Airbus UH-72 Aerial Logistics Connector cargo UAV is based on the Airbus H145/UH-72 platform. (Airbus US Space and Defense)

US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), on behalf of the US Marine Corps (USMC), has signed a Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) contract for Airbus to demonstrate an unmanned version of its UH-72 Lakota helicopter, the company announced on 14 May.

The helicopters are under consideration for the USMC's Aerial Logistics Connector programme. The unmanned helicopters are to undergo unspecified testing for operational suitability, compared against craft from competitors. A downselect is expected shortly after. Details of deliveries and testing were not immediately available.

Airbus is likely to convert manned H145s into unmanned UH-72s for the programme, the company told Janes on 14 May, but additional helicopters would be newbuilds should Airbus win the contest.

“The Airbus production facility in Columbus, [Mississippi], has capacity for any expected programme of record,” said the company.

Fujian , China's third aircraft carrier, seen here as it departs for its maiden sea trial on 1 May 2024. (VCG via Getty Images)

China has completed the maiden sea trials for its third aircraft carrier, which will be in service as CNS Fujian once it is commissioned. The vessel sailed off from the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai on 1 May and the trials were completed eight days later.

The trials focused on testing the “reliability and stability of the aircraft carrier's propulsion and electrical systems”, read a report from state-owned Xinhua News Agency, which was published to announce the trials.

Fujian was launched by Jiangnan Shipyard in June 2022. While it is slated to be the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN's) third aircraft carrier overall, it is the country's first vessel to be configured for catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) aircraft operations.

Satellite images that have been analysed by Janes since 2021 support postulations that Fujian is equipped with electromagnetic catapults, given the presence of distinctive features along the track of the aircraft launching system.

A mock-up of the Eurodrone seen at the Paris Airshow in 2023. The project has now passed its preliminary design review, paving the way for its critical design review later in the year. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

The Eurodrone project has passed its delayed preliminary design review (PDR), the lead contractor Airbus Defence and Space (DS) announced on 16 May.

The milestone was completed alongside programme partners Dassault and Leonardo, as well as the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR).

“The PDR proves that the initial design of the aircraft has consistently matured, paving the way to proceed with the detailed design,” Airbus DS said, adding that it is the outcome of different technical assessments and evaluations.

These, the company noted, included wind tunnel testing to confirm the aerodynamic configuration of the Eurodrone, the overall design to ensure demonstration of operational capability, and the validation of a fully representative ‘digital twin' design.

With its successful PDR, the project will now enter into the critical design review (CDR) phase, which will represent the final step and closure of architecture and system design.