Safran's Patroller UAV displayed at Paris Air Show 2023 is being acquired by the Greek Army. (Janes/Sam Wise)  Safran Electronics & Defense has been contracted to deliver four Patroller medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Greek Army.  NATO's Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) entered into negotiations and facilitated the contract on behalf of the Greek Army, the company announced at the Paris Air Show 2023, held between 19 to 25 June.  The UAVs will replace the army's Sperwer systems, which were...

A variant of the Spice 250 ER munition will provide a SEAD capability for the Luftwaffe. (Rafael)  Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Diehl Defence, and Hensoldt Sensors have partnered to offer the German Luftwaffe a variant of Rafael's Spice 250 ER extended-range precision strike weapon adapted for the suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD) role.  Announcing their teaming agreement at the Paris Air Show 2023 on 20 June, the three companies said the collaboration aimed to provide a SEAD capability applicable to the Luftwaffe's planned new Eur...

Turkish Aerospace Industries T925 helicopter mock-up at the Paris Air Show 2023. (Janes/Nigel Torp-Petersen)  Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) debuted the T925 medium-heavy helicopter programme at Le Bourget and featured a full-scale mock-up among its static exhibits and models of militarised variants of the helicopter.  During a media briefing on the second day of the Paris Air Show 2023, TAI CEO Temel Kotil discussed the company's current programmes. Kotil said that TAI had received input into the development of the T925 from the Turkish...

Embraer showcased a pair of KC-390s at the Paris Air Show 2023 for the first time as it looks to secure further international orders for the tanker-transport aircraft. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Embraer is eyeing NATO as a potential customer for its KC-390 Millennium as part of a wider push to promote the tanker-transport aircraft to the international market.  Speaking at the Paris Air Show 2023 in Le Bourget, Marcio Monteiro, chief marketing officer at Embraer, said the Brazilian company is in very early talks with the alliance about offering...

RTX announced a number of upgrade milestones for the F-35, including those related to the F135 powerplant. (US Navy)  The three Raytheon Technologies (RTX) companies at the heart of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme have announced major upgrade milestones at the Paris Air Show 2023.  Speaking at a joint press briefing on 19 June, senior officials from Pratt & Whitney (P&W), Collins Aerospace, and Raytheon announced major upgrade milestones related to the aircraft's powerplant, power generation, and wea...

A US Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tanker-transport featured in the US Department of Defense corral at the Paris Air Show 2023. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Boeing is to team with Aurora Flight Sciences to enhance the defensive capabilities of its KC-46A Pegasus tanker-transport aircraft, the manufacturer announced at the Paris Air Show on 20 June.  Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, is leading the research and conceptual design of composite components geared at enhancing operational survivability for aerial refuelling and mobility missions, Bo...

Safran and MTU are to team to develop a new engine to power a future rotorcraft for the EU's ENGRT effort that could leverage the Airbus Helicopters RACER concept for high-speed helicopter flight (pictured) and the Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor. (Airbus Helicopters via Janes/Gareth Jennings)  France's Safran Helicopter Engines and Germany's MTU Aero Engines have agreed on a joint venture (JV) to develop a powerplant for the European Union's (EU's) European Next-Generation Rotorcraft Technologies (ENGRT) programme.  Announced at the Paris Air Show...

A model of the New Generation Fighter element of the wider FCAS/SCAF programme at the Paris Air Show 2023. Belgium announced that it is to join the programme in an observer capacity. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Belgium has joined France, Germany, and Spain in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (SCAF) programme, with Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder saying the country will have an observer status.  Announced to coincide with the Paris Air Show 2023 at Le Bourget, the agreement revealed on 19 June by De...

AID awarded a contract to Nexter Arrowtech, EOS Technologie, and Traak on 16 June to develop a medium-range loitering munition under its and the DGA's Larinae call for projects. (Nexter)  The Agence de l'Innovation de Défense (AID), the French defence innovation agency, awarded a contract to Nexter Arrowtech, EOS Technologie, and Traak on 16 June to develop a medium-range loitering munition under the Larinae call for projects aimed at providing the French Army with such a system armed with an anti-tank warhead, Nexter announced in a press re...

Israeli defence exports. (Israeli Ministry of Defense )  The Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) has announced record defence exports for 2022, saying the contracts agreed on totalled USD12.5 billion, up from USD11.4 billion in 2021, which was itself a record high.  The figures the MoD released on 14 June on the regions buying Israeli military products showed a massive increase in the ‘Abraham Accords' category, from USD853 million (7% of the total) in 2021 to USD2.962 billion (24%) in 2022, as well as a significant decrease in the Europe categ...

A model of the Space Entertainment Laboratory Hamadori 6000 seaplane UAV displayed at the Paris Air Show 2023. (Janes/Sam Wise)  Space Entertainment Laboratory (SEL) has demonstrated its seaplane unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Hamadori 6000 and Hamadori Concept to the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD).  Speaking to Janes at the Paris Air Show 2023, held from 19 to 25 June, SEL research and development lead Takenori Hashimoto revealed that from 24 to 26 May 2023 it had performed demo flights of its Hamadori 6000 UAV for the Japanese MoD as w...

South Korea's Lockheed Martin C-130 fleet is a key component of its special forces' operations and deep infiltration and penetration. In this photo, a RoKAF C-130 drops five-gallon drums of water during a military exercise in South Korea in 2017. (US Department of Defense)  Hanwha Systems has announced that it has been awarded a contract by the South Korean government to improve the Republic of Korea's (RoK's) Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules aircraft.  In a filing on the South Korean financial market, Hanwha said the contract was awarded by S...

A Spanish Eurofighter was displayed at the Paris Air Show 2023. Along with Germany, the country has a requirement for a follow-on buy of aircraft that Airbus hopes to shortly close out as the lead design authority for the fighter in both countries. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Airbus is confident of securing follow-on orders for the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft with partner countries Germany and Spain.  Speaking at the Paris Air Show 2023 on 20 June, executive vice-president of Airbus Military Air Systems Jean-Brice Dumont said that the Ha...

The Heron medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is a success story for Israel, with 15 or more countries known to be operating the systems. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Demand for Israeli-made defence systems has increased significantly in the past five years, with the value of government-to-government agreements amounting to USD4 billion in 2022, up from USD412 million in 2018, Brigadier General (Res) Yair Kulas, director of the Israeli Ministry of Defense International Defense Coo...

With the Black Hawk still being built by PZL Mielec in Poland (pictured) and by Sikorsky in the US, parent company Lockheed Martin and the US Army have mapped out an upgrade path to keep the helicopter in operational service through to 2070. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Lockheed Martin has mapped out an upgrade plan that will keep the S-70 Black Hawk medium-lift helicopter in operational service with the US Army and international customers through to 2070.    Speaking to   Janes  and other defence media ahead of the Paris Air Show...

The first F-16 Block 70 seen departing on its maiden flight in January 2022. Lockheed Martin's Polish subsidiary, PZL Mielec, has recently begun production of subassemblies as the company looks to clear the international backlog of orders. (Lockheed Martin)  PZL Mielec recently commenced production of major subassemblies for the international Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon programme at its facility in southern Poland, taking over the work from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the US and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in So...

A mock-up of the Eurofighter Typhoon featuring Halcon II livery displayed at the Paris Air Show 2023. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The Eurofighter consortium is pushing Spain to commit to a follow-on buy of Typhoon combat aircraft under the country's Halcon procurement programme, showcasing a mock-up of the aircraft in Halcon II livery at the Paris Air Show 2023.    Having secured the original Halcon order in June 2022, Airbus as the chief contractor for the Eurofighter programme in Spain recently told   Janes  and other defence m...

One of two KC-390s that Embraer has brought to the Paris Air Show to build on its recent European success with the tanker-transport aircraft. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Embraer is showcasing its KC-390 Millennium transport aircraft at the Paris Air Show running from 19 to 25 June, as the Brazilian manufacturer looks to add to the export successes it has so far scored in Europe.  Appearing for the third time at the biennial (barring a four-year break from 2019 to 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic)event at Le Bourget, the KC-390 will once again f...

The DART-750 turboprop trainer aircraft was displayed at the Paris Air Show 2023 just days after its maiden flight earlier in June. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  An uprated and more powerful version of the Diamond Aircraft Reconnaissance Trainer (DART) aircraft was showcased at the Paris Air Show 2023 for the first time on 19 June.  The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C-powered DART-750 (named after the 750 shp of the engine) was displayed in the static line-up at Le Bourget just seven days after making its maiden flight on 12 June. Alongside the up...

A mock-up of the Eurofighter EK, featuring a generic escort jammer pod, was showcased at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2022. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The Luftwaffe has selected the Saab Arexis electronic warfare (EW) suite for its Eurofighter Elektronischer Kampf (EK) requirement, the Swedish company confirmed on 16 June.    Saab and its German partner for the project, Helsing, confirmed a   Der Spiegel  report from 13 June that said the selection will see the two companies provide the suite for the Luftwaffe's Eurofighter EK ele...