The JASDF and the Japan MoD detailed 26 ‘anomalous' flights by foreign aircraft near Japanese territory in 2023. This includes several flight operations conducted by fighter aircraft operated by China's second aircraft carrier, Shandong. (Japan Ministry of Defense/Janes)  Japanese fighter aircraft conducted 238 scrambles in response to foreign aircraft in the first quarter (Q1) of Japanese fiscal year (JFY) 2023 .  This number, which covers the period from 1 April to 30 June, is the second highest number of scrambles conducted in Q1 of any ye...

One of the first two of 16 H225M helicopters for Hungary departing Airbus' Marignane production facility in southern France. (Airbus)  The first two of 16 Airbus Helicopters H225M multirole rotorcraft were delivered to Hungary on 18 July, the manufacturer announced.  The helicopters, which are equipped with the company's HForce Generic Weapon System (GWS), were flown directly from Airbus' Marignane production facility in southern France to Szolnok Air Base in central Hungary.  News of the first deliveries came around three-and-a-half years af...

The Merlin OSDEP programme is intended to extend the life of the RN's Merlin HM2 (pictured) and Merlin HC4/4a helicopters out to 2040. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has placed parallel contracts with Lockheed Martin UK and Leonardo Helicopters UK to identify, scope, and mitigate obsolescence issues expected to manifest in the Royal Navy's (RN's) Merlin helicopter fleet beyond 2030.  Under the Merlin Out of Service Date Extension Programme (OSDEP), the two companies will explore potential updates to both the Merlin HM2 an...

While delays to the buildup of the UK's F-35B Lightning Force have pushed back the establishment of a second front-line squadron, the MoD insists that it is still expected to achieve its planned full operating capability in 2025. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Delays to the buildup of the UK's F-35B Lightning Force have pushed back the establishment of a second front-line squadron to the end of 2023, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.  Despite this, the MoD insists that the Lightning Force is still expected to achieve its planned full opera...

The Indian Multi Role Helicopter is intended to replace the Indian military's fleet of ageing Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  India and France are slated to expand their defence co-operation to support the joint development of new engines for the 13 ton Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) programme and combat aircraft.  On 13 July Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on his website that France and India “will extend their … defence co-operation in advanced aeronautical technologies by supporting the joint developme...

This 6×6 Polaris Alpha variant is the first the company has designed in nearly a decade. (Polaris)  Vehicle specialist Polaris Government and Defense is developing a 6×6 variant of its MRZR Alpha light tactical vehicle (LTV) as it explores concepts to increase payload capacity for infantry, marine, and special operations forces (SOF).    Speaking to   Janes,   company officials described how the decision to start development of the 6×6 vehicle had initially been made 18 months ago. Since then, Polaris has modified a 4×4 Alpha i...

The H175M appeared in the static display line-up at RIAT 2023. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Airbus is pushing the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to progress its New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement at a quicker pace, with a senior official telling Janes and other defence media that it stands ready to deliver on its H175M offering.  Speaking at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire, Lenny Brown, managing director of Airbus Helicopters UK, said that with the invitation to negotiate (ITN) exp...

The Striker II HMD should be operational aboard RAF Eurofighter Typhoons from 2027–28, a senior service official said at the Royal International Air Tattoo. (BAE Systems)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) expects to field the BAE Systems Striker II helmet-mounted display (HMD) aboard its Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft before the end of the decade.  Speaking at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) 2023 air show held at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, Group Captain Matthew D'Aubyn, Air Capability Typhoon programme director, said the RAF...

An RAF Typhoon departs RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland earlier in 2023, bound for NATO air-policing duties over the Baltic region. The outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022 has massively increased the operational demands on the fleet. (Crown Copyright)  The outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 saw ‘the game changed' for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoon Force, massively increasing its flight hours and the level of support needed to maintain operations.  Speaking at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) show at Royal Air For...

A visual representation of the Typhoon DASS (Praetorian) P4E upgrade package. (Leonardo)  Leonardo announced the next generation of survivability upgrade for Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) on 14 July.  Speaking on behalf of the European Defensive Aids Sub-System (EuroDASS) consortium that also comprises ELT Group, Indra, and Hensoldt, Leonardo said this improvement of the current Praetorian DASS system is designed to meet the Phase 4 Enhancement (P4E) upgrade requirements of the four Eurofight...

USS   Connecticut   is in the re-certified dry dock in Bremerton, Washington.  (US Navy)  The US Navy (USN) finished structural upgrades meant as interim seismic mitigation on Dry Dock 5 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington, the USN confirmed on 12 July.  The USN has tested and re-certified the dry dock, the service said in a statement.    Seawolf-class attack submarine USS   Connecticut  (SSN 22) docked for its Extended Dry-dock Selected...

A model of the DP16 UAV displayed at the Defense & Security show in Bangkok in August 2022. ATIL used the DP16 to test-fire laser-guided bombs on 13 July. (Janes/Amit Kalra)  Thailand's Aero Technology Industry Company Limited (ATIL), which is partly controlled by the state-owned Defence Technology Institute (DTI), has test-fired laser-guided bombs (LGBs) using its DP16 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).  The test, announced by the DTI on 13 July, helped evaluate the strike capabilities of the DP16.  The DTI said two LGBs were launched from the D...

Models of the KAI Marine Attack Helicopter and the KAI Light Armed Helicopter are displayed alongside ALEs at the IDEX 2023 exhibition in Abu Dhabi. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)  Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has launched an ambitious programme to develop manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) and air-launched effects (ALEs) technologies to be operated with domestically developed helicopters.  The programme is part of a wider KAI focus in response to Republic of Korea (RoK) Armed Forces requirements to operationalise multidomain capabilities that lev...

Australian Army officers work in the joint operations room at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane in November 2016. The Australian Army's battlefield management capabilities are expected to improve under the LAND 200 Phase 3 Battlefield Command Systems project, which received the government's preliminary budget approval on 13 July. ( Commonwealth of Australia/SGT Janine Fabre)  The Australian government has given a‘first-pass' or initial approval for the Department of Defence's (DoD's) LAND 200 Phase 3 Battlefield Command Systems project that ai...

China's XAC YY-20A tanker is capable of refuelling the PLAAF's most advanced and modern aircraft. The aircraft is a critical component of China's plan to project long-range power beyond the first island chain. (Getty Images/Janes)  The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is operating more Xi'an Aircraft Company Ltd (XAC) YY-20A air-to-air refuellers than before.    A   Janes   assessment of imagery released by the PLAAF and satellite observation has determined that China has at least eight YY-20As in service. Unt...

A US marine operates an Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) during a May 2021 multilateral assault exercise with Australian, French, and Japanese forces at Kirishima Maneuver Area. (US Navy/DARPA)  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has recently transitioned control of experimental software, designed to streamline and secure data sharing between US and allied forces at the tactical level, to the US Department of Defense (DoD).  Programme officials at DARPA officially handed over the Secure Handhelds on Assured Resilient net...

The US Navy will be operating unmanned platforms such as Wave Glider during the ‘UNITAS' exercise. (Liquid Robotics)  US Navy (USN) Secretary Carlos Del Toro emphasised the potential for unmanned systems during the ‘UNITAS' exercise in his keynote speech on 12 July in Cartagena, Colombia.  “As we look for new ways to counter both narcotics smuggling and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing, this year's iteration of UNITAS will include several opportunities to experiment with unmanned systems,” Del Toro said.  “Unmanned systems – above...

Akaer Engenharia developed a new powertrain for the EE-9 M VII Cascavel 6×6 armoured reconnaissance vehicle among other design upgrades. (Akaer Engenharia )  The Brazil programme to deliver increased firepower, situational awareness, command-and-control, and mobility to its EE-9 M VII Cascavel 6×6 armoured reconnaissance vehicle (ARV) will roll out the first prototype of the newly modernised vehicle in July.  The first Akaer Engenharia prototype principally includes components of the new powertrain, Aldo da Silva Júnior, the company's busine...

Norway is one of the 10 European countries that will train Ukrainian pilots and maintainers on the F-16 initially, and potentially other combat aircraft types in the future also. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  NATO has established a coalition of 10 European member and soon-to-be member states to train Ukrainian pilots and maintainers to operate the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and potentially other combat aircraft types.  Announced at the 2023 NATO Vilnius Summit in Lithuania, the coalition comprises NATO members Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg,...

The US Coast Guard acknowledged its Fast Response Cutters have a bridge-window view blind spot. (US Coast Guard)  A “blind spot” in the bridge-window view “hindered” the overall helm view of a Sentinel-class US Coast Guard (USCG) Fast Response Cutter (FRC) before the vessel collided with a fishing vessel on 8 August 2022, resulting in an injury and fatality aboard the civilian craft, according to a USCG investigation report of the accident, released on 7 July.  The report also noted that the FRC was travelling at relatively high speeds to emb...