Seen here in US Army service, the UH-60M Black Hawk will soon be flown by the Hellenic Army also, following the signing of an LOA for 35 helicopters. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Greece has joined the international UH-60M Black Hawk programme, with the announcement on 5 April that it signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for 35 of the medium-lift helicopters.  Lockheed Martin disclosed the milestone some four months after the US government approved the approximately USD1.95 billion Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in December 2023. This figure...

The Italian Air Force retired the last of its AMX combat aircraft on 5 April. (Italian Air Force)  The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militaire Italiana: AMI) has retired its Aeritalia Macchi eXperimental (AMX) light attack aircraft after 35 years of service.  The last of the single-engined jets that Italy co-developed with Brazil in the 1980s and 1990s were withdrawn from operational service during a ceremony on 5 April.  Designated A-11B Ghibli by the AMI, the last of 136 examples of the type ordered by the service were being operated by th...

L3Harris Technologies is supplying its AN/PRC-163 handheld radio (pictured) for the ‘Replacement of Ground-Air Radios' requirement under Foxtrot. The very-high-frequency (VHF)/ultra-high-frequency (UHF) radio supports secure two-channel, simultaneous up-and-down echelon connectivity and Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET) applications. (Janes/Olivia Savage)    The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) is looking for a systems integrator to assist with running the Foxtrot tactical digitisation programme,   Janes  learnt.   Foxtro...

The Agni-Prime – pictured above from its first test firing in June 2021 – is a surface-to-surface missile with a length of 10 m. It has a conical-shaped re-entry vehicle in comparison with the Agni II's blunt biconic re-entry vehicle. (DRDO via PIB)  India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Strategic Forces Command (SFC) test-fired the Agni-Prime medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) on 3 April from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the northeastern coast of Odisha, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press rele...

The Hwaseong-16Na missile has an estimated range of 3,000–5,500 km. When launched from Pyongyang, the missile has the ability to strike US military base in Guam at its maximum estimated range. (Janes)  North Korea test-fired a “new” solid-fuelled intermediate-range hypersonic missile known as Hwaseong-16Na for the first time on 2 April, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on 3 April.  The test firing of the missile – which features a “newly developed” hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) – was aimed at confirming its designed techn...

South Korea seeks to acquire the KAI KF-21 (pictured) to replace its ageing Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-4 Phantom and Northrop F-5 Tiger fleet. (KAI)  A South Korean announcement of an estimated KRW7.92 trillion (USD5.85 billion) production plan for the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae covers 40 aircraft, weapons, and associated costs, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.    A DAPA spokesperson told   Janes   on 2 April that the estimated budget “is for the planning” of the KF-21 production...

SkyWiper Omni (pictured), developed by NT Service, is an omnidirectional jammer being procured by the Lithuanian MND, which has a 500 m domed range. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Lithuania-based NT Service has been contracted to deliver counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) to the Lithuanian military to meet an urgent requirement to combat ‘drones'.  The contract, valued at EUR8.03 million (USD8.72 million) and spanning 36 months, involves the provision of anti-drone dome systems and individual suppressors, according to a contract notice publis...

A US Army soldier with the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, inspects a MAPS Gen 1 A-PNT component installed on a tactical vehicle. (US Army)  The US Army's combat capabilities development directorate is seeking industry input on an Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing (A-PNT) capability specifically designed for dismounted operations.  Officials from the research and technology integration directorate at the service's Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center are s...

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system (pictured above) is armed with an anti-ship warhead of weight varying between 200 and 300 kg. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Indian Army test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the Akash semi-mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) in two separate exercises that took place in late March.  The BrahMos test was carried out by the Rising Sun missile unit of the Indian Army's Eastern Command in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to a social media post by Eastern Command, the missile hit th...

The Type 12 SSM is pictured (left), being launched from a transporter-erector-launcher vehicle. Images on the right show the system's sensor and control station. (Japanese MoD)  The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has deployed an anti-ship missile (ASM) unit known as the ‘7th Surface-to-Ship Missile Regiment' at the JGSDF's Katsuren camp located at Uruma city in Okinawa Prefecture, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in late March.  The new unit is equipped with Type 12 coastal-defence surface-to-ship guided missiles, which ar...

The first production Tejas Mk 1A takes off from the HAL airport in Bangalore on 28 March 2024. (HAL)    Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has test-flown its first production Tejas Mk 1A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). However, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is unlikely to get the aircraft until mid-2024, an industry source told   Janes  .     According to HAL, the first production aircraft, serial no LA-5033, conducted an 18-minute successful sortie from the HAL airport in Bengaluru on 28 March. HAL intended to deliver at l...

This concept image of China's new attack helicopter, tentatively designated as Z-21, is based on photographs of the prototype aircraft in flight. (Janes)  China is developing a new attack helicopter that appears to be in the same weight class as the US Boeing AH-64 Apache and the Russian Mil Mi-28 Havoc.  Images of the new helicopter, which emerged on Chinese social media in March 2024, show an aircraft that is larger than the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) in-service AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) Changhe Aircraft Industr...

With many older aircraft coming to the end of their service lives, such as the F-4E Phantom II pictured, the Hellenic Air Force is to consolidate its combat types under plans announced by the country's defence minister. (Janes/Jamie Hunter)  Greece is to retire and sell off many of its older combat aircraft types under a “radical overhaul” of the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) announced by the government on 25 March.  Speaking on national media to mark Greece's Independence Day, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said that the number of combat aircraft...

Seen here in Italian service, the AW169M will soon be fielded by North Macedonia alongside the AW149 under a deal finalised on 26 March. (Bundesheer Fotos)  North Macedonia finalised its agreement to acquire eight new battlefield lift helicopters from Leonardo on 26 March, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on the same day.  The deal to buy four AW149 and four AW169M helicopters was signed between the North Macedonian Minister of Defence, Slavjanka Petrovska, and the vice-president of Leonardo, Cesare Cacha, in Skopje.  The milestone cam...

The Bird AeroSystems defensive aids installation fitted to an A319 airliner (pictured here) of an undisclosed European operator. (Bird AeroSystems)  Bird AeroSystems has fitted its aircraft defensive aids system (DAS) for an undisclosed European A319 operator, likely the Hungarian Air Force (HuAF).  The Israeli company said on 27 March that its Self Protection Radar Electro-Optic System (SPREOS) directed infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) and Aeroshield Missile Protection System (AMPS) had been fitted to multiple A319 aircraft for an undisclosed...

A company graphic showing Magal Solutions' integrated military base solution, featuring sensor integration into the company's Fortis X C5I software solution. (Magal Solutions)  Magal Solutions is incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into its military base protection solutions to enhance data fusion and analysis capabilities, the company has told Janes.  Part of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Magal's major focus for armed forces is an integrated military base solution. This combines sensors – such as short- and long-range cameras...

After 23 years of service that has seen it conduct combat operations in Afghanistan and Libya, the WAH-64 Apache Longbow AH1 has been retired from the British Army. It is being replaced by the AH-64E V6 Apache Guardian. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The British Army has retired its AgustaWestland-Boeing WAH-64 Apache Longbow AH1, at the same time declaring the AH-64E Version 6 (V6) Apache Guardian successor attack helicopter to be “operationally ready”.  The last of the original 67 Apache AH1 helicopters were formally withdrawn from service during a...

Saab has been contracted to deliver its Arexis electronic suite for the Luftwaffe's Eurofighter EK aircraft, a mock-up of which was displayed at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2022 (pictured). (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Airbus Defence and Space (DS) has contracted Saab to deliver its Arexis electronic warfare (EW) suite for the Luftwaffe's Eurofighter Elektronischer Kampf (EK) requirement, the Swedish company announced on 26 March.  The award came about nine months after Saab was selected in June 2023 by the Luftwaffe, along with its German partner...

The US Navy is looking to decommission USS  Jackson  .  (Janes/Michael Fabey)    The US Navy (USN) wants to decommission 19 vessels during fiscal year (FY) 2025, including 10 ships before they have reached planned end of their expected service lives (ESLs), according to the  Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for Fiscal Year 2025  , often called the USN's 30-year shipbuilding plan, sent to US lawmakers on 19 March.   The shipbuilding plan details t...

Aircraft BK35 seen at RAF Marham shortly after its arrival on 20 March. With deliveries to the UK of TR-2 standard aircraft now complete, the arrival of TR-3 standard aircraft should commence later in the year. (Crown Copyright)  The UK has received its final Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning combat aircraft to be delivered at the Technology Refresh-2 (TR-2) standard, the manufacturer confirmed to Janes on 25 March.  The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the arrival of the two jets on 20 March. Lockheed Martin told Janes that BK (the factory...