The KAI T-50 is a tandem-seat multirole trainer aircraft that is in service with Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand. (KAI)  Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has proposed a sale of T-50 multirole trainer aircraft to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), which seeks to acquire new combat aircraft from fiscal year (FY) 2025.    A KAI spokesperson told   Janes on   17 April that the proposal for the T-50TH variant was submitted in November 2023. The T-50TH is being pitched for the possible acquisition programme as the RTAF “has alread...

A computer-generated image of the Hypersonix Launch Systems scramjet-powered DART hypersonic testbed. (Hypersonix Launch Systems)  Hypersonix Launch Systems, headquartered in Brisbane, is building a hypersonic test vehicle for the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU's) hypersonic and high-cadence testing capabilities (HyCAT) programme. DIU issued a solicitation for the project in September 2022. Hypersonix Launch Systems was awarded a contract for scoping the work in March 2023, and a launch contract in September 2023, Matt Hill, Hypersonix Launch...

HII has made capital expenditure investments at its shipyards, including Newport News Shipbuilding, shown here. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  US shipbuilders should invest more money in their facilities to help the US Navy (USN) meet fleet requirements, USN Secretary Carlos Del Toro testified on 16 April to the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC).  “Shipyards are not making enough of a contribution,” Del Toro testified during the SAC hearing on navy posture, pointing out that while the USN has invested billions in shipbuilding plans, shipbuilders...

The V-Bat UAV, shown here during testing, is becoming the UAV of choice for US forces. (US Navy)  Military planners and operators are beginning to consider unmanned surface and aerial vehicles in a more operational light given recent successes in experiments and in the battlespace, according to defence analysts.  One case in point is the Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV) the US Marine Corps (USMC) plans to use as a semi-autonomous vessel for extended travel and transporting loitering munitions that accurately track and destroy target...

The backdrop to the signing ceremony in Denmark was an F-16BM aircraft in Argentine Air Force markings. (Danish MoD)  Argentina has finalised a deal to procure surplus Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft from Denmark, signing a contract on 16 April.  The Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the milestone, saying the defence ministers of the two countries concluded the contract for the transfer of 24 former Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) F-16AM/BM jets to the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina: FAA) during a sign...

The Royal Navy is planning to deploy the DragonFire laser weapon (pictured) from one of its warships in 2027. (Crown Copyright)    The UK Royal Navy (RN) will install the DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) onboard    one of its warships five years earlier than planned under new procurement reforms introduced by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in April.   Announcing the accelerated schedule on 12 April, the RN said that earlier plans to deploy the system in 2032 are being brought forward to 2027 as the need for...

A mock-up of the Sky Sword II – locally known as TC-2 land-based missile – is pictured at TADTE 2023. The missile structure consists of the active radar seeker, followed by the electronics section, proximity fuze, warhead, and rocket motor, ending in the exhaust. (Janes/Kapil Kajal )  The Republic of China Army (RoCA) test-fired a land-based short-to-medium-range air-defence system known as the Sky Sword II for the first time in Pingtung County, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND) said via its Military News Agency on 16 April.  The...

USS   Michael Monsoor  is being outfitted with the latest Mk 57 vertical launching system universal canister electronics unit.  (US Navy)  The US Navy (USN) announced a contract worth USD74 million to HII's Mission Technologies division on 9 April during the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, to research, analyse, and develop enhanced capabilities for the Mk 41 and Mk 57 vertical launching systems (VLSs) onboard USN surface ships.    The work includes outf...

The Ground-Based Interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to simulate a combat launch from Fort Greely in Alaska. (Missile Defense Agency)  The Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) competition has come to an end as Lockheed Martin was selected as the prime to continue development of the weapon through critical design review (CDR), all-up round qualification, integration with the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, and flight testing, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced on 15 April.  While no dolla...

NRP  Bérrio,   which was decommissioned in 2020, will be replaced by two replenishment and logistics ships as part of the Portuguese Navy's national fleet renewal programme.  (Victor Barreira)    The Portuguese Navy is acquiring two fleet replenishment and logistics ships as part of its national fleet renewal programme, the service has confirmed to   Janes  .   Competitors interested in meeting the tender have until 27 April to deliver their proposals.  A EUR100 million (USD106.4 million) budge...

The keel was laid for guided-missile frigate   Constellation  , the lead ship for the new class of surface ships.  (US Navy)    The keel for the guided-missile frigate   Constellation  (FFG 62), the lead ship of the new Constellation-class of ships, was laid on 12 April, the US Navy (USN) confirmed.   Speaking at the keel-laying ceremony on the same day, USN Secretary Carlo Del Toro noted the need to augment the fleet with ships like FFGs, especially with recent events in the Red Sea.    “...

The Netherlands has ordered seven additional GM200 MM/C radars from Thales after having ordered an initial nine in February 2019. Pictured is the first GM200 MM/C radar being handed over to the Royal Netherlands Army in Hengelo in February 2024. (Dutch MoD/Sgt Maj Gregory Fréni)  The Dutch Command Materiel and IT (COMMIT) procurement authority has ordered seven additional Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radars from Thales.  The contract includes an option for two additional radars, according to a Thales announcement on 15...

A mock-up of the Eurofighter EK displayed at the ILA 2022 airshow in Berlin. The proposed escort jammer pod is seen in the foreground. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Hensoldt is considering how to proceed with its plans to offer a new airborne electronic attack (AEA) capability to Germany, following its recent acquisition of Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH (ESG).    A company representative told   Janes   on 12 April that having previously proposed a joint solution with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for Step 2 of the Eurofighte...

Aircraft MSN139, the first of two A400Ms for Kazakhstan, seen in the paint shop having its bespoke scheme and markings applied ahead of delivery later in 2024. (Airbus)  Airbus has rolled out the first of a pair of A400M Atlas transport aircraft for the Republic of Kazakhstan, following the application of its new paint scheme at the company's final assembly line in Seville.  Images of aircraft MSN139 were released on 15 April, showing it to be finished in a bespoke high-gloss ‘wet' version of the familiar low-visibility grey paint scheme, as...

The Boeing P-8A is an important platform for Australia. The RAAF uses the aircraft for widespread maritime surveillance activities and for long-range submarine tracking. This photograph shows an RAAF P-8A that was deployed at Roland Garros Airport, Reunion Island, in March 2024. (Commonwealth of Australia)  Boeing has been awarded a AUD139.5 million (USD90.1 million) contract to upgrade the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) P-8A Poseidon fleet.  The contract, announced on 15 April, will deliver Increment 3 Block 2 software, systems, and s...

Two US Navy Saildrone Explorer USVs take part in maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea in early 2023. (US Navy)  Saildrone's family of wind- and solar-powered unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) offer a way to free up manned naval assets for more important missions, Richard Jenkins, founder and CEO of Saildrone, told Janes at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, on 10 April. The USVs are already operating under contracts with the US Navy (USN) and other agencies, he said.  The wind...

The US Navy lost amphibious assault ship  Bonhomme Richard  to fire damage.  (US Navy)  US Navy (USN) leaders are touting the investments being planned for the country's naval amphibious fleet and associated resources, even as government analysts are questioning the costs of some of these acquisitions and the navy is studying requirements and maintenance issues associated with amphibious forces.  Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations (CNO), confirmed that the USN and the US Marine Corps (USMC) wil...

A graphic depiction of the NFS U212 submarine. (OCCAR)  Tests of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system for the Italian Navy's Improved Todaro (Type 212 NFS)-class submarines are moving forward, according to the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), which manages the programme.  Speaking at the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) 2024 conference and exhibition in London on 10 April, Commander Alessandro Irvia, Platform Officer, U212 Near Future Submarine (NFS) Programme, confirmed that a thermal propagation test conducted on 9 A...

The Indian Army and the DRDO conducted warhead flight trials of the MPATGM weapon system at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan on 13 April 2024. The MPATGM can strike the armoured vehicles at a maximum range of 2.5 km. (Indian Ministry of Defence)  India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army have test-fired a manportable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) weapon system at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release on 14 Apri...

The APUS 25 prototype on display at UDT 2024. (Janes/Kate Tringham)  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Aerotor Unmanned Systems have joined forces to develop a novel unmanned quadcopter designed for long-range endurance missions.  The new platform, named APUS 25, was showcased for the first time at the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) 2024 conference and exhibition, which was held in London from 8 to 10 April.    Speaking to   Janes  at UDT 2024, an IAI spokesperson said the vehicle incorporates new technology developed b...