Defence`s Feeds

The officials' entry ban was introduced in relation to Germany's claims of "Russian trace" in the cyberattack on the German federal parliament in 2015.

Russia says it has given a Bulgarian diplomat 72 hours to leave the country following the expulsion of its military attache in Sofia.

Russia has blacklisted Germany's top security and intelligence officials and barred them from entering the country in response to recent restrictive measures imposed by the European Union (EU) over an alleged cyber attack and the purported poisoning of a Russian opposition figure.

Moscow says it has added several senior German security officials to its list of those barred from the country in response to the European Union's decision to place travel bans on Russian officials over a 2015 hacking attack on the German parliament.

The Moscow City Court has found Karina Tsurkan, an executive with energy holding company Inter RAO, guilty on charges of spying for Moldova, which she denies, and sentenced her to 15 years in prison.

A Pakistani court has sentenced two alleged members of banned organizations to long prison terms on terrorism-financing charges.

The Chinese military is poised to adopt more intelligent technologies in its modernization drive, a senior military official said.

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The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Egypt of Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $65.6 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have all signed the Asylum Cooperation Agreement (ACA) and all three ACAs have entered into force.

Air Force Claims Mysterious “Boom” Wasn’t Them. Local News Suggests, “Earthquake or Mine Blast”. Tucson, Arizona residents near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and across the city of Tucson are reporting a loud “sonic boom” that [...]

The post BOOM! What Was That? Mysterious “Sonic Boom” Shakes Tucson This Morning. appeared first on The Aviationist.

The F-16s of the 93rd Fighter Squadron “Makos” are believed to be deploying to the CENTCOM area of operations. On Dec. 28, 2020, six F-16s belonging to the 93rd FS “Makos” belonging to the 482nd [...]

The post F-16s Of The Florida “Makos” Make Stopover In Spain On Their Way To Deployment appeared first on The Aviationist.

Americas

The future USS Daniel Inouye completed builder’s trials after spending four days at sea off the coast of Maine last week, the Navy announced. The builder’s trials consist of a sequence of in-port and at-sea demonstrations allowing the Navy and the ship’s builder, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, to assess whether the ship is ready for delivery. The vessel will return to sea early in 2021 to conduct acceptance trials, during which all systems will be inspected and evaluated before the Navy can accept delivery. The Inouye is a Flight IIA destroyer equipped with the Aegis Baseline combat system, intended to deliver quick reaction time, high firepower and increased electronic countermeasures.

The US Air Force has been testing the new M7.3 update for the F-16. Five members from the 84th Test and Evaluation Squadron made the trip to conduct critical training at the Nellis mission training center simulators and embedded with the 422nd TES F-16 division for an early operational look at the M7.3 program in a multi-domain environment. “The Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force is actively testing the M7.3 Operational Flight Program, which is a new software suite consisting of new core software that supports several new hardware programs that will drastically enhance warfighter capability when fielded in summer of ’21,” said Lt. Col. Benjamin Wysack, 84th TES F-16 test director. The OFP CTF is a dual major command unit that combines both developmental and operational test management experts that interact with several test execution units across the United States.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Shipyards started construction of the first of two OPV-45 offshore patrol vessels that have reportedly been ordered by Côte d’Ivoire. Israel Shipyards announced the order in July but did not identify the customer, although suggested it was a navy operating in the Gulf of Guinea when it said the vessels were designed to provide “protection against the increasing threat of piracy in the region”. Local media reported later that month that the OPVs had been ordered by Côte d’Ivoire. The OPV-45 displaces 300 tonnes, has a length of 45.7 m, a beam of 8.6 m, and a draught of 2.4 m. The two MAN 6V 175D-MM diesel engines provide a combined power of 2,960 kW at 1,900 rpm for a maximum speed of 24 kt. It has a range of 3,500 n miles at 12 kt.

Europe

France launched its CSO 2 spy satellite into space from its Guiana Space Center in South America. The satellite is carried into space using a Russian Soyuz ST-A rocket. It is the second in the Composante Spatiale Optique series. The first satellite was launched in 2018. The CSO 2 will have the highest resolution camera for a European reconnaissance satellite. While CSO 1 launched into an orbit around 500 miles (800 kilometers) in altitude, the CSO 2 spacecraft will head for a lower-altitude orbit approximately 300 miles (480 kilometers) above Earth. Its position closer to Earth will allow the satellite to produce sharper images for French military planners and intelligence analysts.

Asia-Pacific

Australia has declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for its F-35A fleet, clearing the way for the aircraft to be deployed for operations. “The fifth-generation F-35A, along with the F/A-18F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, is key to our air combat capability and critical to achieving the objectives set out in the 2020 Defense Strategic Update to Shape, Deter and Respond,” Minister for Defense Linda Reynolds said.

The US State Department cleared the sale of two King Air Scorpion Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) mission aircraft to Kazakhstan. They will be fitted with Raytheon AST TITAN Communications Intelligence (COMINT) Sensor Suites, Leonardo Osprey 30 radars, WESCAM MX-15HDi Elector Optical Infrared Turret Electro Optical Infrared Sensors and Sierra Nevada Small SWAP Auto Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) Systems. If the deal goes through the United States would also provide spare parts and technical and logistical support services, including technical documentation and training.

Today’s Video

Watch: Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) Launch Timelapse

The M-139 Volcano Mine Delivery System, originally built in the 1980s and ’90s, has been in storage for more than 20 years. Recently, the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, posted [...]

The post The U.S. Army Is Qualifying New Units To Fly The UH-60 With The Controversial M-139 Volcano Mine Delivery System appeared first on The Aviationist.

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35A fleet has achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC). Australian Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon. Linda Reynolds, CSC, and Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price MP, declared Initial Operational Capability [...]

The post RAAF Declares Initial Operational Capability For Australia’s F-35A Lightning II Jets appeared first on The Aviationist.

Americas

Northrop Grumman Aerospace won a $53.7 million deal for the RQ-4B Global Hawk. The contract provides for repair services for “common items” for both the RQ-4 GH and MQ-4C Triton.  It will support reparable national stock numbers (NSNs) which encompass the air vehicle, multiple sensor packages, mission control element and launch and recovery element.  In addition, this effort includes support engineering services covered under the Engineering Delegation Authority (namely Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages projects) for NSNs transferred to and under the management of the 407th Supply Chain Management Squadron. Northrop Grumman successfully completed the first flight for the Global Hawk Ground Station Modernization Program at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. earlier this month. The modernized Global Hawk ground stations will revolutionize the operator experience with new cockpit displays, the ability to fly all Global Hawk variants without software or configuration changes, simpler maintenance interfaces, and improved situational awareness and environmental conditions for pilots and sensor operators. Work under the new contract will take place in California, Virginia, New Mexico, Missouri, Ohio, Canada, New Jersey, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York and Maryland. The basic ordering period and six one year ordering periods are expected to begin January 1, 2021, and end on December 31, 2028.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics won an $8.7 million contract modification adds scope to provide program management support to execute the planning, procurement and delivery of initial aircraft spares in support of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy; non-Department of Defense (DOD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers operational aircraft. Work will take place in Texas. Estimated completion date is in December 2021.

Middle East & Africa

AITC-Five Domains JV LLC won a $29 million contract to provide train, advise, assist and mentor services.  Bids were solicited via the internet with one received.  Work will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with an estimated completion date of December 30, 2025. Fiscal 2021 Foreign Military Sales (Saudi Arabia) funds in the amount of $29,028,329 were obligated at the time of the award. The company also won a $17.7 million contract with an estimated completion date of August 30, 2023.

Spartan Air Academy Iraq LLC won a $15.7 million contract modification for the Iraq T-6A contractor logistics support and training maintenance program. The modification provides for the exercise of an option to extend the term of the contract for the continued services needed in order to effectively maintain and operate a fleet of 15 T-6A training aircraft. The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop trainer aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company. Work will take place at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Expected completion date is June 30, 2021.

Europe

Belgium’s first A400M has been delivered and flown to the 15th Wing Air Transport in Melsbroek. The second A400M for Belgium will be delivered in early 2021. The country has ordered seven aircraft. This A400M, known as MSN106, will be operated within a binational unit composed of a total of eight aircraft, seven from the Belgian Air Force and one from the Luxembourg Armed Forces. The second A400M for Belgium will be delivered in early 2021.

Asia-Pacific

Hindustan Times reports that at least three Dassault Rafale fighters will be flown to India next month. This is the third ferry flight and like the second delivery flight, all three aircraft will fly non-stop from France to India. The jets were ordered from France in September 2016 under a government-to-government deal. The delivery of the three jets in January will take the number of Rafales in the IAF’s inventory to 11.

Today’s Video

Watch: MQ-4C Triton – America’s First-Class Unmanned Surveillance Aircraft

Strap in the cockpit of a C-2 Greyhound as it launches from USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on Christmas Day a few years back. Although Christmas Day is just an ordinary work day for [...]

The post Here’s What A Catapult Shot On Christmas Day In A U.S. Navy C-2 Greyhound Looks Like From The Cockpit appeared first on The Aviationist.

Initially developed only for the Fleet Air Defense, the F-14 eventually evolved into an appreciated strike fighter at the peak of its career. The F-14 Tomcat was primarily designed to defend the U.S. Navy’s fleets [...]

The post How The F-14 Tomcat Evolved And Became The Bombcat appeared first on The Aviationist.

Indo-Israeli Barak 8 Air Defense Missile System

Footage shows the tactical nuclear weapon delivery technique used by the F-104 Starfighter (and many other aircraft). Although some of our readers may already have seen it, I still think the video of a tactical [...]

The post Vintage Video Shows F-104 Using “Tossing” Technique To Drop A Nuclear Bomb And Escape The Blast Effects appeared first on The Aviationist.