A model of the Surion MCH displayed at MADEX 2023. (Janes/Chinmay Kohad)  Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and BAE Systems signed a contract agreement on 8 June to support delivery of the UK company's Archerfish Mine Neutralisation System (AMNS) for integration onto the KAI KUH-1 Surion mine-countermeasures helicopter (MCH).  The total number of AMNS units to be delivered to KAI under the agreement, which was signed at the MADEX 2023 exhibition held in Busan, is unknown. However, KAI intends to fit the MCH with four Archerfish systems and an...

Seen in Romanian service, the C-27J will now be operated by Azerbaijan. (Leonardo)  Azerbaijan has agreed a deal with Leonardo for the procurement of the C-27J Spartan airlifter, the manufacturer announced on 8 June.  The procurement is part of a wider modernisation plan for the Azerbaijan Air Force (AzAF) and Air Defence Force, and was agreed during a visit to the Caucasian country by an Italian delegation.  “The agreement is part of the extensive modernisation programme of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, which are increasingly looking to the...

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's fleet of Bell AH-1S Huey Cobras is scheduled to be replaced by unmanned combat aerial vehicles by 2027. This photo of JGSDF AH-1Ss and a Hughes OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter was taken in 2014 in the United States. (US Army/PFC Brianne Patterson)    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo has said it is planning to invest JPY1 trillion (USD7.1 billion) over the next five years to replace some manned units in the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) with unmanned systems. The funding will support...

The JF-22 hypersonic wind tunnel could potentially benefit the further development of China's WZ-8 unmanned aerial vehicle. Western intelligence classifies the WZ-8 as a supersonic aircraft. However, Chinese media claims that the WZ-8 is a hypersonic vehicle. (Long Wei/VCG via Getty Images)  A new hypervelocity wind tunnel in China has passed its acceptance check.  Known as the JF-22 hypervelocity wind tunnel, the new facility is expected to contribute to China's “development of aerospace transport systems and hypersonic aircraft”, according...

A US triservice formation of the US Air Force F-35A (lead), the US Marine Corps F-35B, and the US Navy F-35C. (US Air Force)  On 30 May the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report about the Lockheed Martin F-35, finding that the programme has not adequately explained a cost increase of USD13.4 billion since 2019, that the upgraded Block 4 version has run into technical snags and a USD1 billion cost increase, and that the US Department of Defense (DoD) has not fully defined requirements for an engine cooling system upgrade....

A model of the LiG Nex1 MPUH displayed at the MADEX 2023 exhibition in Busan. (Janes/Chinmay Kohad)  LIG Nex1 has displayed a model of its new Multi-Purpose Unmanned Helicopter (MPUH) at the MADEX 2023 exhibition in Busan.  The South Korean firm said the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has a length of 3.5 m and an operating range of more than 50 km. It has a maximum take-off weight of 200 kg with a payload of 60 kg.  The MPUH is fitted with an electro-optic/infrared pod and a front-facing camera for reconnai...

First showcased at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2016, the armed Black Hawk is now being considered by the Polish army. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Lockheed Martin expects Poland to order approximately 32 armed S-70 Black Hawk helicopters as part of a wider revamp of the country's rotary-winged capabilities.  Speaking at the PZL Mielec facility in southern Poland on 7 June, Marek Chojecki, sales and business development manager at Lockheed Martin's Polish subsidiary, said that discussions had been held with the Polish Ministry of Nati...

Chinese and Russian bombers conducted a joint air patrol on 6 June. The Russian bombers subsequently landed at an unidentified airbase in China. (Japan MoD/Janes)  Russian and Chinese strategic bombers concluded a major joint patrol with fighter aircraft over the Sea of Japan (East Sea), the East China Sea, and the Philippine Sea.  According to information published by the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD), several Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) fighter aircraft participated in the joint air patrol at various legs of the operation.  The...

A model of KAI's MC-X cargo aircraft for which a maritime patrol aircraft variant will be derived. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has introduced a maritime patrol variant of its MC-X transport aircraft concept.  Details of the variant were unveiled for the first time at the MADEX 2023 exhibition in Busan by the senior manager of KAI's Fixed-Wing Business Team II, Yoon Jong Sik, who spoke to Janes at the event.  The MC-X is a multirole concept that was first unveiled at the DX Korea exhibition in September 2022. The a...

The SKEC WSS capability will eventually replace the MoD's existing satcom fleet, such as Skynet 5 (pictured). (Paradigm Secure Communications)  The UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Skynet Enduring Capability (SKEC) team is inviting industry to respond to a “pre-pre-qualification questionnaire” (Pre-PQQ) for the SKEC Wideband Satellite System (WSS), Defence Procurement announced on 5 June.  The Pre-PQQ is intended to confirm applicants' nationality and ‘facility security clearance' (FSC) status – a stipulated requirement that companies must ob...

A diorama of ship crew operating a VTOL UAV from the flight deck of a corvette on display at IAI's booth in MADEX 2023. The company is developing a new type of radar that can be fitted onboard VTOL UAVs. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is developing a compact radar that will convert ship-based vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into more capable maritime surveillance platforms.  The matter was revealed by an IAI representative who spoke to Janes at the International Maritime Defense...

The Republic of Korea Air Force already operates four Boeing E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft. (Boeing)  Increasing North Korean ballistic missile activity has prompted South Korea to proceed with the planned acquisition of additional airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.  The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) already operates four Boeing E-7A ‘Peace Eye' AEW&C aircraft, according to Janes data. Seoul acquired these aircraft in 2011–12 as part of an effort to expand its airborne surveillance and early warning infrastructure.  The...

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV¹) used in recent attacks on complexes in Moscow. (Janes)  During the early hours of 30 May Moscow was attacked using multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation has claimed that “the Kyiv regime launched a terrorist attack with UAVs on objects in Moscow”.  The MoD claims that multiple types of UAVs were used in a series of attacks. Images posted online indicate that there is one type of UAV (UAV1) that struck residential complexes or apartments.  According...

The Netherlands is to buy 14 Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal multirole rotorcraft for use by its special operations forces. (DGA)  The Netherlands is purchasing Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal multirole rotorcraft to be used by its special operations forces (SOF) as well as the Northrop Grumman Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) for its Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.  The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the procurements on 5 June.  “The acquisition [of 14 H225M helicopters] i...

A rendering of the RGS-A being developed for US NIWC Pacific. (Northrop Grumman )  A pair of advanced space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) projects spearheaded by the US Navy (USN) and the US Space Force (USSF) have cleared critical development milestones, paving the way for further development.  The Northrop Grumman-built variant of the navy's Relay Ground Station-Asia (RGS-A) antenna secured preliminary design review (PDR) certification, company officials said in a 1 June statement. The PDR decision will allow se...

Italy has 68 PzH 2000s in service. (Italian Army)  The Italian Army's plans for its artillery corps were presented on the second day of Defence iQ's Future Artillery conference held in Munich from 30 May to 1 June.  The branch has nine tube and two deep fires artillery regiments and plans to stand up two more regiments.  Italy is working on multidomain operations, with a focus on deep fires. This includes participation in NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps' concept development, experimentation, and innovation project for a multinational field...

Quantum-Systems Vector UAV has been ordered for a third time by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. (Quantum-Systems)  Ukraine has ordered 300 additional reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from German-based Quantum-Systems.  An announcement by the company on 31 May stated the order would be the third placed by Ukraine for the Vector electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) UAV since August 2022.    A Quantum-Systems spokesperson confirmed to   Janes  the order was funded by the German government.   Overall...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 23 May 2019. Following an agreement with the US DoD, the services will continue to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future. (US Air Force)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has contracted SpaceX to provide its Starlink satellite communication (satcom) services to Ukraine.  An announcement by the DoD on 1 June stated it had contracted Starlink to provide satcom services to Ukraine as it “constitutes a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications...

Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell formally handing over the first batch of EU-funded military assistance to Moldova on 31 May. (European Commission)  The Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova has received its first batch of European Union (EU)-funded military equipment as part of the European Peace Facility (EPF), the EU announced on 31 May.  Over a 36-month period, Moldova will receive EUR40 million (USD42.87 million) worth of non-lethal military equipment in the areas pertaining to air surveillance, mobility and tran...

A US triservice formation of the US Air Force F-35A (lead), the US Marine Corps F-35B, and the US Navy F-35C. (US Air Force)  On 30 May the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report about the Lockheed Martin F-35, finding that the programme has not adequately explained a cost increase of USD13.4 billion since 2019, that the upgraded Block 4 version has run into technical snags and a USD1 billion cost increase, and that the US Department of Defense (DoD) has not fully defined requirements for an engine cooling system upgrade....