Defence`s Feeds

The United States and the European Union have announced coordinated sanctions against Russian officials over the poisoning and imprisonment of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, as the White House sets a firmer tone with Moscow while also demonstrating a united front against Kremlin aggression.

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) joined the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce in imposing sanctions in response to Russia's poisoning and subsequent imprisonment of Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny.

For the first time, the administration of President Joe Biden is taking punitive action against Russia.

The United States joins the European Union in condemning and responding to the Russian Federation's use of a chemical weapon in the attempted assassination of Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny in August 2020 and his subsequent imprisonment in January 2021.

Russia says it will respond to planned sanctions by the United States over the case of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, depending on their content and nature.

The Paris-based press group Reporters without Borders has filed a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and four other senior Saudi officials in Germany over the brutal killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and other crimes against humanity.

The US intelligence report on the assassination of columnist Khashoggi contains no evidence that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman had been involved in this crime, the country's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdallah AlMouallimi, said, adding that the document only makes suggestions.

Media monitoring group Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday it had filed a criminal case with German prosecutors targeting the Saudi crown prince and others for the killing in Turkey of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The US Defense Department says it continues to have "robust" relations with the Saudi military, despite the revelation made in a declassified US intelligence report that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

Taiwan's new indigenous advanced jet trainer (AJT) has recently completed internal flight tests and will soon enter the operational test phase with the help of Taiwan's Air Force to make sure the trainer meets its needs, its manufacturer said Tuesday.

No description

Key to military success and supporting free and open societies in the Indo-Pacific region are: fostering innovation, thinking critically, developing expertise, challenging assumptions and working collectively to realize the full potential of the joint force, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said.

During exercise Hagåtña Fury 21, Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Regiment 3 honed expeditionary advanced base operations and distributed maritime operations capabilities across U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, alongside elements of 3d Marine Division and 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, from February 18 to March 1.

Southeast Asian governments are unable to effectively detect and track ships operating in their waters, which allows illegal fishing, piracy, and other dangerous activities to flourish, according to a new report published by the U.S. Naval War College.­

The Department of Defense (DOD) entered into a $14 million agreement with Draper to enhance the U.S.'s ability for volume production of advanced packaging solutions for computer chips embedded within defense systems.

The Loyal Wingman took to the skies today in a successful first flight test - a major step in a significant innovation project for Defence, the Royal Australian Air Force and Boeing Defence Australia.

Americas

Lockheed Martin Space won a $128.7 million contract to support the integration of the Trident II (D5) Missile and Reentry Subsystems into the Common Missile Compartment (CMC) for the US/United Kingdom Columbia/Dreadnought Submarine construction programs. The Trident II D-5 is a three-stage, solid propellant, inertially guided FBM with a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles (4,600 statute miles or 7,360 km). Work will take place in Florida, Colorado, California, Utah and Tennessee. Estimated completion date is February 28, 2027.

According to the US Navy, Sailors aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg are among the first to test a stress-mitigation initiative. The Expanded Operational Stress Control, or E-OSC, Program using stress mitigation leveraging techniques with standardized support structures at the command level, according to the Navy. Personnel will be taught to better manage their own stress support their fellow shipmates.

Middle East & Africa

Israel’s Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded an approximately $300 million contract by a country in Asia to provide Hermes 900 unmanned aircraft systems. The contract will be performed over a period of five years. Under the contract, the company will supply its Hermes 900 and associated sub-systems, as well as maintenance and support services. The UAS has now been selected by 12 countries, attesting to its competitive edge that combines technological sophistication, reliability, open architecture and solid growth path, according to Elbit.

Europe

A $125 million defense package to Ukraine includes armored patrol boats, radar units and military medical equipment, the Defense Department said on Monday. The funding is part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, planned since 2020 and “conditional on Ukraine’s progress on defense reforms, will provide equipment to support ongoing training programs and operational needs,” a statement in June 2020 from the US Embassy in Kiev said. Another $150 million in supplies will be released when the US State Department certifies that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on key defense reforms this year, as required by the National Defense Authorization Act.

Asia-Pacific

Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have conducted the maiden flight of the Airpower Teaming System (ATS) loyal wingman aircraft. The maiden sortie involved the unmanned aircraft flying a pre-set course at different speeds and altitudes to assess the design’s flight functionality and performance, says Boeing. A Boeing test pilot monitored the flight from a ground control station at the Woomera test range. “The Loyal Wingman’s first flight is a major step in this long-term, significant project for the air force and Boeing Australia, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the successful test,” said Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts, RAAF head of air force capability.

According to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA), the assembly of the first prototype of the Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X) fighter aircraft is almost complete, with manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) set to formally roll out the platform in April. Jung Kwang-sun, head of the KF-X programme at DAPA, said the planned rollout event of the twin-engined multirole fighter will be a “landmark moment” for the country and the aerospace industry.

Today’s Video

Watch: Australia’s First Loyal Wingman Completes Maiden Flight

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has reaffirmed Department of Defense values and ethical conduct in a message to the DOD workforce.

Two U.S. F-35Bs from VX-23 have landed aboard the Italian Navy ITS Cavour aircraft carrier: the “Ready For Operations” campaign has gone live. Two specially instrumented U.S. F-35Bs from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 [...]

The post Two U.S. F-35Bs Have Landed Aboard Italian Navy Aircraft Carrier ITS Cavour To Begin Sea Trials appeared first on The Aviationist.

Americas

CAE USA-Mission Solutions won a $10.8 million contract modification for the F-15E, F-16 and F-22A contract aircrew training and courseware development contract. The modification is for exercising Option Year Four. The Boeing F-15E dual-role fighter is an advanced long-range interdiction fighter and tactical aircraft. The F-15E is the latest version of the Eagle, a Mach 2.5-class twin-engine fighter. The F-16, the mainstay of the Air Force aerial combat fleet, has been adapted to complete a number of missions, including air-to-air fighting, ground attack and electronic warfare. The F-22A Raptor is an advanced tactical fighter aircraft. Work will be performed at Joint Base (JB) Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina; Shaw AFB, South Carolina; Tyndall AFB, Florida; Nellis AFB, Nevada; Hill AFB, Utah; and Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, and is expected to be completed March 31, 2022.

Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture won a $18.6 million contract modification for support services for the Javelin Weapon System. Javelin is a versatile, man-portable, fire-and-forget weapon system. It is an anti-tank guided munition. According to Raytheon, the weapon can be deployed from multiple platforms and used during the day, at night and in any kind of weather. The program has also demonstrated that Javelin can be fired from a remote launcher mounted on an unmanned ground vehicle. Work will take place in Arizona. Estimated completion date is February 28, 2022.

Middle East & Africa

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has completed the development of the ground-based Air Defense version of the I-Derby ER (Extended Range) air-to-air missile last month. Rafael’s I-Derby ER missile is a an over 100 km long-range air-to-air missile with a dual-pulse rocket motor and an active radar seeker. Launched from the ground, the I-Derby ER missile doubles the existing missile range, and allows target interception within a range of up to 40 km without a booster, and 80 km with a booster.

Europe

B-1 bombers flew the first Bomber Task Force mission since deployment to Norway, the US Air Force said on Friday. The two bombers arrived in Norway early last week. Support aircraft and over 200 Air Force personnel arrived at Orland Air Base, where Norway’s F-35 fleet is also stationed, in the first week of February.

An RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft from Royal Air Force 51 Squadron took part in a major US-led demonstration exercise in Europe with other European NATO Allies. RC-135W Rivet Joint is a dedicated electronic surveillance aircraft that can be employed on strategic and tactical missions. Its sensors ‘soak up’ electronic emissions from communications, radar and other systems. The aircraft is part of the RAF’s Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Force. The Rivet Joint aircraft joined other aircraft from the US Air Force, US Navy, and The Royal Netherlands Air Force to conduct two exercise scenarios.

Asia-Pacific

According to a report, Vietnam strengthened its outposts in the disputed South China Sea with improved fortifications and infrastructure. Emplacements for anti-aircraft and coastal protection programs have been constructed on reclaimed land at West Reef and Sin Cowe Island, in accordance with the report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, or AMTI, which is a part of the Washington-based Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research. It reportedly made its assessments based on analysis of satellite imagery in cooperation with Simularity. According to Simularity’s website, its software “automatically analyzes geospatial imagery and data to automatically find and classify unusual changes.”

Today’s Video

Watch: Rafael Develops Ground-Based Air Defense Variant of I-Derby ER Missile