The US Navy's FY 2025 budget request continues to fund F-35 aircraft. (US Marine Corps)  The fiscal year (FY) 2025 US Navy (USN) budget requests include USD16.2 billion for the procurement of 75 aircraft, modifications, spares, and support equipment, including 13 F-35Cs, 13 F-35Bs, and 15 CH-53Ks, according to budget documents released on 11 March.  However, the FY 2025 request represents a slight financial retreat for the USN, which requested USD17.3 billion in FY 2024 for 88 aircraft, including 19 F-35Cs and 16 F-35Bs.  In addition, the USN...

An F-35 launches off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS   George Washington  (CVN 73) in 2016. The US Navy intends to purchase 13 F-35Cs in FY 2025.  (US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kris R Lindstrom)  The US Navy (USN) has requested USD16.6 billion in its fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request, intended to purchase 75 aircraft, down from USD17.3 billion in FY 2024.  The service intends to purchase 26 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters: 13 short take-off an...

The F-15C fleet is to be phased out in favour of the F-15EX. (US Air Force)  The US Air Force (USAF) is requesting to retire 250 aircraft in fiscal year (FY) 2025 as the service attempts to shed older aircraft to gear up for future purchases.  The largest intended divestment is of 65 Boeing F-15C/Ds, which have reached the end of their service lives. The USAF is in the process of replacing the 1980s-vintage F-15C/Ds with brand-new F-15EXs, which can fly farther, carry more, and come equipped with the latest electronics.  The service also hope...

The Pentagon's FY2025 budget request for Aegis ballistic missile defence would decrease spending compared to FY2024. (US Army)  The Department of Defense is requesting about USD1.3 billion for sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) in its proposed fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget, compared to about USD1.7 billion requested for FY 2025, according to budget documents released on 11 March.  The FY 2025 request includes 12 interceptors for USD491.4 million, compared to 39 interceptors for USD807.6 million requested in FY 2024.  The FY 2025 r...

The British Army has been experimenting with the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) battle management application installed on a Samsung phone as a potential option for the DSA programme. (ATAK)    The British Army's Dismounted Situational Awareness (DSA) programme is delayed,   Janes   learnt at SAE Group's Future Soldier Technology conference, being held from 11 to 13 March.   According to Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Davies, SO1 Combat Systems and Bearers, British Army, the delay is primarily because the DSA team has not yet...

The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are each procuring 25 units of Big Bang Boom Solutions' long-range Vajra Sentinel C-UAS (pictured). (Big Bang Boom Solutions)  Chennai-based Big Bang Boom Solutions (BBBS) has secured two contracts worth more than INR2 billion (USD24 million) to provide its counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF).  Janes understands that the Indian Army and the IAF will each receive 25 units of BBBS' long-range Vajra Sentinel C-UAS by mid-2025.  In an interview t...

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is slated to receive newly produced RD-33 engines, which will allow the IAF to increase the service life of its Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 fleet. (Hindustan Times via Getty Images/Pardeep Pandit)  Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been contracted to deliver over 100 Klimov RD-33 engines for the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 force.  The engines will be produced by HAL at its Koraput Division (in east India) as part of a INR52.497 billion (USD634.4 million) contract announced on 1 March by the...

The Agni V – pictured above taking part in India's Republic Day parade in 2013 – is a nuclear-capable missile that can carry either a single warhead or multiple warheads over ranges up to 5,500 km. (Indian Ministry of Defence)  India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) test-fired the Agni V intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) equipped with multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) technology for the first time on 11 March.  According to a press release by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD...

The US Coast Guard's FY 2025 budget request includes funding for the HC-130J programme management. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  The US Coast Guard (USCG) fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request of about USD13.8 billion represents a slight decrease from the USD13.9 billion FY 2024 amount, annualised to reflect the continuing resolution spending restrictions and the USD13.9 billion enacted for FY 2023, according to budget documents released on 11 March.  The FY 2025 request includes USD1.1 billion to recapitalise legacy surface assets and make capital i...

The US Navy's FY 2025 budget requests includes funding for unmanned underwater vehicles. (Boeing)  The proposed fiscal year (FY) 2025 US Navy (USN) budget includes USD172.2 million to develop enabling capabilities and critical technologies for unmanned surface vessels (USVs), including funding for medium, large, and long-range vehicles, according to budget documents.  The funding is intended for Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels (MUSVs), Large Unmanned Surface Vessels (LUSVs), and Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessels (LRUSVs) including prototype...

Despite struggling to deliver enough Virginia-class submarines to meet naval commitments, the navy is cutting a previously proposed submarine in its FY 2025 budget. (Michael Fabey)  Submarine acquisition programmes included in the proposed US Navy (USN) fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget underscore the importance of subsea operations for the service, with the USN proposing to spend about USD16.9 billion for combined Virginia-class attack submarine (SSN) and Columbia-class strategic submarine (SSBN) work, according to budget documents released 11 Ma...

The US Navy's FY 2025 budget request seeks more funding for a Constellation-class frigate. (US Navy)  The proposed US Navy (USN) fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget requests funding to continue proposed programmes for guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) and guided-missile frigates (FFGs).  The FY 2025 request includes USD6.5 billion for two Flight III Arleigh Burke-class DDGs and enough money to cover full funding for another two of those ships, according to budget documents released on 11 March.  Included in the FY 2024 request is USD4.5 billion for t...

Improving the GMD system has been a top priority for MDA. However, the effort suffered a major setback after a new kill vehicle programme was terminated. That programme was replaced by the NGI. (MDA)  The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is requesting approximately USD2.526 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2025 to improve its strategic missile defence system, known as the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), including funding to develop a new Next Generation Interceptor (NGI).  The agency's budget documents were released on 11 March but, breaking...

India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme began in 2008 and is intended to produce aircraft for induction into the Indian Air Force by 2030. Data shows that the fifth-generation fighter aircraft requires about two decades of development before entering service. (Janes)  Development of India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme is expected to accelerate in 2024 following New Delhi's approval of the design and prototype programme, according to a project official.    The official, a me...

The Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missile, pictured, is jointly developed by the US and Japan. MDA suggested the GPI joint development with Japan will be pursued in a construct similar to that used for the SM-3 missile. (US Army)  The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has requested USD182 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025 “to continue development of Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) capability to address hypersonic missile threats and continue maturation of critical technology elements”.  This is down from USD209 million requested in fiscal year FY 2...

The US Navy is seeking funds to buy another San Antonio-class transport dock in FY2025. (Michael Fabey)  The fiscal year (FY) 2025 US Navy (USN) budget request includes USD1.6 billion to buy one Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship (LPD), according to budget documents released 11 March.  Including that procurement, the five-year Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) included in the FY 2025 request includes three LPDs, with another ship being slated for acquisition in FY 2027 and then another in FY 2029.  The FY 2025 also incl...

The US Navy and Army are jointly developing hypersonic technologies through the navy's Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) offensive hypersonic strike capability and the army's Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW). (US Navy)  President Joe Biden's budget request for fiscal year 2025, unveiled on 11 March, includes about USD744 million in procurement for the US Army's delayed long range hypersonic weapon (LRHW) missile system, more than four times the amount requested for procurement in fiscal year 2024.  After failing two flight tests in fisca...

The airborne SAR was displayed on the Iranian stand labelled as both the S-811 and the larger S-813. (Janes/Ajay Shankar Pandey)  Iran displayed a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that it has developed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March.  The SAR has a monopulse flat-plate slotted-array antenna and was labelled as both the S-811 and S-813, with Iranian officials refusing to identify which one it was.  An Arabic-language brochure provided details of both types, saying they can provide...

The M-LIDS weapon system can be mounted on vehicles and is designed to target and disable or destroy hostile drones or other UAVs. Soldiers have trained and tested the technology in US Central Command's area of responsibility. (US Army)  As the war in Ukraine highlights the need for deep magazines and counter unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) capabilities, the US Army's latest budget request includes more funding for counter small-unmanned aerial systems (C-sUAS) and precision munitions.  A “continued emphasis” on counter small unmanned aerial...

The Haider MBT is Pakistan's variant of the Chinese VT4 MBT (pictured above from a demonstration at Airshow China 2018), which is an export-only third-generation MBT marketed by Norinco. (Janes/Kelvin Wong)  Pakistan's state-owned Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) unveiled an “indigenously manufactured” Haider main battle tank (MBT) during a ‘rollout ceremony' on 6 March, Pakistan Armed Forces' Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) agency said in a press release on 7 March.  The HIT collaborated with China North Industries Group Corporation Limi...