Defence`s Feeds

Recent weeks have witnessed a substantial wave of COVID-19 infections across the United States, primarily driven by the emergence of new variants and exacerbated by the hot summer weather.

Americas Boeing won a $27.6 million modification to a cost-plus-fixed-fee-order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This modification exercises an option to procure three retrofit A-Kits for Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A aircraft with Increment Three Engineering Change Proposal Six Capabilities. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida (79.6%); San Antonio, Texas (10.9%); and Mesa, Arizona (9.5%), and is expected to be completed October 2026. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $130-million contract modification to ramp up the production of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) and Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM). Tooling and test equipment will be procured for the US Air Force contract, required for production increase. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by December 15, 2027. Middle East & Africa Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it launched several rocket salvos at Israeli army positions in the annexed Golan Heights on Tuesday “in response” to Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon the previous day. Hezbollah fighters launched “intense rocket barrages” at two Israeli army positions in the occupied Golan Heights “in response to the Israeli enemy’s attack on the Bekaa” Valley — […]

P-8A Poseidon (click to view full) Maritime surveillance and patrol is becoming more and more important, but the USA’s P-3 Orion turboprop fleet is falling apart. The P-7 Long Range Air ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) Capable Aircraft program to create an improved P-3 began in 1988, but cost overruns, slow progress, and interest in opening the competition to commercial designs led to the P-7’s cancellation for default in 1990. The successor MMA program was begun in March 2000, and Boeing beat Lockheed’s “Orion 21” with a P-8 design based on their ubiquitous 737 passenger jet. US Navy squadrons finally began taking P-8A Poseidon deliveries in 2012, but the long delays haven’t done their existing P-3 fleet any favors. Filling the P-3 Orion’s shoes is no easy task. What missions will the new P-8A Poseidon face? What do we know about the platform, the project team, and ongoing developments? Will the P-3’s wide global adoption give its successor a comparable level of export opportunities? Australia and India have already signed on, but has the larger market shifted in the interim? Program Summary [youtube:v=EcgIjsRo3uM] A P-8 primer The Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft program to replace the P-3 fleet began in earnest in 2000, and […]

Americas Tony Landis of the US Air Force Materiel Command History Office recently detailed the remarkable history of aircraft 62-12200, the McDonnell YF-4E Phantom II. Now housed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF), this aircraft, though often overlooked, played a pivotal role in advancing fly-by-wire (FBW) technology, setting the stage for the development of modern fighter aircraft. Originally developed as a Navy F4H-1, the aircraft was adapted for the US Air Force under the designation F-110A Spectre, later reclassified as the F-4C. Serial number 62-12200, initially a YRF-4C reconnaissance aircraft, underwent extensive modifications throughout its service life. Notably, it transitioned from its original role to become the aerodynamic prototype for the F-4E program, receiving the YF-4E designation in 1967. The US State Department has cleared Canada’s plan to purchase hundreds of AIM-9X Sidewinder tactical missiles from RTX. With an estimated value of $265 million, the potential foreign military sale (FMS) includes 120 Sidewinders in the Block II configuration and 48 in the more advanced Block II+. Ottawa is also requesting 96 training missiles, 20 guidance kits, active optical target detectors, and engineering and logistical support. Middle East & Africa Hamas has claimed it was behind […]

Americas Armtec Countermeasures Co. won an $11.7 million deal for RR-196 countermeasure chaff for the F-22. This contract provides for the impulse cartridge program and is used by F-22 aircraft for combat and training purposes. Work will be performed in Lillington, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by September 30, 2027. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems won a $500 million deal for program management support related to Medium Altitude Long Endurance Tactical MQ-9 and MQ-1C Special Operations Forces-peculiar modifications in support of US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). This deal will be funded with operations and maintenance; procurement; and/or research, development, and testing evaluation funds under the applicable fiscal year, and is not multiyear. The work will be performed in Poway, California, and is expected to be completed by August 16, 2029. USSOCOM, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. Middle East & Africa Iraq has ordered an unspecified number of H225M multi-role helicopters from Airbus to fill potential capability gaps caused by US troops’ pending withdrawal from the country. Joint Operations Command spokesperson Major General Tahseen Al-Khafaji revealed in a televised interview […]

With the US presidential campaign in full swing, the intelligence community's elite analysts are fine-tuning the first report that the winner of November's election will find on their desk when that individual takes up residence in the White House next

A "pressure tactic" carried out in 2016 far outside of the official remit of France's external intelligence service, the Direction Générale

Americas Standard Aero won a $44.8 million deal, which will provide depot repair of T56-A-427A engines, including the repair of the power section, torque meter, gearbox, and accessories for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas (92%); and Winnipeg, Canada (8%), and is expected to be completed by August 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Boeing won $248.1 million for a ceiling-priced delivery order for the repair of landing gear used on the F/A-18 E/F aircraft. The delivery order does not include an option period. Work is expected to be completed by May 2028. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. Middle East & Africa Turkey and Spain are in advanced talks over a potential military aircraft exchange. The deal, valued at approximately $793 million, could see Turkey acquiring six Airbus A400M military transport jets from Spain in exchange for 24 Turkey’s domestically produced Hürjet training aircraft. This negotiation bears similarities to Spain’s previous attempts to offload its A400M aircraft. In […]

Developed by Sichuan Tengden, the vehicle has a stated cargo capacity of 2,000 kg and is said to be the largest Chinese UAV built to date. The previous holder of the title was the Feihong [...]

The post China’s Largest Heavy Transport UAV Performs Maiden Flight appeared first on The Aviationist.

During the most recent iteration of Exercise Bamboo Eagle, the Nellis Aggressors squadrons played a crucial role in providing an exceptionally realistic training environment for participating aircrews. On Aug. 10, 2024, the U.S. Air Force [...]

The post Nellis Aggressors Lead Advanced Red Forces Operations in Exercise Bamboo Eagle 24-3 appeared first on The Aviationist.

The exercise director for Northern Lightning 2024 states this year’s exercise builds on last year’ success, providing exceptional training against DOD’s pacing threat: China. The annual two week long Northern Lightning exercise located at Volk [...]

The post Focus on Pacific Theater and Agile Combat Employment: Exclusive Interviews with F-35 Pilots of Northern Lightning 2024 appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Taliban craves recognition by the international community that it is the only group capable of ruling and establishing security in Afghanistan.

The de facto authorities in Afghanistan "have almost wiped out two decades of steady progress for education" there, putting the future of an entire generation in jeopardy, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural agency (UNESCO) reported on Wednesday.

The storming by the Houthis of the local Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Sanaa constitutes yet another escalation, following the wave of detentions by the Houthis of personnel of the United Nations, international and national non-governmental organisations (INGOs), and diplomatic missions in Yemen more than two months ago.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año said Wednesday the New People's Army's (NPA) force continues to dwindle, with its weakened guerilla fronts now down to five.

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti on August 14 defended his government's plan to open the main bridge in Mitrovica, which divides the northern city into the Albanian-majority south and the Serb-majority north, despite international criticism.

As South Sudan takes steps to implement the 2018 peace agreement, it is vital to create an enabling environment for elections in that country, the UN's top official in the strife-torn country told the Security Council today, as delegates expressed concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Statement by Jonathan Hollis, Acting Deputy Political Coordinator, at the UN Security Council Meeting on South Sudan.

An Ethiopian humanitarian worker who was abducted has been killed in the volatile Amhara region, aid groups said.

Following an invitation by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, the European Union has decided to deploy an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Sri Lanka to observe the Presidential Election scheduled for 21 September 2024.