The international military aviation community has been one of the most active segments of the global air transportation industry in 2021 both operationally and from a technological advancement perspective. Here, Avionics International highlights some of the news and technological innovation being introduced by companies that serve the military aviation community around the world.

North America

Electra.aero, a relatively new company pursuing new aircraft solutions for the urban and regional air mobility markets, on Tuesday said that it has received a lead investment from Lockheed Martin for a funding round that will help it get to its first flight of a technology demonstrator later this year.

The amount of the investment wasn’t disclosed, and Electra is still lining up additional investors for its Series A funding round.

In addition to the investment by Lockheed Martin Ventures, the aerospace and defense giant’s venture capital unit, Lockheed Martin also signed a strategic cooperation agreement where it will work with Electra on potential solutions for the U.S. government.

Electra, which was founded in 2020 and is based in Northern Virginia, is developing a full-scale hybrid-electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft that can transport up to 1,800-pounds of cargo or seven to nine passengers up to 500 miles. The demonstrator aircraft will not be a full-scale model but a two-person plane to test key technologies, Robie Samanta Roy, Electra’s chief operating officer, said in an emailed statement.

“Electra’s technical approach to sustainable aviation is differentiated, and we are excited to see this concept mature,” Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures, said in a statement. “We invested in Electra because of its focus on hybrid-electric technology. Hybrid-electric aircraft have the potential to deliver operational and environmental advantages over other aircraft, including increased payload and range without gambling on battery improvements. We look forward to working with the Electra team and hope to partner on opportunities in the future.”

Boom Supersonic, the Denver, Colorado-based aerospace company developing a supersonic airliner capable of flying at Mach 1.7, announced a new contract award from the U.S. Air Force on Tuesday valued at up to $60 million. The Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract, issued to Boom through the Air Force's innovation arm, AFWERX, and its AFVentures division, will be used to accelerate research and development of military applications for Overture—the supersonic commercial airliner currently under development.

According to Boom's Jan. 11 announcement of the new contract, potential defense users and applications for a military variant of Overture could include "executive transport; Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance; Special Operations Forces; and the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF)."

The announcement is the latest financial investment by the Air Force in Boom, and a substantial increase over the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 contract award issued in September 2020 toward the development of a military executive transport configuration of Overture. Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, said in the Tuesday announcement that the STRATFI contract allows the company to "collaborate with the Air Force on the unique requirements and needs for global military missions, ultimately allowing Boom to better satisfy the needs of the Air Force where it uses commercially-derived aircraft. As a potential future platform for the Air Force, Overture would offer the valuable advantage of time, an unmatched option domestically and internationally.”

Europe

Finland selected the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter over four competitors to be the country’s next multi-role fighter to replace the legacy F/A-18 Hornet fleet in its HX competition.

Losing bids include the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon; Dassault Rafale, and Saab Gripen E.

The country is expected to buy 64 F-35A Block 4 fighters along with weapons, required training and sustainment and maintenance services lasting through 2030. Weapons are to be procured within the program funding availability by the end of 2035.

The Finland Ministry of Defense said in the HX evaluation F-35 fulfilled requirements of security of supply, industrial participation and affordability requirements while ranking as the best on military capability assessment. It also noted the F-35 combat, reconnaissance and survival capabilities “were the best suited of the HX candidates.”

“It was a tough race,” Finnish defense minister Antti Kaikkonen said during a press conference announcing the decision on Friday.

The HX program competition was first launched in 2015, with bidding starting in 2018 with the initial requests for quotation sent to France, Sweden, the U.K, and the U.S.

The legacy Hornet fleet is planned to be phased out starting in 2025. The first Finnish F-35s will start service with the Finnish Air Force in 2025, with training starting in the U.S. The initial F-35s will be delivered to Finland in 2026 and deliveries will replace the Hornet fleet from 2028 to 2030.

The U.S. Air Force on Dec. 9 awarded Illinois-based AAR Corp. a contract worth potentially $365 million over the next decade for the maintenance of 80 European-based F-16 fighters by Lockheed Martin.

The award displaces the Belgian company, Societe Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aeronautique SA (SABCA), which has been the incumbent F-16 maintainer since 2001. SABCA has a long history with the F-16 dating back to 1977 when SABCA began final assembly of European F-16s in Gosselles, Belgium.

The Air Force awarded SABCA a continuation F-16 maintenance contract on Feb. 27–a contract worth up to $250 million over 10 years to extend the European F-16 service life from 8,000 to 12,000 flight hours, SABCA said. But the award was challenged, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) advised the Air Force to re-open the competition, said Nathan Lee, a procuring contracting officer (PCO) with the F-16 System Program Office at Hill AFB, Utah.

“AAR will provide aircraft depot-level maintenance and repair primarily for F-16 aircraft allocated to USAFE [United States Air Forces Europe] and to support possible overflow requirements for all USAF F-16 aircraft,” AAR Corp. said in a Dec. 16 statement. “Additionally, AAR will send Contractor Field Teams (CFT) to perform depot-level repairs on any F-16 aircraft at any location on an as-needed basis. Work will include F-16 avionics and structural depot-level maintenance and modifications, Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) modifications, drop-in maintenance, and full strip, paint, and corrosion control on selected aircraft required to sustain the F-16 fleet throughout Europe.”

Middle East

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) signed a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) with the U.S. to procure the Lockheed Martin Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter on Dec. 30.

This final agreement came after the State Department approved a potential $3.4 billion Foreign Military Sale of 18 King Stallions to Israel last July to replace the legacy CH-53D Yasur fleet.

Israel’s Yasur rotorcraft have been in-service for more than 50 years.

“We’re happy the IAF recognizes the unrivaled capabilities and performance of the K and have chosen to move forward with us,” Col. Jack Perrin, Program Manager for heavy lift helicopter program office, said in a statement.

According to the LoA, first deliveries of the CH-53K are planned for 2025.

During a Dec. 3 ceremony held in Saint-Cloud, France, Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, signed a historical contract with Tareq Abdul Raheem Al Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council, in charge of security and defense acquisitions, for the acquisition of 80 Rafale F4 for the United Arab Emirates Air Force & Air Defence (UAE AF & AD).

Under the new contract, the Emirates Air Force will become the first Rafale F4 user outside of France.

"I wish to thank the authorities of the Emirates for their renewed confidence in our aircraft," Trappier said in a statement. "After the Mirage 5 and Mirage 2000, this Rafale contract consolidates the strategic relationship that binds our two countries and the satisfaction of the Emirates Air Force, a long-standing and demanding partner of our company. I wish to underline the quality and effectiveness of the relationship between the French authorities and industry, which contributed to this success by team France."