Seen here in its company demonstrator form, the Leonardo AW149 has been selected along with the AW169M to replace North Macedonia's ageing Soviet-built helicopter inventory. (Leonardo)  The North Macedonian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (Armija na Republika Severna Makedonija: ARSM) have decided to acquire Italian helicopters to replace the country's Soviet-built airframes.  North Macedonian Defence Minister Slavjanka Petrovska made the announcement on national TV on 22 January, saying four Leonardo...

An F-35B with UK-specific ASRAAM, SPEAR 3, and Meteor laid out in front of it. While the ASRAAM is already fielded, the SPEAR 3 and Meteor will not be available until the end of the decade, the government has now said. (Crown Copyright)  The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning should receive additional UK-specific weapons “by the end of the decade”, the government said on 16 January.  Answering questions in the House of Commons, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) James Cartlidge said that, with the MBDA AIM-132 Advanced Short-Rang...

Germany is to join Spain and the UK in integrating the Brimstone air-to-surface missile onto its Eurofighter combat aircraft. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Germany is to equip its Eurofighter combat aircraft with the MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface missile, the government revealed on 17 January.  Revealed in Bundeswehr budgetary documents disclosed by Der Spiegel, the Luftwaffe intends to acquire 274 of the low-yield missiles to equip its Eurofighter fleet, with a contract to be awarded in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024.  No further details of the pl...

An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)  The US Air Force's (USAF's) LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programme is to cost at least 37% more and enter service two years later than anticipated, the USAF said in a 19 January statement.  The Program Acquisition Unit Cost (PAUC) has increased from a projected USD118 million in 2020 to roughly USD162 million per missile in December 2023. Most of the overrun is due to cost increases in the command-and-control (C2) and missile...

The Sabal-10 UAV is pictured in trials with a payload attached to the centre of its tubular fuselage. (EndureAir Systems)  Indian firm EndureAir Systems has developed two new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for military logistics operations. The ‘Sabal' series UAVs consist of small, electrically propelled tandem-rotor aerial vehicles designed primarily for cargo and observation applications, the company said.    Rama Krishna, CEO of EndureAir, told   Janes  that the Sabal UAVs, comprising Sabal-10 and Sabal-20, have a low aud...

The Netherlands is upgrading its 28 AH-64D (pictured) helicopters to the latest AH-64E standard. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The last Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters to be remanufactured to the latest AH-64E Apache Guardian standard are to be shipped to the United States shortly.  The RNLAF said that the last two of 28 helicopters to be remanufactured performed a farewell flypast over the Netherlands on 16 January, ahead of shipment to Boeing's Mesa facility in Arizona “within a month”.  The USD1...

USS   Gerald R Ford   returned to Norfolk, Virginia, after an eight-month deployment that tested the ship's new technologies.  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  During its eight-month deployment that included operations in the Mediterranean, aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) met operational expectations for a new carrier class meant to eclipse the Nimitz-class ships the new vessels are replacing, according to Captain Rick Burgess, Gerald R Ford commanding officer.  “It's not a fair comparison,” Capt Burgess said on...

Work on the first of 16 F-16 Block 70 aircraft for Bulgaria was officially launched on 16 January. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin has begun building the first F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft for Bulgaria at its Greenville facility in South Carolina.  The manufacturer announced the milestone on 16 January, saying seven Block 70 aircraft for Bulgaria are now in various stages of production. One of these, factory serial MY-01, was signed by Bulgarian Minister of Defence Todor Tagarev.  This first aircraft is scheduled to make its maiden flight...

US marines with Marine Corps Systems Command fire a Stinger Missile from the Marine Air Defense Integrated System at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona on 13 December 2023. (US Marine Corps )  Marines recently got their hands on a Marine Air-Defense Integrated System (MADIS) for the first live fire of an initial rate production model, US Marine Corps (USMC) officials announced on 11 January.  As one of the marine's central air-defence capabilities, MADIS is being developed to take on the threat of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other...

France has announced a package of air-launched munitions for Ukraine, including the AASM Hammer guided bomb. Although seen here in its baseline GPS/INS-guided version in front of French Rafale fighters, they will likely be used by Ukraine on the F-16. (Safran)  France is to send to Ukraine the Safran Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) Hammer guided bomb for the first time while pledging more MBDA SCALP EG cruise missiles. At the same time, Germany has refused to transfer the Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile.  French President Emmanuel Macron sai...

The DRDO showcased a scale model of the Zorawar light tank at Defexpo 2022 held in October 2022 in Gandhinagar. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)    India's state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has “successfully” developed a fully functional prototype of the Zorawar light tank, Vipin Kumar Kaushik, director of the DRDO's Directorate of Public Interface, told   Janes  on 16 January.   “The prototype of the light tank will now undergo development trials within the DRDO, and user trials with the Indian Army will b...

The DRDO conducted a successful flight test of the new-generation missile from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha, in mid-January. (Indian Ministry of Defence)  India's state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has test-fired the new-generation Akash (Akash-NG) surface-to-air missile (SAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off India's northeastern coast of Odisha, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release in mid-January.  According to the MoD, the flight test...

A file photo of a UH-60A Black Hawk, of the type that Albania has received from surplus US Army stocks. (US Department of Defense)  A pair of US Army surplus Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters were delivered to Albania on 13 January, Albanian Minister of Defence Niko Peleshi disclosed on the same day.  Delivered aboard a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III strategic airlifter, the helicopters were transferred to Rinas Air Base, near Tirana.  Albania plans to use its UH-60s in utility, tactical transport, fast-roping, and aerial fire...

A file photo of a Russian A-50 AEW&C aircraft of the type that Ukraine says it shot down along with an Il-22 on 14 January. (United Aircraft Corporation)  Russia lost two intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft on 14 January, the Ukrainian military has said.  Reports that a Russian Beriev A-50 ‘Mainstay' airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-20 ‘Coot' surveillance aircraft were shot down were seemingly confirmed the following day by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, G...

One of two F-16s handed over to Slovakia. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin has formally handed over to Slovakia its first F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcon multirole combat aircraft, the manufacturer announced on 10 January.  The first two of 14 jets were delivered to the Slovak Air Force at Lockheed Martin's Greenville production facility in South Carolina.  Lockheed Martin told Janes that, in this context, ‘delivery' “refers to the acceptance of the two Slovakia F-16 Block 70s by the [US] Defense Contract Management Agency. This acceptance w...

The US Navy combined a CUSV with a UAV for a recent live-fire targeting demonstration. (Textron Systems)    The US Navy (USN) recently combined different types of unmanned platforms for    a successful live-fire demonstration, Captain Matthew Lehmann, programme manager for Littoral Combat Ship Mission Modules (LCS MM), noted on 10 January during a briefing at the Surface Navy Association (SNA) National Symposium 2024.   According to the USN's Unmanned and Small Combatants (USC) programme office, during a C4F Fleet Experimen...

The French Air and Space Force is to receive a further 42 Rafale combat aircraft, the country's minister of armed forces has announced. (French Air and Space Force)  France has ordered additional Dassault Rafale combat aircraft, the country's Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu announced on 12 January.  Lecornu said that 42 new aircraft will be acquired for the French Air and Space Force.  “A new decisive step has been taken with the order for 42 Rafale for the air force. This is excellent news for our sovereignty, our security, an...

With older F-16s (pictured) already in service, Jordan is now to receive the latest Block 70 aircraft. (Janes/Patrick Allen)    Jordan has signed for new F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft, with Lockheed Martin telling   Janes  that the previous letter of acceptance (LOA) has now been firmed up into a contract.   With Jordan signing its LOA for eight Block 70/72 aircraft in June 2022, Lockheed Martin said on 11 January that this had now become a contract for 12 Block 70 aircraft (the Block 70 is powered by the General El...

A Hermes 900 in maritime configuration. The Indian Navy will induct two Hermes 900 Starliner UAVs by the end of February. (Elbit Systems)  The Indian Navy will induct two Hermes 900 Starliner unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by the end of February, a spokesperson for the Indian Navy told Janes on 10 January.  Elbit Systems' Hermes 900 Starliner is manufactured in India by Adani Defence and Aerospace under the name ‘Drishti 10' for Indian customers. Drishti 10 was unveiled on 10 January in the presence of India's Chief of the Naval Staff, Admir...

A Hermes 900 in maritime configuration. The Indian Navy will induct two Hermes 900 Starliner UAVs by the end of February. (Elbit Systems)    The Indian Navy will induct two Hermes 900 Starliner unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by the end of February, a spokesperson for the Indian Navy told  Janes  on 10 January.   Elbit Systems' Hermes 900 Starliner is manufactured in India by Adani Defence and Aerospace under the name ‘Drishti 10' for Indian customers. Drishti 10 was unveiled on 10 January in the presence of India's Chief...