One of the three KC-390 tanker-transport aircraft to be fielded by the Portuguese Air Force. (Victor Barreira)  The Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa: FAP) formally started operations with the first Embraer KC-390 Millennium medium-lift tanker-transport aircraft on 19 October.  The service said that the delivery flight between Brazil and Portugal marked the beginning of the KC-390's operational activity within the FAP.    The aircraft with tail number 26901 is scheduled to achieve the initial operational capability (IOC) in Ma...

KAI's two-tiered combat MUM-T concept involves a formation of four unmanned fighters paired with a single KAI KF-21 fighter aircraft with an additional three to four smaller air-launched effects (designated by KAI as Adaptable Aerial Platforms) providing additional support. (Janes)  After unveiling a new unmanned fighter (or ‘loyal wingman') programme in support of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 in May 2023, two KAI officials told Janes that the company is also conceptualising air-launched effects (ALEs) to be linked to the unmann...

Two of three 737 NG airframes undergoing conversion to Wedgetail AEW1 platforms by STS Aviation Services in Birmingham, England. The MoD has cited contractor performance and other issues behind delays to the programme. (Boeing)  The United Kingdom has spelt out the causes for the delay to the delivery schedule of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning Mk1 (AEW1) aircraft.  Answering questions in the House of Commons on 18 October, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), James Cartlidge, said the delay had been caused by...

An Airbus C295 transport aircraft from a previous Ecuadorian Air Force order departs Airbus' Seville production facility for delivery on 6 June 2014. (Airbus Defence and Space Electronics (formerly Cassidian Optroni))  The government of Ecuador announced the acquisition of two Airbus C295 aircraft on 18 October. President Guillermo Lasso revealed the deal on social media platforms, highlighting the security and emergency response roles the aircraft are set to play.  “We have finalized the purchase of two C295 aircraft from Airbus, which will...

The KAI MCH will deploy its BAE Systems Archerfish Mine Neutralisation System and its Teledyne Gavia autonomous underwater vehicle in its interior cargo section to reduce drag on the helicopter. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  Korea Aerospace Industries' (KAI's) new Mine Countermeasures Helicopter (MCH) will have two out of its three deployable anti-mine assets located within the aircraft's internal cargo bay.  According to a project member in KAI, the helicopter, which is currently under development, will store both its BAE Systems Archerfish Mine Ne...

KAL-ASD's FVL model concept demonstrated vertical take-off and landing and cruise-mode configuration during ADEX 2023. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  The US Army's selection of the Bell V-280 ‘Valor' tiltrotor aircraft has prompted Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) to revisit its domestically developed tiltrotor aircraft programme.  During the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023 held from 17 to 22 October, KAL-ASD unveiled its new Future Vertical Lift (FVL) concept for the first time.  “This is a future long-range ass...

This infographic shows  Poongsan's 155 mm shells for the K9 Howitzer. A photograph of a cutaway version of the extended range 155 mm shell appears at the bottom.  (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  The South Korean metal and munition manufacturer, Poongsan, has said that it has developed a new extended-range version of its 155 mm ammunition for the Hanwha Land Systems K9 self-propelled howitzer (SPH).    Speaking to   Janes   during the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023, a company representative s...

Korean Air Aerospace Division's new KUS-SX attack and reconnaissance UAV is developed to destroy isolated and difficult-to-target surface-to-air missile units. (Janes)  Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) has unveiled its new KUS-SX unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which the company said has been designed to destroy adversarial missile sites.  According to a KAL-ASD official, the new aircraft is classified as a reconnaissance and attack UAV.    Development of the KUS-SX began in early 2023, the KAL-ASD official said. “The development o...

The Himera G1 handheld jam-resistant radio displayed at the Inscience Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, in June 2023. The radios dimensions are 60×120×20 mm. (Julia Kuleshova/Bloomberg via Getty Images)    A handheld radio developed by Ukraine-based Himera Tech and operational with the Ukrainian armed forces has proven highly resistant to Russia's electronic warfare (EW) systems,   Janes   has learnt.     Known as Himera G1, the handheld ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio has been designed to fill a capability gap at the squ...

KAL-ASD's new KUS-VX unmanned aerial vehicle is a testbed for vertical take-off and landing operations. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) has developed a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as a testbed for new VTOL applications.  The company unveiled the flying prototype of the UAV (which it calls the KUS-VX) during the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023 held from 17 to 22 October.    The new UAV has a close resemblance to BAE Systems Australia's Str...

Boeing AH-64E v6.5 first flight. (Boeing)  Boeing has flown the latest version of the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter, Version 6.5, the company announced on 11 October. The flight took place at Boeing's Mesa, Arizona, factory.    “Subsequent to the first test flight, we'll be looking at software baseline verification testing,” Christina Upah, Boeing's vice-president of attack helicopter programmes, told   Janes  on 9 October ahead of the flight. “Essentially, we're taking the Version 6 software baseline, which was our common c...

Indonesia's delays in payments towards the joint development of the KAI KF-21 4.5-generation fighter programme has been of concern to the South Korean government. (DAPA/KAI)    Amid concerns over Indonesia's delays in meeting its cost-share obligations for the Korea Aerospace Industries' (KAI's) KF-21 ‘Boromae' 4.5-generation    fighter aircraft project, a KAI official, at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023, said that a recent meeting between South Korean and Indonesian defense officials left roo...

A screenshot from an Irish Air Corps video showing the second C295 maritime patrol aircraft arriving into Casement Aerodrome (also known as Baldonnel Aerodrome) near Dublin. (Irish Air Corps)  Ireland has received the second of a pair of Airbus Defence and Space (DS) C295 transport aircraft configured for maritime patrol operations.  The Irish Air Corps announced the milestone on 17 October, posting footage of the twin-turboprop arriving into its future home station of Casement Aerodrome (also known as Baldonnel Aerodrome) near Dublin.  Deliv...

An artist's impression of the KC-390 in Czech national livery. (Embraer)  The Czech Republic has selected the Embraer KC-390 Millennium for its future aerial refuelling and fixed-wing medium-lift transport requirements.  The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Brazilian manufacturer announced the selection on 17 October, saying that negotiations for two aircraft will now begin.  “The Czech Republic intends to acquire two aircraft that will significantly increase its airlift capacity, allowing the Czech army to perform missions such as air...

A trial to standardise the assessment of C-UAS technologies was held in Belgium in October 2023. Pictured here are OpenWorks Vision Flex optical detection capability and the Iris system from Robin Radar. (Belgian Ministry of Defence/Gert-Jan D'Haene)  A trial to standardise the assessment of counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) was held from 2 to 5 October at Lombardsijde barracks, Belgium.  Organised by the Belgium Royal Military Academy (KMS) and announced by the Belgian Ministry of Defence on 12 October, project Courageous aims to de...

The Czech Republic has now retired the last of its Russian-built Mi-24 (pictured) and Mi-8 helicopters, which it is replacing with US-built AH-1Z and UH-1Y platforms. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Czech Republic officially retired the last of its Russian-built helicopters on 15 October.  A farewell ceremony at the 22nd Helicopter Base at Náměšť nad Oslavou saw the Army of the Czech Republic (Armáda České republiky: AČR) say goodbye to the last of its Mil Mi-24 ‘Hind' and Mil Mi-8 ‘Hip' rotorcraft.  According to Janes World Air Forces, the AČR ha...

L3Harris, Leidos, and MAG Aerospace's HADES concept. (L3Harris)  L3Harris, Leidos, and MAG Aerospace announced a joint bid for the US Army's High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) intelligence-gathering aircraft contest on 9 October.  “We have a relationship with both companies from many years working on several different projects for the army,” Todd Kishpaugh, L3Harris' director of business development, told Janes on 11 October on the sidelines of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2023 annual conference. “MAG...

Canada is preparing the persistent deployment of up to 2,200 troops with a squadron of 15 Leopard 2 tanks in Latvia. (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann)  The United Kingdom signed a long-term defence co-operation agreement with Estonia on the fringes of the 11–12 October meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, while Germany and Canada reiterated their plans to defend Lithuania and Latvia, respectively.  After signing the agreement with UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps on 11 October, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the agr...

The US Marine Corps fires the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California, on 28 June 2023. (US Marine Corps)  Oshkosh Defense was awarded a contract to provide 24 remotely operated Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) for the US Marine Corps (USMC) new anti-ship capability, the service told Janes on 11 October.  The contract – worth up to USD39.5 million – was announced on 2 October, and tasks Oshkosh with providing 24 Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE Fi...

A Luftwaffe Eurofighter at the ILA 2022 exhibition in Berlin. With the previous German government having said it would buy Eurofighter Tranche 5 aircraft to partially replace the Luftwaffe's Tornado fleet, German industry has called on the current government to make good on that commitment. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Representatives of German industry have pressed Berlin to make good on its previously announced plan to buy Eurofighter Tranche 5 combat aircraft.  Commenting after a meeting on the future of the Eurofighter programme hosted by the...