The IqAF is to equip all 34 of its F-16 combat aircraft with the AIDEWS electronic warfare suite. (Lockheed Martin)

Iraq is to equip its Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft with the L3Harris AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) electronic warfare (EW) system, the US Department of Defense (DoD) disclosed on 22 April.

The DoD requires the retrofit of the AIDEWS system into 34 Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) F-16C/D Block 52M aircraft located at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base (Ali Flaih AB [AFAB], previously known as Balad Air Base), a solicitation posted on the SAM.gov US government procurement website said.

The DoD solicitation provided no contract value or timeline details.

The AIDEWS comes in both an AN/ALQ-211(V)4 integrated and an AN/ALQ-211(V)9 podded configuration, with the newer Block 52 and above aircraft of operators such as the IqAF having the internal space needed for integration, while older block aircraft do not and therefore, require the podded system.

The IqAF fields 24 single-seat F-16C and 10 twin-seat F-16D aircraft, deliveries of which commenced in 2014.

For more information on the IqAF, please seeIraq – Air Force .

A file photo of a UAE F-16 combat aircraft. While the Gulf state has traditionally enjoyed strong procurement and operational ties with the West, the UAE AFAD is now also seeking closer co-operation with the PLAAF in China. (Lockheed Martin)

The chief of joint operations for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces has met with the head of China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) as the two countries look to promote closer co-operation between their respective air forces.

The UAE Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the meeting on 23 April, saying that on the same day Major General Saleh Mohammed bin Mejren Al Ameri, commander of Joint Operations, had met with Lieutenant General Chang Dingqiu, commander of the PLAAF, at the headquarters of the Chinese MoD in Beijing.

“During the meeting, a number of topics related to the fields of joint military co-operation and work between the two countries and ways to support and develop them were discussed. The meeting was attended by a number of senior officers and officials of the MoDs of the two countries,” the UAE MoD said.

The Brazilian Navy wants to improve the radar capabilities of its OPVs. (Victor Barreira)

As part of an effort to update its Amazonas-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), the Brazilian Navy is acquiring a new air and surface search radar with identification friend-or-foe capability (IFF), according to the Navy Weapon Systems Directorate (Diretoria de Sistemas de Armas da Marinha: DSAM).

The Brazilian Naval Commission in Washington, DC, (Comissão Naval Brasileira em Washington: CNBW) on behalf of the DSAM has requested a request for information (RFI) and the price availability for up to three radars on 25 March.

The navy seeks to recover the combat capability of the OPVs by updating several of the ship's systems, the Navy Directorate-General for Material (Diretoria-Geral do Material da Marinha: DGMM) recently told Janes .

The modernisation of the OPVs will be carried out by the DSAM, the DGMM added, without detailing a schedule and the scale of the effort.

The DSAM is subordinated to the DGMM.