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....

SSTL was awarded a contract in January 2022 to deliver a satellite for project Minerva. A total of GBP127 million is being invested in the Minerva programme over a four-year period, ensuring the UK has the processing power, radio frequencies, imaging capabilities, and data streams to deliver timely intelligence. (SSTL)  A UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) test satellite – Project Tyche – will launch in 2024 as part of project Minerva, the Head of Space Capability at UK Space Command, Commodore Dave Moody, told Janes on 25 May.  Tyche is a 150 kg...

A Chinese SAC J-16 fighter flies in front of a USAF RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft over the South China Sea on 26 May 2023. This is a screen-grab from a video of the incident. (US Department of Defense)  The United States has said that a Chinese Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-16 fighter aircraft conducted an unsafe manoeuvre near a US Air Force (USAF) Boeing RC-135V Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft on 26 May.  US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement on 30 May that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) J-16 “performe...

Taiwan is becoming increasingly reliant on its Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet in the face of growing Chinese air power in the region. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)    Lockheed Martin is working to resolve potential delays associated with F-16V Block 70/72 fighters ordered by Taiwan, the company told  Janes  on 30 May.     The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on 24 May that a combination of technical problems and bottlenecks could delay the delivery of the fighter aircraft to Taiwan.   Janes   h...

The first fighter jet, a Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet of the US Navy, landed on 31 May in Hohn, Germany, for Exercise ‘Air Defender 2023'. In all, 220 aircraft from 25 countries will participate in the event from 12 to 23 June. (Luftwaffe)  The first aircraft to take part in Exercise ‘Air Defender 2023' has arrived in Germany, ahead of what the Luftwaffe has described as “the largest deployment exercise of air forces in NATO's history”.  A US Navy (USN) Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87 ‘Golden Warriors' based a...

South Koreans watch a television broadcast showing a file image of a North Korean rocket launch at Seoul railway station on 31 May. A rocket carrying what North Korea claims to be a reconnaissance satellite crashed into the Yellow Sea (West Sea) soon after its launch in the early morning of 31 May. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)  North Korea's first attempt at launching a claimed military satellite into space has resulted in failure. The rocket carrying the satellite fell into the Yellow Sea (West Sea) soon after launch, state-run Korean Centr...

Seen fitted to an Apache helicopter, the Hellfire missile will arm both the AW149 and AH-64E platforms being acquired by Poland. (Janes/Kelvin Wong)  Poland has finalised a deal with the United States to acquire Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-surface missiles to equip its future Leonardo AW149 and Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters.  The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, made the disclosure, saying the contract for an undisclosed number of missiles had been signed on 30 May.  Błaszcz...

India's Tejas Mk 2 fighter aircraft is intended to replace a range of combat aircraft in the Indian Air Force, including the Mirage 2000. The Tejas Mk 2 is also intended to compete with the Saab Gripen internationally. (Janes)  India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk 2 programme is languishing without funding, months after the project was approved by New Delhi.  The Tejas Mk 2 is intended to provide the Indian Air Force (IAF) with a 4.5-generation medium-weight-class fighter aircraft. The aircraft is designed to be an improvement over th...

A specialist prepares a rope to inspect the damaged facade of a multistorey apartment building after a ‘drone' attack in Moscow on 30 May. (AFP via Getty Images)  Moscow was struck by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on 30 May, with city officials reporting that upwards of 10 ‘drones' were shot down by ground-based air defence systems located in the capital.  Footage posted online appeared to show at least one propeller-driven UAV of a previously unknown type flying over the city, as well as impact damage to a residential building.  At the tim...

A P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron 45 of the US Navy. Boeing has inked an MOU with ST Engineering to explore potential collaboration opportunities on the aircraft type. (US Navy)  Boeing has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore's state-affiliated defence company ST Engineering to jointly explore potential areas of co-operation regarding the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA).  The MOU was disclosed by Boeing in a media release on 29 May. Under the MOU, Boeing and ST Engineering will “outline po...

Malaysia's requirement for new rotary-wing platforms has presented a major opportunity for helicopter manufacturers. Leonardo is promoting its AW149 helicopter as a replacement for Malaysia's grounded Nuri helicopter fleet. (Leonardo)  Leonardo is promoting its AW149 multirole medium helicopter to fill Malaysia's future rotary-wing requirements.  The Malaysian military, especially the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), has suffered a shortfall in helicopter assets since the retirement of the Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri fleet in 2020.    Speakin...

Acquisition of the TAI Anka unmanned aircraft system will enhance Malaysia's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities over the country's maritime zones. When armed, the UAS will also provide the military with a credible attack or point-defence capability. (Janes/TAI)  The Malaysian government has announced a contract with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for three Anka multirole unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). The Anka (Phoenix) is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAS that is capable of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnais...

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat prototype aircraft in flight over Woomera, South Australia. (Australian Department of Defence)  The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, which has been flying in Australia since 2021, is in the US for testing. The aircraft was displayed to reporters at Mid-America Airport outside St Louis, Missouri.  Boeing declined to disclose the nature of testing, but Krystle Carr, Boeing's director of autonomous collaborative platforms, said that testing would include internally funded Boeing testing and hinted at but declined to confirm other test...

With a weight launch of 280 kg, the Blue Shark can hit targets at depths of up to 450 m and at a range of 6.5 n mile. The torpedo can travel at a speed of 45 kt. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  South Korea is prepared to deliver a second batch of Cheong Sangeo (K745/Blue Shark) torpedoes to the Philippine Navy (PN). However, Janes understands that the Philippines has delayed the procurement.  The deal was first announced in August 2021. At the time, the Philippines Department of National Defense (DND) said that the deal was reported to cost around PHP...

Canada is to donate to Ukraine older versions of its AIM-9 Sidewinder, as carried here by a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet. (Janes)  Canada is to donate Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine, the Canadian defence minister announced at the 12th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting on 25 May.  Canadian Minister of National Defence Anita Anand announced the donation as part of a wider raft of support measures for the Ukrainian armed forces.  “Minister Anand … announced that Canada is donating 43 AIM-9 missiles to Ukraine f...

The Prometheus 2 CubeSats were scheduled to be launched from Cornwall onboard Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket before an anomaly in the launcher resulted in the two satellites being destroyed. (Crown Copyright)  The UK is investigating several options to replace the Prometheus 2 satellites destroyed during the failed Virgin Orbit launch in January 2023.    Speaking with   Janes   on the Prometheus 2 successor, Head of Space Capability at UK Space Command Commodore Dave Moody said one possible option would be to repeat the proj...

The Blue Bear Ghost fixed-wing UAV tested during the inaugural AUKUS AI and autonomy trial. (Crown Copyright)  The UK hosted the first AUKUS artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy trial in April to promote synergies between Australian, UK, and US AI-enabled assets.  Held at Upavon in Wiltshire, the exercise involved collaboratively swarming the different AI platforms to detect and track military targets in real time in a representative environment, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 26 May.  The trial incorporated platforms such...

The Malaysian Army Aviation's leasing of Sikorsky UH-60s is expected to allow it to partially restore the airborne capability of one of its aviation regiments. This is a representational photo from ‘RIMPAC' 2016. (Australian Defence Force)  The Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has announced a deal to lease four Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters.  MINDEF made its announcement on 25 May during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 held from 23 to 27 May.  According to MINDEF, the helicopters will be...

A Comtech COMET troposcatter system set up for a BLOS network demonstration at SOF Week 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Comtech)  Industry officials are looking to leverage Cold War-era tactical communications technologies as a potential enabler for the US Department of Defense's (DoD's) Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) capability.  Programme officials with satellite communications (satcom) development company Comtech in May conducted a multivendor demonstration that blended satcom, tropospheric scatter links, and local area ne...

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov posted a photo on 24 May, showing a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24MR ‘Fencer' aircraft carrying a Storm Shadow missile. (Ukraine Ministry of Defence)  Ukraine is using its Sukhoi Su-24 ‘Fencer' strike aircraft to carry the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missiles recently received from the United Kingdom.  This delivery method was revealed by Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who on 24 May posted a photo of a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24 aircraft with a Storm Shadow on each of its inboard underwing pylo...