A Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class guided-missile destroyer fires a Harpoon surface-to-surface missile during Exercise ‘Pacific Vanguard' 2022. The class will be equipped with the Naval Strike Missile in the future. (Commonwealth of Australia)

The Australian government has released two more policy documents that outline its defence development intentions over the next few years. The two documents – National Defence Strategy (NDS) 2024 and Integrated Investment Program (IIP) 2024 – were unveiled by Australia's Minister of Defence Richard Marles on 17 April.

The new policies follow Australia's Defence Strategic Review (DSR) – issued in April 2023 – and its evaluation of surface combatant capabilities, which was released earlier in 2024.

As outlined in the IIP 2024, the Australian government is projected to spend AUD765 billion (USD496 billion) in the decade between 2024 and 2034 on defence programmes. This amount includes an additional AUD56 billion above the previous trajectory that was forecast for this period.

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.

Seen after being delivered to 2Excel's facility in Lasham, Hampshire, in 2023, the 757 airframe that is to be converted into the Excalibur FTA made its first flight from MoD Boscombe Down. (Leonardo)

Initial flight trials of the 757 airframe that is to be converted to the Excalibur Flight Test Aircraft (FTA) project to de-risk the Tempest future fighter have shown it to be “fit for purpose”, an official from Leonardo told Janes .

Speaking at a UK industry showcase event for the future combat air power, including the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) of which the Tempest demonstrator is a part, Dave Morris, head of campaigns Future Combat Air – GCAP at Leonardo, said the first round of flight trials out of Ministry of Defence (MoD) Boscombe Down in southern England had gone well and that there should be no issues ahead of fitting aircraft with its Tempest mission equipment.