The Royal Australian Air Force has received its first new C-17 airlifter from prime contractor Boeing during a ceremony at the company’s Long Beach, Calif., production facility Tuesday, according to a Boeing release. The RAAF C-17 is the latest version—Block 17—and displays a Black Stallion on its tail to signify the No. 36 Squadron, based near Brisbane at Amberley. The new airlifter will reach its home on Dec. 6 after a stopover in the Australian capital of Canberra.
Bell Textron has won DARPA's contest for a no-runway, high-speed drone that will prove out technologies useful for special operations forces and possibly the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept. Bell's design converts a tiltrotor to a jet-powered aircraft able to fly at up to 450 knots.