest, relying entirely on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/budget-cuts-force-army-to-delay-production-of-new-apache-helicopters-47156/

DefenceTalkThe F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program is a different program than it was four years ago, the F-35 program executive officer said here March 12. In a speech at the McAleese/Credit Suisse Defense Programs Conference at the Newseum, Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan told attendees that he and his predecessor, Navy Vice Adm. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-production-on-track-program-chief-says-47148/

DefenceTalkThe first production Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter has made its maiden flight, marking a key milestone towards its delivery to the French Air Force. The aircraft, known as MSN7, took off from Seville, Spain, at 11:48 local time (GMT+1) and landed back in Seville 5 hours and 42 minutes later. Experimental Test Pilot […]https://www.defencetalk.com/first-production-airbus-military-a400m-makes-maiden-flight-47075/

DefenceTalkThe second Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II for the Netherlands rolled out of the F-35 production facility on March 2. This is the latest step in the production process leading to its eventual assignment to Eglin AFB, Fla., later this summer. The Netherlands is planning to use this conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jet, known […]https://www.defencetalk.com/2nd-f-35-for-the-netherlands-rolls-out-of-f-35-production-facility-47086/

DefenceTalkAn expert panel on Tuesday urged Canada to leverage hundreds of billions of dollars in planned defense spending to build up its defense sector, in order to bolster its economy. In a report, the panel led by Tom Jenkins, a special advisor to Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose, calls for “using military procurement as an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/canada-urged-to-become-major-arms-producer-46764/

DefenceTalkAir Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 1 declared the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye “suitable and effective” in an Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) report, aiding the Defense Acquisition Board in approving the aircraft for full-rate production in January. “This milestone is the culmination of years of hard work,” said Capt. John S. Lemmon, E-2/C-2 Airborne […]https://www.defencetalk.com/e-2d-advanced-hawkeye-ready-for-production-46717/