The Aviationist

1. Lockheed Martin Will Integrate Next-Generation Infrared Defensive Sensors on F-22 Raptor

   

   The F-22 will receive an embedded set of TacIRST sensors as part of the Infrared Defensive System to enhance aircraft survivability and lethality. Lockheed Martin announced on Jan. 22, 2025, that it has been awarded a $270 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to integrate a system of next-generation infrared defensive sensors on the […]

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2. Airbus A320 ATRA Performs Maiden Flight After E-Scan AESA Radar Modification

   

   The Advanced Technology Research Aircraft is equipped with the nose of a Eurofighter to test the new E-Scan Mk1 AESA radar, also known as European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk1. Airbus announced that, on Jan. 21, 2025, the A320 ATRA (Advanced Technology Research Aircraft) flew for the first time from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) […]

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3. U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk Helicopter Shoots Down Houthi Drone for the First Time

   

   The U.S. Navy’s premier anti-submarine (ASW) and anti-surface (ASuW) helicopter, the MH-60R Seahawk, has shot down its first drone, marking a new milestone for the service. During an address on Jan. 16, 2025, at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium, near Washington DC, Admiral James Kilby, the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, revealed the successful […]

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4. Turkey’s Bayraktar TB3 UCAV Conducts First Test with MAM-T Laser Guided Bombs

   

   This was the first flight test of munitions on the TB3, which so far flew unarmed, and saw inert MAM-T guided weapons guided on target by the UCAV’s  ASELFLIR-500 electro-optical system. The Turkish aerospace major Baykar announced that, on Jan. 17, 2025, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) achieved a new milestone when […]

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5. Saab to Provide Secure Communications for MQ-28 Ghost Bat

   

   The production of the first MQ-28 Block 2 aircraft progresses ahead of the first flight later this year, while testing of the Block 1 continues both in Australia, at the Woomera Range Complex, and in the United States, reportedly at the Tonopah Test Range. Saab recently announced that it will supply, through its Saab Australia […]

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