Conversion Of 3 KC-135Rs Commences Next Month | Austrian Court Ends Eurofighter Fraud Probe | RAF Personnel Trials Corona App

Americas

Bell Boeing Joint Program Office won an $8.1 million contract modification, which adds non-recurring baseline performance rig test efforts in support of the Improved Inlet Solution/Engine Air Particle Separator preliminary design on MV-22 and CV-22 Tiltrotor aircraft. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft developed by Boeing and Bell Helicopters. The tiltrotor aircraft is available in three configurations: the Combat Assault and Assault Support MV-22 for the USMC and the US Army; the long-range special operations CV-22 for US Special Operations Command (US SOCOM); and the US Navy HV-22, for combat search and rescue, special warfare and fleet logistic support. Work will take place in Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania and Mississippi.

The Omaha World Herald reports that L3Harris will start converting the first of three KC-135R refueling tankers into WC-135R nuclear radiation sniffing aircraft starting from next month. A US Air Force spokesperson said the first jet is expected to be delivered to the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base in 2022. Maj. Malinda Singleton added that besides removing the refueling boom from the tail of the aircraft, the flight deck will be modernized to the same standard as RC-135S and V/W.

Middle East & Africa

The Boeing AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles that the United States approved for Morocco’s Royal Air Force to purchase are the „non-coastal target suppression“ version, the US Federal Register revealed on Monday. This reduction in capability was not mentioned when the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on April 14 that the US State Department had approved the sale of 10 AGM-84Ls for an estimated USD62 million for use by the RMAF’s F-16 multirole fighters. The AGM-84L was designed to have a substantially improved ability to find target ships sailing close to shore or in congested waters.

Europe

A court in Vienna has stopped an Austrian investigation into alleged fraud by Airbus and Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH in connection with a $2 billion Eurofighter jet purchase in 2003, it said on April 27. The investigation was linked to accusations brought by Austria’s defense ministry in 2017, and its closure does not affect a broader criminal investigation of suspected bribery in the same deal that has been going on since 2011, a court spokeswoman said. The ministry triggered a new probe into Airbus and the Eurofighter consortium – which also includes Britain’s BAE Systems and Italy’s Leonardo in February 2017, alleging that they had misled the state about the price, deliverability and equipment of the planes. Among other things, the ministry accused Airbus and the consortium of illegally charging nearly 10% of the purchase price for so-called offset deals, which involve work being given to local companies.

The Royal Air Force is testing an NHS smartphone app that could help prevent the spread of COVID-19. According to the RAF website, personnel at RAF Leeming are trialling the software, led by the station’s digital unit, RAF eXperimental (RAFX), who have been working closely with NHSX and partners. he app uses Bluetooth software to determine a user’s proximity to other devices. If a person shows symptoms or tests positive for the virus, they can choose to share this information with the NHS via the app. An alert will then be sent to other devices they have been near, whose users can then be tested or self-isolate. It is understood that RAFX set up a scenario which simulated people’s experience of shopping. To adhere to social-distancing rules, phones were placed on tables to simulate people clustering in a shopping area.

Asia-Pacific

Airbus pulled out of a joint venture with Thai Airways, the country’s national airline, to provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul services at a civil-military airport near the country’s eastern seaboard. Speaking at a press conference officials from Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor office said in comments reported by the state-owned Thai News Agency that Airbus’ decision was prompted by the economic impact of Covid-19.

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