The GY300 can transport payloads weighing up to 300 kg. (Edge Group)  Edge Group unveiled three new autonomous platforms on the opening day of the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) 2024 show held in Abu Dhabi from 23 to 25 January.  In a statement issued on 23 January Edge Group said that the latest platforms are purpose-built to operate in demanding environments, covering tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), as well as logistics support. The three new platforms include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV...

Quarterhorse Mk 0, Hermeus's ‘dynamic iron bird'. (Hermeus)  Following ground tests of its Quarterhorse Mk 0 ‘dynamic iron bird', Hermeus is preparing to complete the build of and unveil its first flight-test vehicle, dubbed Mk 1.    Mk 0 testing wrapped up in November 2023. The test campaign, conducted at the US Air Force's (USAF's) Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee, marked Hermeus's first real-world test deployment beyond its Atlanta, Georgia factory. Although a 4 January statement noted testing of subsyste...

Seen in US Marine Corps service, the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter will shortly be flown by the Nigerian Air Force also. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has confirmed the sale of the Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter to Nigeria, with a related contract notification posted on 19 December.  Having been approved for the sale of 12 helicopters in 2022, Nigeria's procurement was confirmed with the announcement that Northrop Grumman had been awarded a USD7.7 million contract modification “for the production and delivery...

Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket launches the Victus Nox mission on 14 September 2023. (Firefly Aerospace)  The US Space Force (USSF) intends to conduct at least one additional tactically responsive space launch to the two already publicised, following Victus Nox – launched on 14 September 2023 – and the upcoming Victus Haze mission with a third flight, dubbed Victus Sol, USSF Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein said on 19 January at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  “Beyond Victus Haze there's Victus So...

Hades Defense Systems Lamia UAV. (Janes)  Bulgarian defence and security systems developer Hades Defense Systems revealed details of its new Lamia developmental multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) 2024 in Abu Dhabi.  Speaking to   Janes   on 23 January, Yordon Yordanov, regional manager at Hades, said the Lamia is being designed as a hybrid-propulsion multi-purpose UAV for both civil and defence applications. Hades began working on the platform in 2023. The data gathere...

Germany is to donate six of its retired Sea King helicopters to Ukraine. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Germany has pledged to send Westland Sea King helicopters to Ukraine as part of a wider raft of military support for Kyiv.  German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius made the announcement on 23 January, saying that six Sea King helicopters would be sent.  “The Sea King is a proven and robust helicopter that will help the Ukrainians in many areas, from reconnaissance over the Black Sea to transporting soldiers. It is the first German delivery of thi...

The Northrop Grumman B-21, shrouded in secrecy. (Northrop Grumman)  The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider has entered low-rate initial production (LRIP), according to a statement by the US Department of Defense's Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante.  “Production of the B-21 ‘Raider' stealth bomber is moving forward,” LaPlante said in a 22 January statement. “This past fall, based on the results of ground and flight tests and the team's mature plans for manufacturing, I gave the go-ahead to begin producing B-...

The F100 Karma UAV is being developed to intercept Class I and II UAVs. (Janes/Amit Kalra)  Wedrones – a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based integrated aerial solution provider – exhibited its new F100 Karma unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) 2024 in Abu Dhabi.    Speaking to   Janes   on 22 January  ,   a representative of Wedrones said the F100 Karma UAV is primarily designed to be a reusable UAV that will be capable of intercepting and neutralising Class I and II...

The Yugoimport Senka UAV can carry two 60 mm warheads on the hardpoints provided under its wings. (Janes/Amit Kalra)  Serbian defence manufacturer Yugoimport (J P Jugoimport-SDPR) displayed the Senka and Mosquito unmanned aerial systems (UASs) at the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX 2024) held from 23 to 25 January in Abu Dhabi.  The Senka is a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed for conventional attack and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) roles.    According to Yugoimport, the Senka ha...

An F-35B with UK-specific ASRAAM, SPEAR 3, and Meteor laid out in front of it. While the ASRAAM is already fielded, the SPEAR 3 and Meteor will not be available until the end of the decade, the government has now said. (Crown Copyright)  The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning should receive additional UK-specific weapons “by the end of the decade”, the government said on 16 January.  Answering questions in the House of Commons, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) James Cartlidge said that, with the MBDA AIM-132 Advanced Short-Rang...

Seen here in its company demonstrator form, the Leonardo AW149 has been selected along with the AW169M to replace North Macedonia's ageing Soviet-built helicopter inventory. (Leonardo)  The North Macedonian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (Armija na Republika Severna Makedonija: ARSM) have decided to acquire Italian helicopters to replace the country's Soviet-built airframes.  North Macedonian Defence Minister Slavjanka Petrovska made the announcement on national TV on 22 January, saying four Leonardo...

Germany is to join Spain and the UK in integrating the Brimstone air-to-surface missile onto its Eurofighter combat aircraft. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Germany is to equip its Eurofighter combat aircraft with the MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface missile, the government revealed on 17 January.  Revealed in Bundeswehr budgetary documents disclosed by Der Spiegel, the Luftwaffe intends to acquire 274 of the low-yield missiles to equip its Eurofighter fleet, with a contract to be awarded in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024.  No further details of the pl...

The Sabal-10 UAV is pictured in trials with a payload attached to the centre of its tubular fuselage. (EndureAir Systems)  Indian firm EndureAir Systems has developed two new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for military logistics operations. The ‘Sabal' series UAVs consist of small, electrically propelled tandem-rotor aerial vehicles designed primarily for cargo and observation applications, the company said.    Rama Krishna, CEO of EndureAir, told   Janes  that the Sabal UAVs, comprising Sabal-10 and Sabal-20, have a low aud...

Pakistan's retaliatory strike on 18 January was in response to an Iranian attack on 16 January. PAF assets at Shahbaz airbase and Turbat International Airport were possibly used in the strike. (Janes)    Pakistan's military conducted a retaliatory airstrike on Iran on 18 January in response to Tehran using missiles and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on    alleged insurgents in western Pakistan on 16 January.   Pakistan military's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate said on 18 January that the Pakistan Air F...

The Netherlands is upgrading its 28 AH-64D (pictured) helicopters to the latest AH-64E standard. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The last Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters to be remanufactured to the latest AH-64E Apache Guardian standard are to be shipped to the United States shortly.  The RNLAF said that the last two of 28 helicopters to be remanufactured performed a farewell flypast over the Netherlands on 16 January, ahead of shipment to Boeing's Mesa facility in Arizona “within a month”.  The USD1...

France has announced a package of air-launched munitions for Ukraine, including the AASM Hammer guided bomb. Although seen here in its baseline GPS/INS-guided version in front of French Rafale fighters, they will likely be used by Ukraine on the F-16. (Safran)  France is to send to Ukraine the Safran Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) Hammer guided bomb for the first time while pledging more MBDA SCALP EG cruise missiles. At the same time, Germany has refused to transfer the Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile.  French President Emmanuel Macron sai...

Work on the first of 16 F-16 Block 70 aircraft for Bulgaria was officially launched on 16 January. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin has begun building the first F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft for Bulgaria at its Greenville facility in South Carolina.  The manufacturer announced the milestone on 16 January, saying seven Block 70 aircraft for Bulgaria are now in various stages of production. One of these, factory serial MY-01, was signed by Bulgarian Minister of Defence Todor Tagarev.  This first aircraft is scheduled to make its maiden flight...

An artist's rendering of the upgraded BriteCloud countermeasure for aircraft. (Leonardo)  The UK-based electronic warfare (EW) business of Leonardo has upgraded the large aircraft variant of its BriteCloud expendable active decoy (EAD) to meet the latest NATO STANAG-4871 self-protection standard and offer compatibility with new ‘smart' countermeasure dispenser systems.  Announcing the development on 18 January the company revealed that the latest BriteCloud 55-T variant will also be able to exchange data with the host aircraft's onboard self-...

One of two new Su-30 combat aircraft received by Ethiopia on 16 January. (FDRE Defense Force)  Ethiopia has received new Sukhoi Su-30 ‘Flanker' fighters and Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  The Ethiopian National Defense Force (FDRE Defense Force) reported the arrival of an undisclosed number of Su-30s on 16 January, with the state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reporting the arrival of an undisclosed number of Akıncı UAVs on the same day.  “We will continue to be equipped with modern weapons tha...

A Bayraktar TB2 carries a Desert Sting 16 guided bomb during an integration test flight. (Edge)  The Emirati defence group Edge is working with Baykar to integrate its Desert Sting guided bomb on the Turkish company's Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), it was announced on 17 January.  In a statement, Edge said the plan is to initially integrate the Desert Sting 16 (DS-16) with the TB2 before the end of this year as part of its strategic alliance agreement with Baykar, with other payloads to follow.  “Integration of the Desert Sting...