Update: KAI, Northrop Grumman partner to develop VTOL UAVs

by Oishee Majumdar

Janes assesses that the design of the new VTOL UAV by KAI and Northrop Grumman could be influenced by the US company's MQ-8C UAV (pictured). (US Navy)

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed an agreement with Northrop Grumman to develop vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be operated from warships and coastguard vessels.

Janes understands that the Republic of Korea (RoK) Navy plans to acquire around 20 of these VTOL UAVs.

The UAVs will be used for “territorial defence missions” such as persistent surveillance, reconnaissance, and target acquisition in the maritime environment, KAI said in a media release on 19 January.

The capabilities offered by Northrop Grumman can enable military operators to deploy multiple UAVs in real time, and simultaneously “share intelligence information between air and ground forces”, a company spokesperson told Janes on 25 January.

KAI expects to reduce the time period and “risks” involved in the research and development (R&D) of VTOL UAVs by partnering with Northrop Grumman.

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Australia passes law to boost AUKUS defence trade

by Jon Grevatt

New Australian legislation aims to support defence trade between partners working on the AUKUS submarine. A visual concept of the submarine is pictured above. (BAE Systems)

Australia's parliament passed legislation on 27 March that will support the country's AUKUS partnership with the United Kingdom and United States but toughen rules on the transfer of technologies to other foreign countries.

The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra said the new Defence Trade Controls Amendment Act 2024 (DTC Act) will enhance the protection of “Australian technology and information as well as that of key partners”.

It added that the law will “fast-track the delivery of high-end capabilities to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) by streamlining trade and collaboration with our AUKUS partners, maintaining Australia's capability edge”.

The cornerstone of the legislation, which amends the existing Defence Trade Controls Act 2012, is the easing of red tape in defence trade between AUKUS partners by supporting the establishment of a “licence-free environment for Australian industry”, the DoD said.


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Royal Canadian Air Force retires BAE Systems CT-155 Hawks

by Zach Rosenberg

The CT-155 Hawks are retired, and despite the RCAF's plans it remains unclear when fighter pilot training will return to Canada. (BAE Systems)

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has retired its fleet of BAE Systems CT-155 Hawk fighter lead-in training aircraft, according to a 4 March release by the service.

The NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) operated 17 CT-155s from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, with the first delivered in 2000.

“With the Hawk reaching the end of its service life after 20 years, Canada, along with many countries is faced with the challenges of what will be the next jet trainer in a world of fifth-generation fighter aircraft,” Colonel Adam Carlson, director of Royal Canadian Air Force training, said in an 8 March statement.

The RCAF already sends some trainees to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) programme at Sheppard AFB, Texas, which currently hosts five Canadian instructor pilots and up to six Canadian students. The number of students has been upped to seven, said the RCAF. Additional students are to be sent to the International Flying Training School at Decimomannu, Italy, the RCAF told Janes on 18 March.


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US Department of Defense approves F-35 for full-rate production

by Zach Rosenberg

The 36th F-35, delivered in 2014, was CF-19, the US Marine Corps' first F-35C carrier variant. The Milestone C decision has slipped for nearly a decade beyond initial projections, even as the production has continued. (Lockheed Martin)

The US Department of Defense (DoD) approved the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to enter full-rate production, according to a 12 March announcement, even as deliveries remain suspended.

William LaPlante, the DoD undersecretary of defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, signed the full-rate production/Milestone C approval, allowing the programme to transition from low-rate initial production (LRIP).

“This decision – backed by my colleagues in the [DoD] – highlights to the services, F-35 co-operative programme partners, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers that the F-35 is stable and agile, and that all statutory and regulatory requirements have been appropriately addressed,” LaPlante said in the announcement.

“[The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation] conducted [an] analysis of the results from initial operational test and evaluation and live-fire test and evaluation and delivered a comprehensive, combined report as required by statute to inform the Milestone C/full-rate production decision,” said Raymond O'Toole, Jr, the DoD's acting director of operational test and evaluation.


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Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed an agreement with Northrop Grumman to develop vertical take-...

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