Latest news with #C-130J
Business Wire
30-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Merlin Signs Agreement with Northrop Grumman Corporation to Advance Next-Generation Autonomous Flight
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merlin, a leading developer of assured, autonomous flight technology for fixed-wing aircraft, today announced an agreement with Northrop Grumman to integrate the Merlin Pilot onto its next-generation testbed ecosystem, Beacon™. Unveiled in June 2025, Beacon™ is designed to accelerate the development of autonomous mission capabilities by providing an open-access environment where technology partners like Merlin can test, validate, and refine their systems in alignment with government requirements. Merlin serves as the prime contractor with the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for integrating autonomy on the C-130J and is rapidly advancing its work on the KC-135. This collaboration with Northrop Grumman accelerates next-generation uncrewed systems, reduces risk, and reinforces Merlin's platform-agnostic strategy, marking a pivotal step toward adding the Scaled Composites-built Model 437 Vanguard to its growing portfolio. Utilizing Model 437—now modified for optionally autonomous flight—Northrop Grumman is getting new mission and flight autonomy software airborne and validated faster. Merlin is providing its mission autonomy software, the Merlin Pilot, for critical testing and validation activities. Specifically, Merlin will provide engineering integration for software-in-the-loop (SIL) testing and flight test operations, contribute to test procedure and documentation development, participate in recurring planning sessions, and deploy on-site personnel for flight tests in Mojave, California. 'The demand for autonomous capabilities, especially in defense applications, is accelerating rapidly,' said Matt George, CEO and founder of Merlin. 'Our collaboration with Northrop Grumman marks a major milestone in advancing mission autonomy—combining Merlin's innovative software with the scale, rigor, and hardware expertise Northrop Grumman offers, which is needed for real-world deployment. The significance of joining the Beacon™ project is that it allows us to validate our technology on military aircraft and in mission-relevant environments, but also enables us to test and adapt new capabilities from Northrop Grumman for future Merlin efforts.' 'We look forward to working with our partners to integrate their innovative capabilities that will accelerate the development of future autonomous platforms,' said Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president, Aeronautics Systems, Northrop Grumman. 'Beacon is about collaboration across industry between companies of all sizes and expertise. By providing access to the Beacon ecosystem, we're enhancing innovation, new competition and ultimately the autonomous capabilities that industry can deliver to our customers – with unmatched speed and at scale.' About Merlin Merlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non-human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. Backed by some of the world's leading investors, Merlin is scaling alongside our customers to begin leveraging autonomy today to solve some of aviation's biggest challenges. To learn more, visit or follow us on X @merlinaero. About Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers' toughest problems, our employees define possible every day.
Newsweek
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Mapped: US Coast Guard Intercepts Chinese Ship Off Alaska
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new Newsweek map tracks a Chinese research vessel that was operating deep in the Arctic, north of Alaska, when it was intercepted by a United States Coast Guard aircraft last week. The Chinese ship Xue Long 2—an icebreaker designed for operations in polar regions—was previously monitored by the Canadian military as it entered Arctic waters from East Asia. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment via email. Why It Matters China asserts itself as a "near-Arctic state" and an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs. It has steadily expanded its presence in the region—which is surrounded by NATO members and Russia—by deploying ships and conducting research, some of which may have military applications. The U.S. has been alarmed by China's presence in the Arctic—including its cooperation with Russia—and the Pentagon, in an updated Arctic strategy, calls for an increased military presence, enhanced intelligence capabilities and greater cooperation with America's allies to address Chinese activity. What To Know A U.S. Coast Guard C-130J aircraft "detected and responded" to the Xue Long 2's presence on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) in the Arctic—approximately 333 miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska, the U.S.' northernmost community—on Friday, the Coast Guard revealed. The ECS—which the Coast Guard stated in a Saturday press release the U.S. has exclusive rights to "conserve and manage the living and non-living resources" within—refers to the portion of the continental shelf extending beyond 230 miles from the country's coastline. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines the continental shelf as the submarine areas extending beyond the territorial sea of a coastal state, following "the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin." In comparison, U.S. territorial waters and exclusive economic zones extend up to 13.8 miles and 230 miles from the country's coastline, respectively, according to UNCLOS. The Xue Long 2 was detected operating 149 miles inside the ECS boundary, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard aircraft was deployed as part of Operation Frontier Sentinel, a mission aimed at meeting presence with presence in response to adversary activity in or near Alaskan waters. A Coast Guard vessel also recently patrolled the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. The Chinese research ship Xue Long 2 is seen from a U.S. Coast Guard C-130J aircraft on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf in the Arctic on July 25, 2025. The Chinese research ship Xue Long 2 is seen from a U.S. Coast Guard C-130J aircraft on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf in the Arctic on July 25, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard According to the U.S. State Department, the U.S. has ECS claims in the Arctic, Atlantic waters off the East Coast, the Bering Sea, Pacific waters off the West Coast, the Mariana Islands, and two areas in the Gulf of America—also known as the Gulf of Mexico. What People Are Saying Rear Admiral Bob Little, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District, said in a press release on Saturday: "The U.S. Coast Guard, alongside partners and other agencies, vigilantly monitors and responds to foreign government vessel activity in and near U.S. waters to secure territorial integrity and defend sovereign interests against malign state activity." The U.S. State Department said of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project: "All coastal States with an ECS have an inherent interest in knowing, and declaring to others, the outer limits of their ECS and thus where they are entitled to exercise sovereign rights. Defining the U.S. ECS outer limits in geographical terms provides the specificity and certainty necessary to manage the resources of the ECS." What Happens Next Details of the Xue Long 2's mission in the Arctic remain unclear. The U.S. and Canada are expected to continue monitoring the Chinese ship as it operates in waters off their coastlines.
Libya Observer
09-07-2025
- General
- Libya Observer
ItaMilRadar: US military plane lands in Benghazi and Misrata
The Italian website Itamil Radar, which specializes in tracking military aviation, reported that a US Air Force aircraft landed in the cities of Benghazi and Misrata during an unspecified mission on Monday. According to the Italian website, the aircraft — a Lockheed Martin C-130J belonging to the United States Air Force — returned to Sigonella Air Base in Sicily after completing its mission in Libya. The website noted that the plane took off early Monday from Sigonella, flew south over the central Mediterranean, and made stops in both Benghazi and Misrata. The website added that after completing its tasks on the ground, the C-130J began its return journey northward, passing over Malta and arriving in Sicily. The nature of the mission conducted by the American aircraft in Libya was not disclosed. However, the website pointed out that such air missions are often linked to US diplomatic support and military logistical services, as well as cooperation with local forces in Libya. Tags: ItaMilRadar
India Today
01-07-2025
- India Today
Sabotage angle in Air India crash? A question too critical to ignore
What caused the ill-fated Air India plane to crash in Ahmedabad is yet to be known. But as experts speculate causes, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, underlined the investigation of possible sabotage. Does such an investigation make sense?advertisementSample these numbers:Around 465 incidents of GPS spoofing in the border region of India between November 2023 and February 2025 have been reported, mostly in the Amritsar, Jammu regionsA Delhi–Jammu Air India flight returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure following a suspected GPS interference incident in JuneThe Indian Air Force's C-130J aircraft experienced GPS spoofing while it was flying over Myanmar during the Operation Brahma relief mission in AprilAttacks related to GPS spoofing or jamming are also rapidly increasing around the to the International Air Transport Association, reports of global navigation satellite system or GNSS interference — including signal disruptions, jamming, and spoofing — surged between 2023 and 2024. Interference rates increased by 175 per cent, while GPS spoofing incidents spiked by 500 per cent. The consequences of GPS spoofing could include midair collisions caused by the inability to maintain the required separation; controlled flight into terrain caused by proximity to high terrain; and runway excursions caused by the loss of runway overrun prevention & GPS SpoofingThe rise in global conflicts has significantly contributed to increased incidents of GPS spoofing. Airlines reported 4.3 lakh cases of satellite signal jamming or spoofing over conflict zones in 2024, which is a 62 per cent increase from the 2.6 lakh incidents recorded in conflicts drove a major rise in GPS spoofing and jamming in 2024. Such incidents have been common around Egypt, Lebanon, the Black Sea, as well as near the Russian borders with Estonia, Latvia, and Belarus. GPS jamming has also occurred in Myanmar and on the border between India and Pakistan around Lahore, though less frequently,' the IATA spoofing is only one of the many forms of cyberattacks faced by the global aviation industry. Other attacks include ransomware attacks, unauthorised access, credential theft and damaging other critical the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States mentioned that the effects of GPS jamming or spoofing have been observed by crews in various phases of flight. In some cases, these effects led to re-routing or diversions due to the inability to perform safe instrument procedures. It also launched a website where pilots can report such incidents.- EndsMust Watch
1News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
NZDF plane lands in Middle East — no takers from Kiwis in Israel
A Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft has landed in the Middle East as part of New Zealand's contingency plan to assist New Zealand citizens seeking to leave Iran and Israel. The aircraft, which took off from Auckland's Whenuapai airbase on Monday, and other NZDF personnel were positioned in the region and on standby if required. Earlier this week, Defence Minister Judith Collins said the deployment of the aircraft was part of contingency planning. "By positioning an aircraft and Defence and Foreign Affairs personnel in the region, we may be able to do more when airspace reopens." The contingent included New Zealand Army soldiers trained specifically for evacuation operations and were ready to operate out of a staging area if called upon. ADVERTISEMENT Senior national officer Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Kelly said the team was "well-prepared and postured" to respond. "Our priority is to work alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade staff to support those affected, to ensure we provide the care and urgency the situation demands." RNZAF personnel unload the C-130J aircraft in the Middle East. (Source: NZ Defence Force) No evacuation requests from Israel, Iran options 'extremely limited' — MFAT The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said there were currently 133 Kiwis registered as being in Iran and 111 in Israel. "Many travellers have heeded advice to leave through overland border crossings where it was safe to do so," an MFAT spokesperson said. The spokesperson said demand from New Zealanders for assistance to depart Israel had "declined considerably in the last few days". ADVERTISEMENT "We do not currently have any requests from New Zealanders for support to depart Israel." In Israel, MFAT offered New Zealanders the option to depart via government-organised bus charters on June 24 and 25. However, the situation in Iran remained "challenging and complex", they said, with options to support any New Zealanders trying to leave "extremely limited". "At this time, land border crossings remain the only option. We are aware that some New Zealanders have departed via land border crossings, however given the situation and with limited communications in the region, it may not be possible for New Zealanders to update their information on SafeTravel." All New Zealanders in the Middle East – not just in Iran and Israel – were urged to register on SafeTravel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was running 24/7 consular operations in the region. New Zealanders in Iran and Israel needing urgent consular assistance should call the Ministry's Emergency Consular Call Centre on +64 99 20 20 20.
