Rotorcraft

ORLANDO, Fla. - Lockheed Martin has signed a Direct Commercial Sale contract with the Philippine Department of National Defense to deliver an S-70i Black Hawk full-flight simulator, virtual maintenance trainer, and associated courseware to the Philippine Air Force.

The Philippines operates a fleet of Sikorsky Black Hawks for a range of missions, including search and rescue, humanitarian aid, firefighting, and troop transport across the archipelago. The contract strengthens the Philippine Air Force’s ability to train Black Hawk pilots and maintainers locally and supports the country’s broader defense modernization efforts. It also marks an expansion of Lockheed Martin’s training and simulation portfolio as the first order of Lockheed Martin S-70i Black Hawk training devices.

The S-70i Black Hawk full-flight simulator is an aircraft digital twin training solution that replicates the exact sights and sensations of flying an S-70i Black Hawk aircraft. The virtual maintenance trainer delivers high-fidelity, physics-based models of every airframe subsystem - from hydraulics to avionics - allowing maintainers to train in a fully immersive, risk-free environment.

In addition to the training devices and courseware, the contract includes sustainment and spares support through 2032. The Philippine Air Force will continue to train Black Hawk pilots at the U.S.-based Sikorsky Training Academy while its in-country training capability is being established.

Source: Lockheed Martin
Associated URL: https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2026-10-08-Lockheed-Martin-to-Deliver-S-70-TM-BLACK-HAWK-R-Helicopter-Training-Devices-and-Services-to-the-Philippine-Air-Force

MARIGNANE, France - The government of Romania has signed a contract for the procurement of 12 Airbus H225M helicopters. The agreement was concluded with the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) as part of the European Commission’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE), a European Union financial program that provides financial support to member states' investments in support of the European defense industry.

Airbus has been present in Romania for over 20 years through its three businesses. Airbus Helicopters’ customer center provides support and services to the Romanian Airbus fleets while working for various export customers. Airbus Defence and Space provides turnkey, secure communications and systems engineering services through its engineering department, and Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business manufactures strategic parts.

The Romanian Air Force currently operates the IAR-330 Puma, a locally produced version of the Puma under an Aérospatiale license. The 12 H225Ms will initiate the replacement of the Puma fleet for conventional and special operations. Romania has also previously ordered two H215Ms in naval configuration.

This contract is the second signed by Romania and Airbus Helicopters under the SAFE initiative, following a recent order of seven H160 and five H145 helicopters for public service missions.

Source: Airbus
Associated URL: https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-10-romania-orders-12-airbus-h225m-multirole-military-helicopters

WASHINGTON - The Army has grounded about 400 of its roughly 700 AH-64 Apache helicopters, and the pause is expected to last months while the service conducts a global inspection, an Army official told Military Times. The order, announced Oct. 2, applies to AH-64E aircraft equipped with Improved Drive System transmissions and affects aircraft in every active-duty and National Guard Apache unit. With so many aircraft unavailable, Army aviation leaders plan to "rebalance" Apaches among squadrons to meet minimum capability requirements and continue supporting missions.

The decision followed Army technical and airworthiness assessments of the transmission. Defense One reported in May that an Army investigation found the AH-64E's improved drive system main transmissions could fail internally, which could cause loss of tail rotor thrust, electrical power and hydraulics, though the cause was still unclear. Army safety reports show four major AH-64E flight mishaps in the last fiscal year, including one catastrophic transmission failure. An earlier safety-of-flight message requiring inspections of all AH-64E transmissions led senior leaders to speed up the inspection and repair process. The grounding is separate from a brief fleetwide pause in August after a crash at Fort Hood, Texas, killed two pilots. That crash involved an older Apache variant, and the Army determined transmission problems did not cause it. The Army is also accelerating the retirement of its older AH-64D Apaches as it moves toward an all-AH-64E fleet.

Source: Military Times
Associated URL: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/10/07/latest-ah-64-apache-grounding-likely-to-last-months-officials-say/