A Comtech COMET troposcatter system set up for a BLOS network demonstration at SOF Week 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Comtech)  Industry officials are looking to leverage Cold War-era tactical communications technologies as a potential enabler for the US Department of Defense's (DoD's) Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) capability.  Programme officials with satellite communications (satcom) development company Comtech in May conducted a multivendor demonstration that blended satcom, tropospheric scatter links, and local area ne...

With a weight launch of 280 kg, the Blue Shark can hit targets at depths of up to 450 m and at a range of 6.5 n mile. The torpedo can travel at a speed of 45 kt. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  South Korea is prepared to deliver a second batch of Cheong Sangeo (K745/Blue Shark) torpedoes to the Philippine Navy (PN). However, Janes understands that the Philippines has delayed the procurement.  The deal was first announced in August 2021. At the time, the Philippines Department of National Defense (DND) said that the deal was reported to cost around PHP...

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat prototype aircraft in flight over Woomera, South Australia. (Australian Department of Defence)  The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, which has been flying in Australia since 2021, is in the US for testing. The aircraft was displayed to reporters at Mid-America Airport outside St Louis, Missouri.  Boeing declined to disclose the nature of testing, but Krystle Carr, Boeing's director of autonomous collaborative platforms, said that testing would include internally funded Boeing testing and hinted at but declined to confirm other test...

Acquisition of the TAI Anka unmanned aircraft system will enhance Malaysia's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities over the country's maritime zones. When armed, the UAS will also provide the military with a credible attack or point-defence capability. (Janes/TAI)  The Malaysian government has announced a contract with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for three Anka multirole unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). The Anka (Phoenix) is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAS that is capable of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnais...

Canada is to donate to Ukraine older versions of its AIM-9 Sidewinder, as carried here by a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet. (Janes)  Canada is to donate Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine, the Canadian defence minister announced at the 12th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting on 25 May.  Canadian Minister of National Defence Anita Anand announced the donation as part of a wider raft of support measures for the Ukrainian armed forces.  “Minister Anand … announced that Canada is donating 43 AIM-9 missiles to Ukraine f...

The Blue Bear Ghost fixed-wing UAV tested during the inaugural AUKUS AI and autonomy trial. (Crown Copyright)  The UK hosted the first AUKUS artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy trial in April to promote synergies between Australian, UK, and US AI-enabled assets.  Held at Upavon in Wiltshire, the exercise involved collaboratively swarming the different AI platforms to detect and track military targets in real time in a representative environment, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 26 May.  The trial incorporated platforms such...

The Prometheus 2 CubeSats were scheduled to be launched from Cornwall onboard Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket before an anomaly in the launcher resulted in the two satellites being destroyed. (Crown Copyright)  The UK is investigating several options to replace the Prometheus 2 satellites destroyed during the failed Virgin Orbit launch in January 2023.    Speaking with   Janes   on the Prometheus 2 successor, Head of Space Capability at UK Space Command Commodore Dave Moody said one possible option would be to repeat the proj...

Argentina's few remaining A-4ARs have effectively served out their lifespans. The future of the fleet is unclear. (Santiago Rivas)  Latin American fighter fleets were regularly modernised through the 1980s, with aircraft such as the French Mirage family, British Hawker Hunter, and American F-5 Tiger II and A-4 Skyhawk flying routinely. Most regional air forces have since seen their budgets constrained and fleet renewals restricted in terms of size and capability.  Today, many Latin American countries have small fleets of old aircraft, while o...

Poland is set to acquire two Saab 340 Erieye AEW&C aircraft from Sweden, according to a statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, as well as a briefing slide shown by the Polish Air Force. (Saab)  Poland is in the advanced stages of negotiations with Sweden to acquire airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the country's armed forces.  The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, made the disclosure on 22 May, saying he expects a contract...

The Leonardo tiltrotor AW609 can support various security-centric applications such as cargo carrier, special operations, personnel recovery, and ‘homeland security'. (Leonardo)  Weststar Aviation Services (Weststar), a Malaysian aviation company, has signed an agreement with Leonardo to operate a single AW609 tiltrotor helicopter in the country.  According to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 on 24 May, Weststar will operate the aircraft under lease. LIMA...

US marines filing into an MV-22 on   USS Kearsarge  off the coast of North Carolina during Exercise ‘Bold Alligator' in 2012.   (Janes/Mike Fabey)  Boeing's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania V-22 factory, which produces the fuselage and other major equipment for the joint Bell-Boeing tiltrotor aircraft, may close as soon as 2025, according to a Boeing official.  Discussions have begun about closing the assembly line, said Shane Openshaw, Boeing's programme manager for the V-22, on 23 May. “We're starting to have those c...

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov posted a photo on 24 May, showing a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24MR ‘Fencer' aircraft carrying a Storm Shadow missile. (Ukraine Ministry of Defence)  Ukraine is using its Sukhoi Su-24 ‘Fencer' strike aircraft to carry the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missiles recently received from the United Kingdom.  This delivery method was revealed by Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who on 24 May posted a photo of a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24 aircraft with a Storm Shadow on each of its inboard underwing pylo...

An Italian Air Force ATR 72 maritime surveillance aircraft takes off from Malaysia in 2017. In Italian service, this aircraft is known as the P-72A. (Leonardo)  The Malaysian government has ordered two Leonardo ATR 72-600 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA).  In an announcement during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023, on 25 May, the Malaysian Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) said that the two aircraft represented “Phase 1” of the aircraft's acquisition.  According to MINDEF, the contract has a value of MYR789.6...

The Czech Republic signed a contract in August 2022 for three Heron 1 MALE UAVs. (Israel Aerospace Industries)  The Czech Republic has scrapped its decision to acquire medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in favour of smaller systems.  According to an Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) announcement on 22 May, the force will acquire 200 small UAVs rather than three MALE systems following assessments of Russia's electronic warfare (EW) capabilities and the deployment of these platforms in Ukraine.  ACR combat and...

The UK has reopened the HMT programme to new suppliers. Pictured is DefendTex D40 nUAS, which was involved in one of the frameworks projects. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Human Machine Teaming (HMT) programme reopened to new suppliers on 22 May.  Initially announced in May 2022, the three-year GBP300 million (USD372.4 million) HMT project seeks to collate lessons from the British Army's experimentation activity in Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) and enable rapid iterations across the full spectrum of potential...

Leaders of both the FCAS/SCAF and GCAP programmes are committed to operability between their respective solutions. (BAE Systems)  Programme leaders from the Future Combat Air System/Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (FCAS/SCAF) and Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) have promoted the need for interoperability between their rival efforts.  Sharing a stage for the first time, the chief of SCAF in the French Air and Space Force (l'Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace: AAE), Major General Jean-Luc Moritz, and UK Future Combat Air Director at the Ministr...

The Royal Malaysian Air Force is sustaining the operations of its BAE Systems Hawk fleet through component repairs. Some of the older Hawks have been in RMAF service since 1994. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  As the Malaysian Armed Forces struggles with a problem of ageing aircraft, Honeywell said it is offering fleet sustainment solutions in partnership with local industries.  According to Honeywell, it is currently providing support to Malaysian partners to repair components of BAE Systems Hawk aircraft, which are in service with the Royal Malaysia...

One of four Reaper UAVs so far delivered to the Netherlands. These will be modified to carry weapons, while a further six Reapers to be delivered in 2026 will have that capability already. (Dutch MoD)  The Netherlands is to arm its General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc MQ-9A Reaper medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), having originally acquired them as unarmed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets only.  The Dutch Minister of Defence, Christophe van der Maat, made the announcement on 23 May...

Boeing delivered its first F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III to the US Navy on 31 August 2021. (Boeing)  The US Navy (USN) has inducted around 33 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet Block IIIs into the air fleet, including around 20 for operational squadrons VFA-25 and VFA-113, with the remainder going to test units. The operational squadrons, which are based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California, and fly the single-seat F/A-18E, are both gearing up for carrier deployments, Captain Jason Denney, F/A-18 and EA-18G programme manager, told Janes. Al...

Malaysia's KAI FA-50 Block 20 aircraft will have the ability to integrate a Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP), 500 lb GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs, and the AGM-65 Maverick missile. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said that Malaysia's order of 18 FA-50 light combat aircraft will be followed by a second order of an additional 18 aircraft.    Speaking to   Janes   at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 202...