India's interest in acquiring a carrierborne variant of the Dassault Rafale potentially overshadows a competing bid by the Boeing F/A-18. In this 2018 photo, a French Navy Rafale M lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS   Harry S Truman  .  (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gitte Schirrmacher/US Navy)  The Indian government appears to be positioning itself for the procurement of 26 Dassault Rafale M carrier-based fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy.  The Indian Ministry of Defenc...

China's XAC YY-20A tanker is capable of refuelling the PLAAF's most advanced and modern aircraft. The aircraft is a critical component of China's plan to project long-range power beyond the first island chain. (Getty Images/Janes)  The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is operating more Xi'an Aircraft Company Ltd (XAC) YY-20A air-to-air refuellers than before.    A   Janes   assessment of imagery released by the PLAAF and satellite observation has determined that China has at least eight YY-20As in service. Unt...

India's interest in acquiring a carrierborne variant of the Dassault Rafale potentially overshadows a competing bid by the Boeing F/A-18. In this 2018 photo, a French Navy Rafale M lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS   Harry S Truman  .  (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gitte Schirrmacher/US Navy)  The Indian government appears to be positioning itself for the procurement of 26 Dassault Rafale M carrier-based fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy.  According to Indian media rep...

Norway is one of the 10 European countries that will train Ukrainian pilots and maintainers on the F-16 initially, and potentially other combat aircraft types in the future also. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  NATO has established a coalition of 10 European member and soon-to-be member states to train Ukrainian pilots and maintainers to operate the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and potentially other combat aircraft types.  Announced at the 2023 NATO Vilnius Summit in Lithuania, the coalition comprises NATO members Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg,...

The armed H125M was showcased at the Paris Air Show 2023, during which Miloradović held discussions with Airbus on a number of planned procurement projects. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Serbia and Airbus are in talks over the possible joint production in Serbia of the armed version of the Airbus H125M helicopter and the Airbus SiRTAP (Sistema RPAS Táctico de Altas Prestaciones) tactical unmanned aircraft system (UAS).  Nenad Miloradović, assistant minister for material resources in the Serbian Ministry of Defence (MoD), disclosed the discussions...

Ukraine is one of more than 30 countries known to be operating Black Hornet systems. Pictured is a Black Hornet 3 with a monitor, attached to a soldier's combat flack vest. (Teledyne FLIR Defense)  Norway will donate 1,000 ‘drone' kits to Ukraine, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 12 July.  A total of 1,000 Teledyne FLIR Defense Black Hornet nano unmanned aircraft system (nUAS) kits will be delivered to Ukraine following a request from the authorities.    A spokesperson from the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsv...

Australia is to deploy a Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft to Germany for six months to protect “the essential flow of military and humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine”, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on 10 July. (Anadolu Agency)  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is to deploy a Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft to Europe to help oversee military and humanitarian relief efforts into Ukraine.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement during a press conference in Ber...

Chad's new Hürkuş-C turboprops at Adji Kosseï airbase in N'Djamena. (Présidence de la République du Tchad)  The Chadian Air Force has received Hürkuş turboprop aircraft and Anka long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it was confirmed on 10 July, when President General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno visited the country's main airbase to inspect the new assets. Both types are made by Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ).  The president's office released a video showing at least three Hürkuş-C light attack variants and two Anka UAVs at Adji Kosseï airba...

As seen at the Paris Air Show 2023, the MBDA SCALP and Storm Shadow are essentially the same cruise missile as fielded by France and the UK, respectively. Ukraine will shortly be armed with both types, following President Emmanuel Macron's announcement of deliveries at the NATO summit in Vilnius. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to deliver “deep strike” missiles to Kyiv in the context of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces.  Speaking at 2023 NATO Vilnius Summit in Lithuania,...

The fifth prototype of the KAI KF-21 will be delivered to Indonesia after 2026 if Jakarta fulfils its required financial commitment to the programme. (DAPA)  Indonesia is “committed” to the joint development of the KF-21/IFX fighter development programme despite missing a deadline to provide South Korea with a payment timetable for the project, according to an industry source.  On 3 July the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that Indonesia was yet to provide the new plan for payment. The agency added tha...

The new FalconWorks will be an advanced agile research and development centre for the Air sector of BAE Systems and will include efforts such as the Tempest and Global Combat Air Programme. (BAE Systems)    BAE Systems has stood up the new FalconWorks division within its Air business to explore “what comes after the next”, the head of the new unit, Dave Holmes, told   Janes  and other defence media at the company's Warton site on 3 July.   Holmes said the new unit, which was stood up within the company earlier in 2023 but...

Elbit will supply two new long-range patrol aircraft (LRPA) based on the Leonardo ATR 72-600 to a customer in Asia. (Leonardo)  Elbit Systems announced that it has won a contract to supply two long-range patrol aircraft (LRPA) to an Asia-Pacific (APAC) country.  Janes   assesses that this contract is linked to the Philippines, which has been seeking to procure two maritime patrol aircraft since 2014. In its statement on 10 July Elbit said that two LRPA aircraft will be “based on the new ATR 72-600”.   “Elbit Systems will integrate in...

Rheinmetall will turn out at least 400 F-35A centre fuselage sections for the Luftwaffe and the wider international programme at its new Weeze facility in Germany. (Rheinmetall)  Rheinmetall will establish a new facility at Weeze for the production of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) fuselage sections.  The plant in the Kleve district of the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany will turn out at least 400 F-35A centre-fuselage sections for the Luftwaffe and the wider international programme.  “We are pleased wit...

IAI's aerostructure products include wings for the Lockheed Martin F-35. (IAI)  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is exploring buying or investing in companies in the United States to expand its aerostructures manufacturing footprint, according to a company official.  Such a transaction would complement the work IAI does in Israel for US defence contractors, including building wings for the Lockheed Martin F-35 and F-16 fighter jets and conformal fuel tanks for the Boeing F-15 fighter, said Amir Geva, IAI's executive vice-president for North...

A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter caught in the cross-hairs of a French Rafale over the Syria-Iraq border on 6 July. (French Ministry of Armed Forces)  Combat aircraft from Russia and Western countries have ‘clashed' over the Middle East, with US and French officials describing the actions of Russian pilots as being “unprofessional”.  US Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) and the French Ministry of Armed Forces released images of close encounters between their aircraft and Russian Sukhoi Su-35 ‘Flanker-E' fighters on 5 and 6 July, respectively....

China is continuing to induct SAC J-16 multirole fighters into the service as part of its modernisation of the air force. (VCG via Getty Images/Qian Baihua)  China has augmented its operational units with additional numbers of Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-16 multirole and Chengdu Aircraft Industries (Group) Company (CAC) J-20 stealth fighter aircraft.  Janes assesses that China may have inducted 15 new SAC J-16s and 11 CAC J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighters into service since January 2023. These inductions support ongoing efforts...

The Syracuse 4B satellite was successfully launched onboard the Ariane 5 rocket, its final mission before it retires. Pictured is the Syracuse 4A satellite. (Thales Alenia Space)  France's Syracuse 4B military satellite was successfully launched onboard the Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre on 6 July, the Directorate General of Armament (Direction générale de l'armement: DGA) announced.  The satellite will become operational in nine months, once it reaches geostationary orbit and undergoes a full series of tests, the DGA said.  Sy...

A rendering of a Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopter in Luftwaffe service. (Boeing)  The Budget Committee of the German parliament approved the procurement of 60 Boeing CH-47F Block II Chinook heavy-lift helicopters on 5 July.  The EUR6.98 billion (USD7.61 billion) budget approval came about two months after the US government gave the green light for the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme that includes 60 extended-range helicopters, as well as mission equipment, spares, training, transportation, and support. The deal is financed from funds f...

Typhoon aircraft ZK355/BS116 alongside an ECRS Mk 2 radar model in the test and evaluation hangar at BAE Systems in Warton. (BAE Systems)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded BAE Systems GBP870 million (USD1.1 billion) for further development and integration of the European Common Radar System Mark 2 (ECRS Mk 2) for the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft.  Announced on 4 July, the five-year electronically scanned (E-Scan) radar award for BAE Systems and its partner Leonardo is part of a wider GBP2....

Australia will likely use the AH-64E Apaches with its Canberra-class Landing Helicopter Docks. In this photo, a US Army AH-64E lands on HMAS   Canberra  during a training activity at Sydney in February 2023.  (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian government has announced plans to redeploy the army's 1st Aviation Regiment to Townsville and support the unit with infrastructural improvements at the new site.  The 1st Aviation Regiment is set to be equipped with the 29 new Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters ordered...