The war in Ukraine and cargo capabilities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic are helping drive the international demand for Boeing KC-46A tankers. (Kevin Flynn)  A new Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker deal is likely to be reached by end of this year or early next year, Mike Hafer, Boeing's head of sales for the KC-46A, told reporters on 15 June.  Hafer said that an announcement is “imminent” from a customer who was in contract talks before the start of the Ukraine conflict. However, the war in Ukraine is driving up interest in the KC-46A from...

Rohde & Schwarz unveiled a new software for radio monitoring at Eurosatory 2022. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) has unveiled a new radio monitoring software at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.  The software ‘Ceptor' controls radio monitoring systems, and has an intuitive structured user-interface that guides the user through typical work procedures, Luc Dondainas, domain expert in communications Intelligence (COMINT) and manportable communications electronic support measures (C-ESM) at R&S told   Janes  ....

Rheinmetall displayed its Mission Master XT A-UGV with Hero 120 loitering munition at Eurosatory 2022. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)  Rheinmetall is displaying its Mission Master XT autonomous unmanned ground vehicle (A-UGV) with a fire-support module armed with UVision Hero 120 loitering munition at the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition being held in Paris from 13 to 17 June. The A-UGV is shown with a six-cell launch container.  Rheinmetall said in a 13 June press release that the module was developed in co-operation with UVision. The two compa...

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs of the Republic of Korea Air Force prepare to participate in a joint flight with USAF fighters on 7 June 2022, in response to ballistic missile launches by North Korea. (South Korea Ministry of National Defense)  A series of North Korean ballistic missile launches has prompted a show of force by South Korean and United States fighter aircraft.  According to the information made public by South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND), 16 F-35A, F-15K, and KF-16 fighters from the Republic of Korea (RoK) Air...

Seen in its current state of manufacture, the Airbus RACER high-speed rotorcraft demonstrator is one concept that could be leveraged to suit the requirements of the NATO NGRC. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The European NATO allies of France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK launched the concept phase of the Next-Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) on 16 June.  Working with a budget of EUR26.7 million (USD27.8 million), the six intend to produce a common set of requirements in three years.  “This is the first milestone of an...

The REST kit features tail and wing units. (Janes/Huw Williams)  Elbit Systems has developed an applique tail and wing kit for unguided, air-launched munitions, which is intended to extend their range and enhance accuracy.    Speaking to   Janes   at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris, Nir Halamish, Elbit Systems senior vice-president for munition systems and ammunition, said that the Range Extension and Smart Tail (REST) kit can be fitted to Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs, enabling them to strike targets out to a distance of 1...

The ARES demonstrator aircraft seen on its maiden flight in August 2021. The aircraft is based on the Global 6000/6500 business jet airframe that will likely satisfy the US Army‘s latest RFI related to its HADES high-altitude fixed-wing ISR mission. (L3Harris)  The US Army is expanding the size of its fixed-wing high-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability, with a solicitation for an additional business jet airframe posted by the service on 9 June.  Published on the sam.gov US government procurement website,...

Seen at Eurosatory in Paris, the Graven is a Serbia-developed loitering munition that is currently in its initial development phase. (Igor Bozinovski)  Serbian state-owned export agency Yugoimport used the Eurosatory 2022 defence fair to showcase the country's first loitering weapon system, the Gavran (Raven).  Currently in the initial development phase, the Gavran is intended to be a low-cost, long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) system and strike weapon.  Launched by solid propellant booster...

HII confirmed the successful demonstration of launch, operation, and recovery of company-built large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicles (LDUUVs) using an amphibious warship. (HII)  HII confirmed on 13 June the successful demonstration of launch, operation, and recovery of company-built large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicles (LDUUVs) using an amphibious warship.  HII's Advanced Technology Group, comprising employees from across the company, performed the launch-and-recovery demonstration with the HII prototype platform Pharos and the c...

Camero has launched a new through-the-wall system capable of discerning between individuals, animals, and static objects (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Camero unveiled its latest through-the-wall system, the Xaver 1000, at the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.    The Xaver 1000, intended for tactical and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, has an HD 3D ‘sense-through-the-wall' capability, IIan Abramovich, vice president of business development, sales, and marketing at Camero, told   Janes   on 15 J...

Legion-X operator screen during Elbit Systems' Eurosatory 2022 demo, showing platform tracks and screen-in-screen video feeds. (Elbit Systems)  Elbit Systems demonstrated the autonomous mission management capabilities of its Legion-X system at Eurosatory 2022 in Paris.  Legion-X is described by Elbit Systems as an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, platform embedded system that enables a range of unmanned systems – across the air, land, and sea domains – as well as sensors, to form what company representatives described as a “heterogeneous...

A conceptual model of the FCAAM future air-to-air missile was showcased at the Eurosatory 2022 event in Paris. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Diehl Defence has highlighted the advanced features and capabilities that its Future Combat Air-to-Air Missile (FCAAM) will bring to the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF) being developed by France, Germany, and Spain.  Speaking on 13 June at the Eurosatory 2022 exhibition in Paris, Markus Isphording, Air Force Systems' head of marketing, said that the FCAAM concept, which i...

Having previously failed in Poland, the AW149 has been selected for procurement by the country's Ministry of National Defence. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Poland is to procure Leonardo AW149, after having previously discounted the medium-twin utility helicopter in favour of other types.  Polish Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, made the announcement on 13 June as part of a wider raftof defence procurement spending.  “In the near future, we will sign contracts for the supply of […] AW149 multirole support helicopters […],” the minist...

A US marine looks over the MADIS Increment 1 engineering development model aboard a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle during a February 2022 visit to the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic in Charleston, South Carolina. The US Marine Corps wants to field the new air-defence weapon in 2024. (US Navy)  The US Marine Corps (USMC) is testing two early versions of its new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Increment 1 to defeat aerial threats and is plotting ways to produce a future, more lethal version of the weapon, according to Don...

Part of the Avnon Group, Israel‘s iSTAR debuted its Reach VTOL UAV at Eurosatory 2022. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Israeli company iSTAR debuted its Reach vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the Eurosatory defence exhibition running in Paris from 13 to 17 June.  The fixed-wing Reach UAV is billed as being the flagship in iSTAR's range of unmanned aircraft, which includes the identically configured but smaller Transition, and is designed for runway- and equipment-independent launch and recovery.  “This long-endur...

The Indian Armed Forces leased four Heron TP UAVs (pictured above) from Israel under emergency procurement clause in 2021 amid the stand-off with China. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The Indian government has not only emphasised the need to increase the number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operated by the Indian Armed Forces but also to strengthen the service's ability to deploy such technologies across a wide range of tactical missions.  To achieve this, India has increased collaboration with foreign partners – particularly, Israel and the U...

As the newest operator of the NH90, Qatar could see its helicopters in service for the next 50 years under an upgrade path outlined by NHIndustries. (Leonardo)  The NHIndustries (NHI) consortium that manages the NH90 multirole helicopter project expects to shortly finalise a deal to study a proposed lifetime extension of the aircraft beyond its original 30 years, a senior official noted ahead of Eurosatory 2022.  Speaking at Airbus Helicopters' Marignane facility in southern France in late May, Nathalie Tarnaud-Laude, head of the NH90 program...

NH90 helicopters operated by both France (pictured) and Germany are now subject to a joint support contract that will result in the manufacturer taking care of most servicing, leaving the nations to focus on delivering their missions. (French MoD)  NHIndustries (NHI) and the NATO Helicopter Design and Development, Production, and Logistics Management Agency (NAHEMA) have signed an “innovative” support contract for NH90 rotorcraft operating with France and Germany, it was announced on 13 June.  NHIndustries' primary stakeholder, Airbus Helicop...

France, along with Spain, is to upgrade its Tiger attack helicopters (pictured at the Eurosatory 2022 exhibition) to the latest Mk III standard. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Airbus plans a raft of equipment enhancements under the Mk III upgrade programme that is expected to take the Tiger attack helicopter out to the 2050s, including a radically remodelled cockpit and other improvements showcased at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris from 13 to 17 June.  Speaking to Janes and other defence media ahead of the event, the head of the Tiger Mk III p...

KAI and Lockheed Martin hope to supply 1,000 T-50 aircraft to the global military training aircraft market. (KAI/Lockheed Martin)  South Korea's T-50 Golden Eagle trainer and light combat jet has been given a boost following an agreement between Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin to aggressively market the jet internationally.  A “teaming agreement” recently signed by both companies will ”escalate” a continuing strategic co-operative partnership to market the T-50 around the world, KAI said in a press statement on 12 June....