Saab opens Red Hawk production plant in Indiana

by Gareth Jennings

Saab will manufacture the aft fuselage of the T-7A Red Hawk at its newly opened West Lafayette facility in Indiana. (Boeing)

Saab officially opened the West Lafayette production facility in Indiana from where it will build its share of the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft on which it is partnered with Boeing.

The Swedish manufacturer announced the event on 13 October, noting that apart from being the site for manufacturing the aft airframe section of the Red Hawk, the site will be used for research and development in autonomy, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing also.

“By 2027, Saab expects to hire up to 300 employees for this facility, including assemblers, engineers, system administrators, and more. The West Lafayette facility will also work collaboratively with Purdue [University in Indiana] on research and development in sensor systems, artificial intelligence, and more. Saab plans to export products and technology from this facility,” the company said.

With two production representative jets (PRJs) built and flying, the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract awarded in September 2018 covers five more aircraft for flight trials, plus one fuselage for static tests, and another for fatigue testing.


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Italy to enhance SSA with new ground-based sensors

by Olivia Savage

Flyeye is a multiple-optics telescope with a very wide field of view that will be capable of classifying objects in space as small as 15 cm in LEO and 35 cm in MEO. The 6.5 m high and 4 m wide telescope will be used by the Italian Space Agency and military for SSA. (OHB Italia)

The Italian National Armaments Directorate (NAD) is procuring three ground-based sensors to enhance the country's space situational awareness (SSA), Janes learnt at the Military Space Situational Awareness Conference 2024, held in London from 22 to 24 April.

In total, two optical telescopes and one high-performance radar are being procured as part of its national SSA plans, Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinando Dolce, the head of SSA at NAD, said at the conference.

The first sensor being procured is a high-performance optical surveillance telescope from OHB Italia called Flyeye, Lt Col Dolce said.

Flyeye will have the capacity to monitor objects in low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary orbit (GEO), Commander of the Space Situational Awareness Centre at the Italian Air Force Colonel Dario Tarantino told Janes


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India's GalaxEye developing satellite with multiple sensors for Earth observation

by Oishee Majumdar

A computer-aided design model of the satellite that GalaxEye Space is developing to conduct Earth observation for defence forces. The satellite will be equipped with SAR and EO sensor for enhanced surveillance. (GalaxEye Space)

Bangalore-based GalaxEye Space is developing a satellite that can carry multiple sensors for Earth observation to support the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.

Speaking to Janes at the Indian DefSpace Symposium 2024 held in Delhi from 18 to 20 April, Deb Jyoti Pal, senior vice-president of business development at GalaxEye said the company is planning to launch the satellite into space in early 2025 for evaluation.

This low Earth observation (LEO) satellite will host an electro-optic (EO) sensor, and a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with both sensors capturing data simultaneously to provide a more holistic view of strategic areas of interest, Pal added.

“The SAR sensor can capture data in day and night, and in any weather condition including in foggy or cloudy environment. EO sensors are not able to do this. On the other hand, SAR data can be difficult to interpret. This is where EO data can benefit a user,” Pal said.


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Brazil to update A-29 Super Tucano aircraft fleet

by Victor Barreira

A Brazilian Air Force Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano light attack/counter-insurgency aircraft. The details of Brazil's fleet upgrade are as yet undisclosed. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

Embraer Defense and Security is to carry out the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of 68 of the EMB 314 (locally designated A-29) Super Tucano training and light attack aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force, the service's commander Lieutenant Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno said on 17 April during a presentation to the Brazilian Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense.

The MLU is intended to extend the lifespan of the aircraft by up to 25 years, Lt Brig Damasceno said, and follows a June 2023 agreement between Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force to study a technological refresh of the Super Tucanos, although details were not disclosed.

Brazil purchased 25 A-29A and 51 A-29B aircraft in 2001, adding eight A-29As and 15 A-29Bs in 2005. The fleet was received between 2003 and 2012.

For more information, please seeEmbraer sees market for 490 Super Tucanos .


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Saab officially opened the West Lafayette production facility in Indiana from where it will build it...

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