18 May 2023
by Zach Rosenberg
An USMC MQ-9. (US Marine Corps)
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has taken receipt of its first two extended-range General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) MQ-9s.
The two newbuild aircraft will be operated by Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3 (VMU-3) from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
“These aircraft will be based out of Hawaii, fulfilling an immediate need for a long-range, long-endurance, land-based [large-size] UAS [unmanned aircraft system] to conduct persistent maritime domain awareness and data relay in the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility,” the USMC told Janes . “The MQ-9A has proven to be a reliable platform with a proven track record in operations and procurement by the United States Air Force (USAF).”
The USMC expects to take delivery of four more MQ-9s in fiscal year (FY) 2024, the service told Janes .
15 March 2024
by Jeremy Binnie
A Bayraktar Akıncı takes off with a Roketsan Çakir cruise missile for the test-firing announced on 1 March. (Baykar)
The Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is carrying out firing trials with versions of the Roketsan MAM-L and MAM-T guided bombs that can be used against targets concealed by cloud cover, the UAV's Turkish manufacturer announced on 15 March.
Both the MAM-L, which is the standard munition for Baykar's UAVs, and the MAM-T, a small glide bomb, usually use semi-active laser guidance, but the company said it was testing a MAM-L with a television (TV) seeker and a MAM-T with an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker.
Baykar released a video showing two MAM-Ls being loaded on the inner and middle hardpoints on the left wing of an Akıncı at Baykar's Çorlu facility, while the aircraft's right wing was shown with two smaller MAM-C guided bombs on its outer hardpoint and a MAM-T on its middle hardpoint. The inner hardpoints on both sides were loaded with general-purpose bombs that appeared to be fitted with glide kits.
14 March 2024
by Akhil Kadidal & Raghuraman C S
The Indian Air Force's No 18 Squadron at Sulur Air Force Station operated 20 HAL Tejas FOC Mk 1 aircraft, such as this aircraft (LA-5018). This is a representative photo of the Tejas FOC Mk 1. (HAL)
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has reported its first loss of a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk 1 fighter aircraft to an air crash on 12 March.
The IAF said in a statement that the aircraft had crashed during an “operational training sortie”. According to the air force, the pilot “ejected safely”. The IAF added that a “court of inquiry has been constituted to find out the cause of the accident”.
A seven-second video of the incident, which was circulated on X (formerly Twitter), shows that the pilot ejected at an altitude of about 1,500–2,000 ft. The video imagery shows the fighter aircraft continuing to glide unattended before it passes out of the video frame.
A Janes
13 March 2024
by Oishee Majumdar
A computer-generated image (CGI) showing how, under the ASCEND2LEO programme, Fleet Space's Centauri satellites are being leveraged to develop a low Earth orbit satcom system that can connect defence assets and personnel. (Fleet Space Technologies)
South Australia-based Fleet Space Technologies has demonstrated push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities using a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite as part of an Australian military project on satellite communications (satcom).
Fleet Space implemented a “software update” to its Centauri 4 satellite, currently in LEO, that enabled the satellite to deliver tactical PTT communication capabilities for the Australian Defence Force's (ADF's) Joint Capabilities Group (JCG), the company said in a media release on 12 March.
“Built with the world's first 3D-printed all-metal patch antennas and advanced field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), this demonstration showed that Centauri satellites can be reprogrammed to deliver high-quality, fit-for-purpose voice capabilities while in orbit,” Fleet Space added. According to a company document, Fleet Space has a fleet of eight Centauri satellites.
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has taken receipt of its first two extended-range General Atomics Aeronau...
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