Elbit Systems Nano SPEAR displayed at the Paris Air Show 2023. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Elbit Systems has launched a new airborne electronic countermeasure (ECM) system called Nano SPEAR (Self Protection Electronic Attack and Reconnaissance) at the Paris Air Show 2023, held from 19 to 25 June.  Nano SPEAR is a miniature countermeasure system designed to protect aircraft against radar-guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.  Weighing less than 0.8 kg, the expendable radio frequency (RF) decoy fits in an aircraft's existing countermeasure...

A still from the PMF video shows the Mohajer-6 UAV flying over Martyr Majid al-Tamimi Air Base (Camp Speicher). (Popular Mobilisation Forces)  Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) released a video on 14 June showing an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) taking off and circling an airbase that could be identified as the one popularly known as Camp Speicher in Salah al-Din governorate.  The Mohajer-6 was then shown using a guided bomb against a target that was about 30 km to the north, according to co-ordinates seen on th...

Being developed for the UK NMH requirement, the H175M is also being pitched to the wider international market. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Airbus is looking to add international partners to the H175M medium-lift helicopter that it is developing for the UK New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement.  Speaking to Janes at the Paris Air Show 2023 on 19 June, Lenny Brown, managing director of Airbus Helicopters UK, said that while the UK remains its focus, international interest in the H175M has already been received.  “We have been talking to other na...

The Swift is a hydrogen-powered propeller-driven aircraft whose design has been supported by the MoD's Project Monet. (Swift Aircraft)  Swift Aircraft and GKN Aerospace have showcased their conceptual design for a new light training aircraft that is geared to help the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) achieve its goal of net zero emissions.  Revealed at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget on 19 June, the Swift is a hydrogen-powered propeller-driven aircraft whose design has been supported by the MoD's Project Monet, a joint initiative between the Rap...

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line as the sun sets at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, on 20 November 2019. (US Air Force)  The US Air Force (USAF) is looking to demonstrate an expanded satellite communications (satcom) capability, leveraging satcom terminals integrated aboard the air service's MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft system (UAS).  Service officials from AFWERX, a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), inked a technology development deal with CesiumAstro to integrate the company's Ka-band satcom terminal into th...

The AH-125 and MH-125 Ares helicopters are being offered to the international market as two distinct platforms that share a common heritage with the M125M. (Airbus)  Airbus in the US is pitching the multimission capabilities of its AH-125 and MH-125 Ares light attack and utility helicopters as the chief differentiator to competing solutions on the international market.  Speaking to Janes and other defence media at the Paris Air Show 2023, Scott Tumpak, vice-president of military line of business at Airbus US Space & Defense, said that while o...

Schiebel Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicle fitted with the Riegl VQ-840-G laser mapping device at the Paris Air Show 2023. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Schiebel has exhibited a new airborne laser payload onboard its S-300 Camcopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the Paris Air Show 2023, held from 19 to 25 June.  The payload, dubbed VQ-840-G, is a compact airborne laser scanner developed by Riegl. The sensor is designed for high-resolution surveying of underwater topography with a narrow, visible green laser beam that penetrates water enabli...

The PZL Mielec facility in Poland could ramp up production to meet growing international demand for the Black Hawk helicopter. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin's subsidiary, PZL Mielec, could ramp up production of the S-70 Black Hawk at its facility in southern Poland to meet the growing international demand for the medium-lift helicopter, a senior official said ahead of the Paris Air Show.    Speaking to   Janes  and other defence media earlier in June, Piotr Niedbała, business development and programmes director, said the...

Indonesia's planned acquisition of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5s from Qatar is intended to prevent the decline of the Indonesian Air Force's combat capabilities. This photo was taken in 2011, when the Qatar Emiri Air Force Mirages were part of the international military operation in Libya. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images)  The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has signed a contract to acquire the Qatar Emiri Air Force's (QEAF's) total fleet of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft.  The acquisition was officially announced on sta...

The US Air Force has sent its premier air-to-air combat aircraft, the F-22 Raptor, to CENTCOM AOR “in the wake of increasingly unsafe and unprofessional behaviour by Russian aircraft in the region”. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The US has sent Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighters to the Middle East in response to “unsafe and unprofessional” behaviour by Russian aircraft in the region, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on 14 June.  An undisclosed number of the air dominance fighters have been deployed from the 94th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Fo...

One of the three Hercules that took part in the type's farewell flypast manoeuvres through the Welsh valleys as the trio made their way around the UK. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has retired the last of its Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, marking the end of 56 years of operational service with a UK-wide flypast on 14 June.  With the official retirement parade having taken place at the type's home station at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 9 June, three of the last 14 C-130J-30 C4 variant Hercules airc...

As the largest UAV to be built in France, the scale of the Aarok is apparent in this image of the aircraft parked next to a Turgis & Gaillard employee. (Frédéric Lert)  The Turgis & Gaillard group will be presenting the prototype of its Aarok unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the Paris Air Show, held from 19 to 25 June. With a wingspan of 22 m, the Aarok is the largest UAV designed in France.  The Turgis & Gaillard group, named after its two founders, has been working on the Aarok project since 2020. The aircraft – designed for intelligence, s...

The Kuwait Low Altitude Surveillance System is seen during a visit by Minister of Defence Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah in January 2021. (Kuwait News Agency)  US Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is carrying out market research to see if there are contractors other than TCOM that can operate the Kuwait Low Altitude Surveillance System (KLASS).  In a request for information released on 13 June MARCORSYSCOM said the KLASS consists of a TCOM 71M tethered aerostat that carries a TPS-63 solid-state radar, as well as associated groun...

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, German national media reported on 13 June.  Der Spiegel said the selection will see Saab and national partner Helsing provide the suite for the Luftwaffe's Eurofighter EK electronic attack (EA) escort jammer aircraft by 2030. Integration will be done by Airbus as the o...

The Kuwait Air Force fields 33 ‘classic' Hornet combat aircraft (pictured), which it now seeks to operate alongside newer Super Hornet and Eurofighter Typhoon platforms. (DVIDS)  Kuwait is set to continue operating its ‘classic' Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet combat aircraft alongside its recently received F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and Eurofighter Typhoons, with a USD1.8 billion support agreement with the US government approved on 13 June.  As noted by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the US Department of State has approved the conti...

Belgian Air Chief Major General Thierry Dupont signed the bulkhead of the first of Belgium's F-35As while visiting Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth factory on 5 June. (Belgian Air Component)  Lockheed Martin has begun building the first F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) for Belgium at its Fort Worth facility in Texas.  The Belgian Air Component (BAC) announced the milestone on 7 June, posting an image of Belgian Air Chief Major General Thierry Dupont signing the bulkhead of aircraft AY-01 two days prior. This milestone will be followe...

US Air Force F-35A lifts off from MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. Although TR-3-equipped F-35 deliveries are paused, TR-2 deliveries will continue. (US Air Force/Staff Sgt Zade Vadnais)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) will in July stop accepting deliveries of aircraft equipped with Technical Refresh-3 (TR-3) hardware and software, four months after resolving another delivery freeze.  “Starting later this summer, F-35 aircraft coming off the production line with TR-3 hardware will not be accepted (DD250) until relevant combat capability is validated...

Work to test elements of the Tempest demonstrator is now under way, including sled testing of the aircraft's ejector seat system. (BAE Systems)  Testing of components and systems intended for the Tempest Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Flying Technology Demonstrator (FTD) is accelerating at BAE Systems' Warton site and at the facilities of partners companies around the UK.  Work on the demonstrator was announced in July 2022 by UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, with a declaration of intent for it to fly “within five years”.  Industry executiv...

Information provided by the Taiwanese and Japanese governments shows that the Chinese People's Liberation Army operated two SAIC Y-9 communications countermeasures aircraft in the Taiwan air defence identification zone on 8 June 2023. The aircraft subsequently operated south of the Japan ADIZ. (Taiwan MND/Japan MoD/Janes)  A new special mission aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been identified after the aircraft flew into Japan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on 8 June.    The Japanese Ministry of Defens...

Among other training devices, the new building extension at RAF Valley will house a simulator for the Texan II trainer aircraft. (Crown Copyright)  Ascent Flight Training has opened new infrastructure at Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley in Wales as the UK looks to increase its pilot training capacity.  The opening of the building extension that will house a simulator and other training devices was announced on 12 June, with Ascent noting it is part of a wider GBP175 million (USD220 million) investment in the UK Military Flight Training System (MF...