The 36th F-35, delivered in 2014, was CF-19, the US Marine Corps' first F-35C carrier variant. The Milestone C decision has slipped for nearly a decade beyond initial projections, even as the production has continued. (Lockheed Martin)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) approved the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to enter full-rate production, according to a 12 March announcement, even as deliveries remain suspended.  William LaPlante, the DoD undersecretary of defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, signed the full-rate production/Miles...

The Indian Air Force's No 18 Squadron at Sulur Air Force Station operated 20 HAL Tejas FOC Mk 1 aircraft, such as this aircraft (LA-5018). This is a representative photo of the Tejas FOC Mk 1. (HAL)  The Indian Air Force (IAF) has reported its first loss of a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk 1 fighter aircraft to an air crash on 12 March.  The IAF said in a statement that the aircraft had crashed during an “operational training sortie”. According to the air force, the pilot “ejected safely”. The IAF added that a “court of inquiry has been...

Poland has been approved for USD3.68 billion of air-launched missile sales to equip its front-line fighter force, including the F-16 (pictured here). (Polish Ministry of National Defence)  The US government has cleared the sale of air-launched missiles to Poland for a combined USD3.68 billion. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the US Department of State approvals in three separate notifications on 12 March.  These notifications covered 821 Lockheed Martin AGM-158B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extende...

In a screenshot from a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) video, the Royal New Zealand Air Force's (RNZAF's) first C-130J-30 Hercules emerges from the Lockheed Martin paint shop with RNZAF and squadron livery on 15 February 2024. (New Zealand Defence Force)  The New Zealand government has issued a tender for the sale of its old Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules aircraft as it prepares to induct five new C-130J-30s in 2024.    The tender specified that the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) seeks to sell four of the five C-130Hs currently opera...

A Swedish Gripen and a German Eurofighter seen trailing a Russia Tu-134 during what was one of two maiden interceptions by SwAF combat aircraft since Sweden joined NATO the day before. (NATO)  Swedish Air Force (SwAF) Saab Gripen combat aircraft have intercepted Russian aircraft for the first time since the country joined NATO. NATO Allied Air Command announced that the milestone took place on 11 March, the day after Sweden officially joined the alliance on 10 March.  According to the alliance, SwAF Gripen C fighters operating alongside Belgi...

A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 419th Flight Test Squadron takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 2020. The aircraft conducted a captive-carry flight test of the AGM-183A ARRW, a programme that is zeroed out in the FY 2025 budget. (US Air Force/Matt Williams)  The US Air Force (USAF) requested just shy of USD517 million to continue development of Raytheon's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) hypersonic air-breathing missile in its fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request, but zeroed out the procurement of t...

A computer-generated image (CGI) showing how, under the ASCEND2LEO programme, Fleet Space's Centauri satellites are being leveraged to develop a low Earth orbit satcom system that can connect defence assets and personnel. (Fleet Space Technologies)  South Australia-based Fleet Space Technologies has demonstrated push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities using a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite as part of an Australian military project on satellite communications (satcom).  Fleet Space implemented a “software update” to its Centauri 4 satellite, currentl...

Germany is buying 35 F-35A aircraft, which it intends to use in the nuclear and conventional strike roles. (Lockheed Martin via Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The German Luftwaffe has welcomed the recent announcement that the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has been granted its nuclear certification, saying it was an important reason for buying the aircraft.  In a statement posted on 13 March, the Luftwaffe said it was an important decision by the Joint Program Office (JPO) to award the F-35A its nuclear operational cer...

The US Navy's FY 2025 budget request continues to fund F-35 aircraft. (US Marine Corps)  The fiscal year (FY) 2025 US Navy (USN) budget requests include USD16.2 billion for the procurement of 75 aircraft, modifications, spares, and support equipment, including 13 F-35Cs, 13 F-35Bs, and 15 CH-53Ks, according to budget documents released on 11 March.  However, the FY 2025 request represents a slight financial retreat for the USN, which requested USD17.3 billion in FY 2024 for 88 aircraft, including 19 F-35Cs and 16 F-35Bs.  In addition, the USN...

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is slated to receive newly produced RD-33 engines, which will allow the IAF to increase the service life of its Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 fleet. (Hindustan Times via Getty Images/Pardeep Pandit)  Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been contracted to deliver over 100 Klimov RD-33 engines for the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 force.  The engines will be produced by HAL at its Koraput Division (in east India) as part of a INR52.497 billion (USD634.4 million) contract announced on 1 March by the...

The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are each procuring 25 units of Big Bang Boom Solutions' long-range Vajra Sentinel C-UAS (pictured). (Big Bang Boom Solutions)  Chennai-based Big Bang Boom Solutions (BBBS) has secured two contracts worth more than INR2 billion (USD24 million) to provide its counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF).  Janes understands that the Indian Army and the IAF will each receive 25 units of BBBS' long-range Vajra Sentinel C-UAS by mid-2025.  In an interview t...

The US Coast Guard's FY 2025 budget request includes funding for the HC-130J programme management. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  The US Coast Guard (USCG) fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request of about USD13.8 billion represents a slight decrease from the USD13.9 billion FY 2024 amount, annualised to reflect the continuing resolution spending restrictions and the USD13.9 billion enacted for FY 2023, according to budget documents released on 11 March.  The FY 2025 request includes USD1.1 billion to recapitalise legacy surface assets and make capital i...

An F-35 launches off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS   George Washington  (CVN 73) in 2016. The US Navy intends to purchase 13 F-35Cs in FY 2025.  (US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kris R Lindstrom)  The US Navy (USN) has requested USD16.6 billion in its fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request, intended to purchase 75 aircraft, down from USD17.3 billion in FY 2024.  The service intends to purchase 26 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters: 13 short take-off an...

The F-15C fleet is to be phased out in favour of the F-15EX. (US Air Force)  The US Air Force (USAF) is requesting to retire 250 aircraft in fiscal year (FY) 2025 as the service attempts to shed older aircraft to gear up for future purchases.  The largest intended divestment is of 65 Boeing F-15C/Ds, which have reached the end of their service lives. The USAF is in the process of replacing the 1980s-vintage F-15C/Ds with brand-new F-15EXs, which can fly farther, carry more, and come equipped with the latest electronics.  The service also hope...

The USAF intends to purchase 42 F-35s in FY2025, a lower number than FY 2024. An A-model aircraft is shown. (Lockheed Martin)  The US Air Force's (USAF's) fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request includes the acquisition of at least 90 aircraft and hundreds of missiles.  Aircraft lead the USAF procurement budget with 82 platforms listed in briefing materials, revealed on 11 March.  The procurement of Lockheed Martin F-35As leads with USD5.9 billion for 42 aircraft, down from the FY 2024 request of USD6.1 billion for 48 F-35s. The F-3...

India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme began in 2008 and is intended to produce aircraft for induction into the Indian Air Force by 2030. Data shows that the fifth-generation fighter aircraft requires about two decades of development before entering service. (Janes)  Development of India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme is expected to accelerate in 2024 following New Delhi's approval of the design and prototype programme, according to a project official.    The official, a me...

The USAF's acquisition budget request includes 42 additional F-35As, such as the one seen here refuelling from a KC-10 tanker above an undisclosed location in 2019. (US Air Force)  The US Air Force (USAF) requested a total of USD217 billion in the fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request, up USD3 billion, or 1.6%, from the FY 2024 request. Pass-through funding, which goes to other agencies despite being in the USAF budget (not included in the figure) is up to USD45.1 billion from USD44.2 billion.  The service's largest request is for...

The US Air Force said the Bell Boeing CV-22B involved in a November 2023 Japan mishap was an aircraft from the 353rd Special Operations Wing. The unit operates its CV-22Bs from Yokota Air Base near Tokyo. (US Air Force)  US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), which manages the global Bell Boeing V-22 fleet, has cleared the tiltrotor to return to flight following a three-month grounding, the service announced on 8 March.  The grounding was implemented on 6 December 2023, following indications that a 29 November US Air Force (USAF) CV-22 crash...

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on 14 February, sending six satellites to orbit – two for the Missile Defense Agency and four for the Space Development Agency. (US Space Force )  The Pentagon's Space Development Agency (SDA) anticipates having a testing strategy in place by the end of 2024 to evaluate Link 16 connectivity across US airspace for satellite communications (satcom) in the agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).  Officials from SDA and...

An F-35 launches off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) in 2016. The US Navy intends to purchase 13 F-35Cs in FY 2025. (US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kris R. Lindstrom)  The US Navy (USN) has requested USD16.6 billion in its fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request, intended to purchase 75 aircraft or helicopters, down from USD17.3 billion in FY 2024.  The service intends to purchase 26 Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters: 13 short-takeoff-vertical-landing B-models for the...