The Afghan Air Force (AAF) has rolled out into service its newly delivered armed MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F helicopters, the US Department of Defense (DoD) revealed on 10 April.
The roll-out ceremony, which took place at Kabul International Airport (IAP) on 9 April, saw one of the first six
Afghanistan rolls out armed MD 530F helos
↧
↧
US tests compact HEL for airborne laser weapon
The US has completed beam quality and power measurements of General Atomics' (GA's) Gen 3 High Energy Laser (HEL), the company announced on 8 April.
The Gen 3 laser assembly measures 1.3 x 0.4 x 0.5 m, according to GA, and is powered by a compact lithium-ion battery supply. The Gen 3 HEL is a unit
↧
Singapore, UN co-host forum to strengthen Asia-Pacific regional HADR co-ordination
The Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are co-hosting the inaugural meeting of a global forum aimed at developing recommendations to improve civil-military co-ordination in the context of humanitarian
↧
Navy League 2015: USN eyes targeting pod, other F/A-18, EA-18G upgrades
Key Points
The USN is studying upgrade options for its F/A-18 and EA-18G fleets
Improved targeting is one of the top priorities for the USN
The US Navy (USN) is studying ways to upgrade its Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet combat aircraft and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare fleets, including the
↧
Navy League 2015: USMC relooking 'tiered readiness' model
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has prioritised readiness for its deployed forces, but now must revisit its plan because it has taken perhaps too much risk in the readiness of non-deployed forces, and one likely solution is more mid-level enlisted marines.
"Crisis response is incompatible with
↧
↧
Navy League 2015: NAVAIR to boost aircraft upgrades, shift into lead integrator role
US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) expects to move away from system replacements and focus more on becoming a lead integrator for system upgrades.
Demands for mission capability are increasing and costs for using aircraft over the last decade have exceeded plans, so NAVAIR - and likely other
↧
Turkey completes major F-16 upgrade programme
The Turkish Air Force received its final upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon on 10 April during a ceremony at Turkish Aerospace Industries' (TAI's) facility in Ankara.
In total, 163 Turkish F-16 fighter aircraft were upgraded under the Peace Onyx III (PO-III) programme at a cost of about
↧
Libya Dawn moves MiG-25s to Misratah
The Libya Dawn coalition has moved three MiG-25 interceptors to the air base in the coastal city of Misratah, satellite imagery shows.
Google Earth imagery from 31 January shows one MiG-25 at the southern apron at the base and three on 28 February. The one present in January does not appear to have
↧
Australian PM confirms 300 ground troops to head to Iraq in mid-May
A 300-strong Australian Army training team that will work alongside about 100 New Zealand Defence Force personnel will be fully operational in Iraq in mid-May, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on 14 April.
Both teams will be based at Taji, a logistics base about 50 km north of Baghdad, as
↧
↧
Parrikar defends government-to-government deal for Rafale
Key Points
India's defence minister has defended the decision to sidestep long-running MMRCA negotiations to buy 36 Dassault Rafales via direct talks with the French government
Parrikar also hinted that the Saab Gripen may be acquired to help replace the IAF's ageing fleets of MiG-21
Any future
↧
Navy League 2015: USN to 'refresh' Triton technology with software builds
Key Points
The USN is using an incremental upgrade approach to fielding the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton
The acquisition strategy will allow the navy to mitigate obsolescence and respond to evolving threats
The USN is using an incremental upgrade approach to fielding the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C
↧
Navy League 2015: Lockheed Martin, USN in LRASM contract negotiations
Key Points
Lockheed Martin anticipates signing a LRASM production contract later this year
The company plans to add capacity to its JASSM factory in Troy, Alabama, to accommodate orders
Lockheed Martin and the US Navy (USN) are negotiating a production contract for the company's Long-Range
↧
Navy League 2015: BlackJack set to IOC, potential upgrades
An initial operational capability (IOC) for the Insitu RQ-21A BlackJack unmanned aerial system is expected for late 2015, and a full deployment with the US Marine Corps (USMC) 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is scheduled for 2016, according to a USMC official.
The programme has so far delivered its
↧
↧
Lithuanian parliament approves return of conscription
The Lithuanian Parliament (the Seimas) approved the reintroduction of conscription for its armed forces on 14 April.
The reintroduction of the draft, only abandoned in 2008, was proposed by the Lithuanian State Defence Council on 24 February in response to the Ukraine crisis.
In total 3,000 to
↧
Indonesian looks to boost exports to Africa
The Indonesian government is looking to provide enhanced support to domestic defence companies bidding to export equipment to the African continent, deputy foreign minister AM Fachir stated on 13 April.
In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fachir noted that Indonesia has had some
↧
Bell Helicopter Textron Canada to supply seven 412EPIs to Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian government on 10 April announced it had awarded a CAD156 million (USD124 million) contract to Bell Helicopter Textron Canada for procurement and delivery of seven medium-lift twin turbine Bell 412EPI helicopters for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).
The contract is part of the CCG's
↧
Australian Anzac-class ASMD upgrade on track, BAE Systems says
The anti-ship missile defence (ASMD) upgrade of the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) eight Anzac-class frigates has reached the halfway point, with the fourth ship now completing harbour and sea trials, contractor BAE Systems Australia said on 14 April.
The upgrade involves the installation and
↧
↧
Russians developing tracked Pantsyr for the Arctic region
Russia's KBP Instrument Design Bureau is reviewing the possibility of developing a special tracked modification of the 96K6 Pantsyr-S1 (SA-22 'Greyhound') self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and missile (SPAAGM) system for use in the Arctic, according to Vladimir Popov, director general of the KBP
↧
Russian official confirms S-400 sale to China
China may be about to finally receive the Almaz-Antei S-400 (SA-21) Triumf air defence system from Russia: a sale it has been pursuing without success for years.
In November 2010 Russia's then-defence minister, Anatoliy Serdyukov, returned from a series of meetings in Beijing with proposals in hand
↧
Navy League 2015: Sikorsky redesigns CH-53K main gear box components as E-models are kept in service
Key Points
A failure in the main gear box of the Sikorsky CH-53K has prompted the need for redesign of the component
The USMC must keep its ageing CH-53Es flightworthy until the K-model enters service
A failure in the main gear box of the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) developmental Sikorsky CH-53K
↧
More Pages to Explore .....
