Germany is acquiring 60 Chinook helicopters, for which the first engine contract has now been placed. (Boeing via Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Germany has placed the first award related to its procurement of Boeing CH-47F Block II Chinook Standard Range (SR) air-to-air refuelling (AAR)-capable heavy-lift helicopters, contracting Honeywell to provide the engines.  Announced on 26 February, the award covers 105 T55-GA-714A engines for the EUR6.98 billion (USD7.57 billion) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme to deliver 60 Chinook ER helicopters to...

The UK government has formally launched the second half of the NMH procurement process to replace the Puma HC2, with the release to industry of the invitation to negotiate on 27 February. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The UK government has launched the second half of its New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme to replace the Airbus SA 330E Puma HC2 in military service.  Speaking at the IQPC International Military Helicopter (IMH) 2024 conference held in London from 27 to 29 February, Minister of State for Defence Procurement at the Ministry of Defence...

With the Black Hawk set to remain in US Army service through to the 2070s, Lockheed Martin says the helicopter can serve as a bridge through to future rotorcraft now being developed. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Lockheed Martin is touting its S-70 Black Hawk medium-lift helicopter as a bridge to next-generation rotorcraft now being developed, with new technologies intended to take it out to 2070.    Speaking to   Janes   ahead of the IQPC International Military Helicopter (IMH) 2024 conference in London, Jay Macklin, business develop...

The MDH MD 530F, as it was designated then, was showcased at IQPC International Military Helicopter (IMH) conference in February 2023. Now known as the TH/AH530, it is again being promoted at the IMH 2024 event, with the company telling   Janes  it expects to close sales of “several dozen” platforms in Eastern Europe alone.  (MDH via Janes/Gareth Jennings)  MD Helicopters (MDH) expects to sell “several dozen” of its TH530 and AH530 rotorcraft to Eastern Europe, with strong interest in the trainer and light attack...

ADF personnel and defence industry officials participate in the Australian Defence Force's Cyber Skills Challenge held in November 2023 in Canberra. (Commonwealth of Australia)  Australia has bolstered efforts to enhance cyber-defence capabilities to prevent and mitigate cyber attacks against critical infrastructure. For the Australian Defence Force (ADF), cyber defence is an integral part of a wider endeavour to strengthen military preparedness for modern hybrid warfare. The extensive use of cyberwarfare in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflic...

Croatia took over official ownership of six Rafale combat aircraft from France on 23 February. (Croatian MoD)  Croatia has taken over formal ownership of the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft to be received from France.  The Croatian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the development on 23 February, saying it now owns the first six of 12 Rafales it has ordered.  This milestone came about five months after the first Rafale was handed over to the Croatian MoD during a ceremony at the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace: AAE...

NATO forces conducted amphibious landings during ‘Cold Response 2022'. The alliance's ‘Nordic Response' will build on these operations. (Janes/Michael Fabey)    Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS   Gunston Hall  (LSD 44) arrived in Harstad, Norway, on 21 February to embark Finnish and Swedish forces, which will combine with the French forces that joined the ship in Portsmouth, UK, to conduct amphibious training exercises in Norway, the US Navy (USN) said in a release.   Gunston Hall  will be joined by Italia...

Hungary is to bring its Gripen fleet up to 18, with the addition of a further four aircraft announced on 23 February. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Hungary is to increase the size of its fleet of Saab Gripen combat aircraft, with a deal announced on 23 February for an additional four airframes.  With 14 Gripen C/D aircraft having been leased from Sweden in 2001 and entering service in 2006, Saab has said that it has signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for four additional Gripen Cs for the Hungarian Air Force (H...

The Terrex s5 infantry fighting vehicle is likely to incorporate a small unmanned aerial vehicle as a MUM-T capability to assist with waypoint navigation. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal/ST Engineering)  A range of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities are being planned for Singapore's recently unveiled Terrex s5 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).  The Terrex is an 8×8 IFV with six distinct operational roles such as a troop carrier, command vehicle, anti-tank guided-missile (ATGM) vehicle, fire-support vehicle, mortar vehicle, and an amphibious ass...

A full-scale Kawasaki KJ300 turbofan engine displayed at the Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Prasobh Narayanan)  Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries displayed its KJ300 turbofan engine at the Singapore Airshow 2024 held from 20 to 25 February.    Speaking to  Janes  , a company official said the engine completed its high-altitude testing in 2023 at a test facility in Japan and further testing is under way.   The KJ300 is the latest addition to the KJ engine series developed by Kawasaki and is primarily intended for unmanned ae...

Steadicopter's Black Eagle 50E electric-powered unmanned aerial vehicle is designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations from land and naval locations. (Steadicopter)  Israeli-based Steadicopter Ltd is improving its Black Eagle and Golden Eagle series of rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (RUAVs) and positioning them for the larger Asia-Pacific (APAC) market.  Itai Toren, CEO of Steadicopter, told Janes during Singapore Airshow 2024 that the company is improving its Black Eagle 50 and 25 series of RUAVs and increasi...

A file photo of an RNoAF C-130J-30. Norway has four such aircraft, which it is now retrofitting to the latest Block 8.1 standard for greater global reach, enhanced navigation, and additional defensive capabilities. (Lockheed Martin)  Norway has upgraded the first of its Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules transport aircraft to the latest standard now rolling off the production line.  The manufacturer announced on 21 February that the first of four ‘stretched' C-130J-30 aircraft operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) has been retrofitte...

Denmark will send the first of its F-16s to Ukraine in the third quarter of 2024. (Royal Danish Air Force)  Ukraine is to field the first of its promised Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft “this summer”, the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 22 February.  In a release updating the progress of the ‘F-16 coalition' of which it is a member, Denmark said that work to prepare the first former Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) aircraft is now under way, with their transfer to Ukraine expected in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024....

A model of AVIC's new AR-500W rotary-wing UAV displayed at Singapore Airshow 2024 shows that it is armed with a substantial missions and weapons payload. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  The Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC's) AR-500 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed for naval (including carrier-borne) operations appears to be now armed with missiles and a heavy gun.  The model of an export variant of the UAV, the AR-500W, was unveiled during the Singapore Airshow 2024 held from 20 to 25 February. This AR-500W mode...

HMAS   Waller  sails through Sydney Harbour as the boat prepares to berth at Fleet Base East, Sydney. Commissioned in July 1999, HMAS   Waller  is the third of six RAN Collins-class submarines.   (Commonwealth of Australia)  Although planning is well-advanced for the Life of Type Extension (LOTE) planned for all six of the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) conventionally powered Collins-class submarines, some question marks hang over the schedule and implementation of the multibillion-dollar programm...

Workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant prepare 155 mm artillery rounds to be filled as a part of the load, assemble, and pack operation. (US Army)  It has been more than a year since the US Army announced its ramp-up of 155 mm ammunition was under way. Now, the Pentagon has to find a way to more than double its production output by the end of the year as the war in Ukraine marches on.  The 155 mm artillery round is fired by several weapons that see heavy usage in Ukraine, and one estimate – cited by the European Union's (EU's) European Par...

According to Elbit Systems, the Hermes 650's front-engine configuration is designed to support several capabilities such as short take-off, increased endurance, and the ability to support a diverse payload. (Elbit Systems/Janes)  Elbit Systems unveiled its new front-engine Hermes 650 Spark tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on 21 February at Singapore Airshow 2024.  Speaking to   Janes, vice-president and head of Business Development and Marketing at Elbit Systems, Ziv Avni described the Hermes 650 as being in the one-tonne category...

Screengrab of a video showing the first flight of the Kaan combat aircraft on 21 February 2024. (Presidency of the Republic of Turkey)  Turkey has flown its Kaan National Combat Aircraft (MMU) for the first time, Turkish Aerospace (TA) announced.  The domestically developed ‘fifth-generation' fighter departed TA's Ankara facility for its approximately 15-minute maiden flight on 21 February. For the flight, the Kaan MMU was accompanied by a Turkish Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon chase plane.  “We have carved another development...

The Aerospace Times Feipeng Company Limited's FP-981C vertical take-off landing unmanned aerial vehicle. (Janes)  China is developing a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for short-range cargo transport tasks.  A representative of the Aerospace Times Feipeng Company Limited said the UAV, called the FP-981C, is being developed to transport cargo and supplies in “complex environments”.    “The developmental programme of the FP-981C started in 2022, and the UAV is currently involved in flight-testing,” th...

A MANTAS T-12 USV, front, operates alongside Royal Bahrain Naval Force fast-attack craft RBNS   Abdul Rahman Al-fadel  during operations in support of Task Force 59 in the Gulf.  (US Navy)  Anxious to avoid gifting an operational advantage to China, the US Navy's senior officer in the Pacific said the service will maintain a veil of secrecy over the pace at which it is ‘operationalising' new unmanned systems capabilities and concepts in the Pacific Fleet.  In his 14 February keynote to the AFCEA International and...