L3 Technologies has completed the previously announced sale of its Vertex Aerospace businesses to the private equity firm American Industrial Partners for US$540 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. The sale included the Crestview Aerospace and TCS business units, which were part of L3’s Aerospace Systems business segment.

Leonardo and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa signed a Letter of Intent that will see the two companies collaborate on the AW249, a new combat helicopter currently being developed to meet the needs of the Polish Armed Forces. With this agreement, Leonardo and PGZ are to explore collaboration in areas like design, manufacturing, final assembly, marketing and aftersales support for the AW249 helicopter.

Boeing received a US$139.8 million contract to provide four MH-47G Block II Chinook helicopters to the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command. This news follows a recent announcement that the Block II program loaded the first engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) helicopter into final assembly on June 27, 2018.

Technicians with the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 2 Air Movements Squadron and 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron on Tuesday, July 3, loaded a CH-147F Chinook onto a CC-177 Globemaster at the 8 Wing Trenton base in Southern. Ont. The Chinook is one of two such helicopters, in addition to four Griffons, headed to Mali where it will be part of Operation PRESENCE-Mali. This is the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), where a Canadian Air Task Force (ATF) is to participate for a period of 12 months.

More than a month ago, DART’s new firefighting bucket – as its first such entry into this sector – was delivered to Guardian Helicopters for a second phase of testing, described by the company as real-life testing. DART states this testing phase exceeded expectations as its team of engineers put the bucket through a variety of rugged flight conditions.

The Hungarian Ministry of Defence has ordered 20 H145M military helicopters equipped with  new HForce weapons management in the frame of its military modernization program Zrinyi 2026. In addition to the helicopters, Airbus will provide a training and support package.

Bell Boeing Joint Program Office based in Amarillo, Texas, has been awarded a variant contract for US$4.2 billion in regard to a previously awarded V-22 tiltrotor aircraft acquisition. This contract provides for the manufacture and delivery of 39 CMV-22B aircraft for the U.S. Navy; 14 MV-22B aircraft for the Marine Corps; one CV-22B for the Air Force; and four MV-22B aircraft for the government of Japan.

Safran states it has significantly reduced the direct maintenance costs of its Arriel 2D engine, which equips both single-engine Airbus H125 and H130 helicopters. One of the two main improvements provided, according to Safran, is an extension of 25 per cent in time between overhaul (TBO) to 5,000 hours for new and in-service helicopters.

Boeing and the U.S. Army celebrated a major CH-47F Block II program milestone with the loading of the first engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) helicopter into final assembly on June 27, 2018.

Airbus delivered four H125 helicopters to Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (NSDNR), completing the province's air fleet renewal, following a competitive bid in 2016.

Bell completed its 100th delivery of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X to Hunt Companies for corporate travel. Bell revealed its first customer delivery for the Bell 505 at HAI Heli-Expo 2017.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. plans to make the first-ever transatlantic flight of a Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). GA-ASI’s company-owned MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPA is scheduled to fly from the company’s Flight Test and Training Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK.