Ukraine conflict: EU to supply Kyiv with fighter aircraft
28 February 2022
by Gareth Jennings
Along with Poland and Slovakia, Bulgaria is a European operator of the MiG-29 combat aircraft (pictured) that the EU is looking to supply to Ukraine to help replace the country's battlefield losses. (Bulgarian Air Force)
The European Union (EU) is to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with combat aircraft to help replace battlefield losses in the face of Russia's renewed invasion of the country.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrell, made the announcement on 27 February, saying that Kyiv had requested the aircraft as part of a wider package of military support from the EU and the West.
“We are going to provide even fighting jets,” Borrell said. “[Kyiv] has been asking us that they need the kind of fighting jets that the Ukrainian [Air Force] is able to operate. We know that some [EU] member states have these kind of planes, and the western borders of Ukraine are still open and several [of these] member states have a border with Ukraine.”
As noted by the EU foreign policy chief, Kyiv is requesting specifically those Soviet-era combat aircraft that the Ukrainian Air Force inherited in 1991 and still operates today. These are the MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum' and Sukhoi Su-27 ‘Flanker' multirole combat aircraft, and the Sukhoi Su-24 ‘Fencer' and Su-25 ‘Frogfoot' ground attack aircraft. Of these, EU member states could supply the MiG-29 and Su-25.
As noted by Janes World Air Forces, the Polish Air Force fields 21 single-seat and six twin-seat MiG-29s; the Bulgarian Air Force fields 11 single-seat and three twin-seat MiG-29s; while the Slovak Air Force fields nine single-seat and two twin-seat MiG-29 aircraft (although only a small number is thought to still be in an airworthy condition). The Bulgarian Air Force also fields six single-seat and two twin-seat Su-25s.
If these aircraft were to be donated, the Ukrainian Air Force could receive as many as 52 MiG-29s and eight Su-25s. Although not confirmed, it has been reported that the United States could look to backfill these donated aircraft with Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons that are in service with Poland, and which are on order for Bulgaria and Slovakia.
While supplying aircraft would address the immediate problem of replacing attrition losses, Ukraine's main airbases have been subjected to attack, with at least six MiG-29s destroyed on the ground at Ivano-Frankivsk Airport in the southwest of the country. However, as was common with Soviet-designed aircraft, both the MiG-29 and Su-25 operate from less than sterile airfields, with features such as air intake gates to prevent the ingestion of foreign object debris (FOD) and nosewheel protectors to prevent stones damaging the underfuselage. Also, the Ukrainian Air Force is known to have trained for off-site operations, and so could conceivably move its aircraft away from its airfields and on to the country's roads.
UK explores new radar and IR tech to enhance SDA
26 April 2024
by Olivia Savage
UK company Spaceflux has been contracted to develop and operate a ground-based SDA sensor as part of Project Nyx Alpha to monitor objects in GEO for UK Space Command. (Spaceflux)
The UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is conducting three technology demonstrator programmes to explore the utility of novel space domain awareness (SDA) technologies.
The first programme is exploring the development of a Deep Space Radar (DSR) designed to monitor and protect geostationary orbit (GEO) assets such as the Skynet satellite communications system, William Feline, senior principal advisor for SDA at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), said at the Military Space Situational Awareness Conference 2024, held in London from 22 to 24 April.
The purpose of the programme is also to assess whether the UK needs its own DSR capability or whether it can rely on or complement the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) currently being developed alongside Australia and the US, Emma Kerr, senior principal engineer for SDA at Dstl told Janes .
A monostatic or biostatic system is being considered as well as whether a new or existing system is required, Feline said.
Rafale enters Croatian service
26 April 2024
by Gareth Jennings
One of the first six Rafales to be delivered to Croatia. Deliveries of all 12 aircraft will be complete by mid-2025. (Dassault)
Croatia has inducted into service the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft it recently received from France.
The manufacturer announced the milestone on 25 April, saying the first six of 12 Rafales had been formally received into service by the Croatian Air Force (Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo i protuzračna obrana: HRZ i PZO).
Having been handed over to the Croatian Ministry of Defence (MoD) at the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace: AAE) base at Mont-de-Marsan in France in 2023, these initial aircraft were received into the 91 operational base near Zagreb in a ceremony that was attended by Croation Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić.
With the Rafale to be operated by 191 Squadron, the first of the follow-on batch of six aircraft will arrive in Croatia by the end of 2024 to complete the unit by mid-2025.
For more information on the Croatian Air Force, please seeCroatia – Air Force .
Brazilian Army seeks 12 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters
25 April 2024
by Victor Barreira
A Brazilian Air Force UH-60L Black Hawk. The Brazilian Army is set to replace its HM-2 Black Hawk fleet with newer examples. (Leandro Maldonado)
The Brazilian Army is to acquire 12 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters to replace its eight HM-3 Cougar and four HM-2 Black Hawk helicopters, said Army Commander General Tomás Miguel Miné Ribeiro Paiva during a 17 April presentation to the Brazilian Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense.
Gen Tomás noted that the fleet is to be purchased through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme and entails purchasing surplus helicopters, which will be refurbished before transfer to the Brazilian Army Aviation Command (CAvEx).
The acquisition is being carried out as part of the Army Strategic Program Army Aviation (Prg EE Av Ex). The phasing out of the Cougar and Black Hawk helicopters was approved in December 2023.
The HM-3 is fielded by the 2nd Army Aviation Battalion and the 3rd Army Aviation Battalion, and the HM-2 is deployed by the 4th Army Aviation Battalion.
The European Union (EU) is to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with combat aircraft to help replac...
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