With the Black Hawk still being built by PZL Mielec in Poland (pictured) and by Sikorsky in the US, parent company Lockheed Martin and the US Army have mapped out an upgrade path to keep the helicopter in operational service through to 2070. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Lockheed Martin has mapped out an upgrade plan that will keep the S-70 Black Hawk medium-lift helicopter in operational service with the US Army and international customers through to 2070.    Speaking to   Janes  and other defence media ahead of the Paris Air Show...

The RNoN's six Skjold-class corvettes are undergoing a life-extension programme to enable them to remain in service until at least 2030. (Norwegian Armed Forces)  Danish defence and aerospace company Terma has confirmed that Royal Norwegian Navy's (RNoN's) Skjold-class corvettes will be equipped with its Scanter 6000 surveillance radar as part of the class's life-extension programme.  In a 15 June announcement the company said the radar had recently completed factory acceptance testing (FAT) for the Skjold-class upgrade programme.  “These tes...

The PZL Mielec facility in Poland could ramp up production to meet growing international demand for the Black Hawk helicopter. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin's subsidiary, PZL Mielec, could ramp up production of the S-70 Black Hawk at its facility in southern Poland to meet the growing international demand for the medium-lift helicopter, a senior official said ahead of the Paris Air Show.    Speaking to   Janes  and other defence media earlier in June, Piotr Niedbała, business development and programmes director, said the...

The first F-16 Block 70 seen departing on its maiden flight in January 2022. Lockheed Martin's Polish subsidiary, PZL Mielec, has recently begun production of subassemblies as the company looks to clear the international backlog of orders. (Lockheed Martin)  PZL Mielec recently commenced production of major subassemblies for the international Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon programme at its facility in southern Poland, taking over the work from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the US and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in So...

The AH-125 and MH-125 Ares helicopters are being offered to the international market as two distinct platforms that share a common heritage with the M125M. (Airbus)  Airbus in the US is pitching the multimission capabilities of its AH-125 and MH-125 Ares light attack and utility helicopters as the chief differentiator to competing solutions on the international market.  Speaking to Janes and other defence media at the Paris Air Show 2023, Scott Tumpak, vice-president of military line of business at Airbus US Space & Defense, said that while o...

The Swift is a hydrogen-powered propeller-driven aircraft whose design has been supported by the MoD's Project Monet. (Swift Aircraft)  Swift Aircraft and GKN Aerospace have showcased their conceptual design for a new light training aircraft that is geared to help the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) achieve its goal of net zero emissions.  Revealed at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget on 19 June, the Swift is a hydrogen-powered propeller-driven aircraft whose design has been supported by the MoD's Project Monet, a joint initiative between the Rap...

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line as the sun sets at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, on 20 November 2019. (US Air Force)  The US Air Force (USAF) is looking to demonstrate an expanded satellite communications (satcom) capability, leveraging satcom terminals integrated aboard the air service's MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft system (UAS).  Service officials from AFWERX, a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), inked a technology development deal with CesiumAstro to integrate the company's Ka-band satcom terminal into th...

The Bundestag's budget committee on 14 June approved the procurement of the Arrow Weapon System and Arrow 3 missiles for the Bundeswehr. (IAI)  The budget committee of the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, on 14 June approved the procurement of six IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) ground-based air defence (GBAD) systems and the Arrow Weapon System (AWS), including missiles.  Germany plans to sign a letter of commitment with the Israeli government by the end of 2023 on the procurement of the AWS and Arrow 3 missiles, with a planned in...

The UK Royal Navy's Type 31 frigates are being equipped with the TACTICOS Baseline 2 combat management system. (NAVYPIX/Richard Scott)  The first Type 31 integrated combat system is on course to undergo factory acceptance testing (FAT) in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, Thales has confirmed.  Speaking to media at Thales UK's facilities in Templecombe, UK, Julie Martin, naval senior account director, said that delivery of the first Type 31 mission system was on schedule.  “The key focus for us right now on the Type 31 is the fully integrated c...

Both Japan and Singapore plan to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft. (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics)    Japan's new defence trade agreement with Singapore – signed early June – is indicative of how Tokyo is trying to expand defence equipment and technology ties with countries across Southeast Asia, the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) told   Janes  .   The MoD confirmed that under Japan's new pact with Singapore, which is named the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology...

As the largest UAV to be built in France, the scale of the Aarok is apparent in this image of the aircraft parked next to a Turgis & Gaillard employee. (Frédéric Lert)  The Turgis & Gaillard group will be presenting the prototype of its Aarok unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the Paris Air Show, held from 19 to 25 June. With a wingspan of 22 m, the Aarok is the largest UAV designed in France.  The Turgis & Gaillard group, named after its two founders, has been working on the Aarok project since 2020. The aircraft – designed for intelligence, s...

Indonesia's planned acquisition of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5s from Qatar is intended to prevent the decline of the Indonesian Air Force's combat capabilities. This photo was taken in 2011, when the Qatar Emiri Air Force Mirages were part of the international military operation in Libya. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images)  The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has signed a contract to acquire the Qatar Emiri Air Force's (QEAF's) total fleet of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft.  The acquisition was officially announced on sta...

A computer-generated image of the Sky Sonic. (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)  Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced on 14 June that it is developing a new air-defence missile called the Sky Sonic to intercept hypersonic threats.  In a statement released ahead of the missile's official unveiling at the Paris Air Show on 19 June, the company claimed the new interceptor offers “exceptional manoeuvrability and high-speed capabilities” enabling it to counter hypersonic missiles travelling at Mach 10 with “unmatched precision and ste...

RNMB   Apollo   being passed by a Hunt-class MCM vessel during trials in December 2022 that took place as part of the Anglo-French Maritime Mine Counter Measures programme, which is delivering autonomous capability for both the Royal Navy and the Marine Nationale.  (Thales)  The UK Royal Navy's (RN's) unmanned surface vessel (USV) RNMB Apollo has completed a series of navy and industry open water assurance trials claimed by Thales to be the first UK military clearance of its kind.  The safety trials, which were de...

US lawmakers raised no official objection to the decommissioning of LCS USS   Jackson  .  (Michael Fabey)  In its National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2024 mark, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee detailed its desires during a 13 June hearing of the mark to retain most of the vessels the US Navy (USN) is seeking to decommission soon.    The USN's FY 2024 budget proposal sought to decommission 11 ships: Whidbey Island-class dock landi...

The Indonesian Army's Harimau tanks on display at Indo Defence 2022. The tanks will be equipped with reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles. (Janes/Andrew Galer)  The Indonesian Army'sHarimau medium tanks will be equipped with reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) “to adapt to the demands of combat operations”, said the country's Minister of Defense, Prabowo Subianto.  In a recent statement, Subianto said the addition of UAVs to the tanks will improve the “completeness of the combat operation”.  Indonesia and Turkey signed an agreem...

RNMB Apollo being passed by a Hunt-class MCM vessel during trials in December 2022 that took place as part of the Anglo-French Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) programme, which is delivering autonomous capability for both the Royal Navy and the Marine Nationale.  (Thales)    The UK Royal Navy's (RN's) unmanned surface vessel (USV) RNMB   Apollo   has completed a series of navy and industry open water assurance trials claimed by Thales to be the first UK military clearance of its kind.   The safety trials, which were d...

The RE-liON Blacksuit immersive virtual training system provides small unit tactical training. (Netherlands MoD)  The Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) has initiated a four-pronged plan to improve its simulation capability by 2030, focusing particularly on expanding virtual simulation.    Speaking at the 2023 Defence Simulation Education and Training conference (DSET 23) in Bristol, Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Wassenaar, head    of the RNLA Simulation Centre for Land Operations (SIMCEN Land) at Amersfoort, said that in 2020 the RNLA...

US Pentagon officials unveiled changes to improve the arms sales process. (Getty Images)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) plans to establish a Defense Security Cooperation Service to improve training for personnel who facilitate Foreign Military Sales (FMS), the Pentagon announced on 13 June.  Requests to buy US weapon systems sometimes get bogged down because they do not clearly state what a country wants, or they ask for something the US cannot provide, said Sasha Baker, deputy undersecretary of defence for policy. The new service will t...

The new agreement between New Zealand and Fiji provides a framework for growing bilateral defence ties. In April New Zealand's first P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft was deployed to the South Pacific country in operational trials. (New Zealand Defence Force)  New Zealand and Fiji have signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to strengthen defence ties. The agreement is seen as a response to rising tension in the South Pacific.  The SOFA was signed in Fiji by New Zealand Defence Minister Andrew Little and Fiji's Minister for Ho...