Defence`s Feeds

Israeli unmanned systems manufacturer Aeronautics announced on 20 September that it will display its Orbiter 4 small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS) for the first time at the Azerbaijan International Defence Industry Exhibition (ADEX), which is scheduled to begin on 27 September in Baku,

Japanese defence minister Tomomi Inada and her Myanmar counterpart, Lieutenant General Sein Win, agreed on 21 September to strengthen security co-operation between their countries, a Japanese official told Kyodo news agency. The pact will see Tokyo helping increase the southeast Asian nation's

Korean Air and Boeing have signed an agreement to co-develop the MD 500 Little Bird light attack helicopter into an unmanned combat platform, South Korea's national airline announced on 22 September. The memorandum of agreement was signed in Seoul by Korean Air chairman and chief executive Yang Ho

The Mexican Air Force (FAM) plans to continue operating the Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II for the foreseeable future, and hopes to modernise the fleet and increase its availability. A FAM source told IHS Jane's the current F-5 fleet of 10 aircraft comprises only seven planes, including two twin-seat

In the capital Abuja, the Niger Delta Peoples Professional Volunteer Force threatened to launch an IED attack on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Towers if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) went ahead to arrest former First Lady, Patience Jonathan over the USD15m

In Khost province, National Directorate of Security (NDS) claimed to have arrested a suspected suicide organiser and alleged would-be suicide attacker who were planning to target security forces during Eid-ul-Azha

Congress has yet to reach an agreement on a simple stop-gap funding measure to keep the US Department of Defense (DoD) and the wider federal government funded when fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017) begins on 1 October. The funding would mainly be at the current year's levels and lawmakers have been aiming

Saab Defense and Security USA has won the race to provide US Navy (USN) aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships with a new shipboard air traffic control (SATC) radar. The company was on 21 September announced as the recipient of a USD38 million Engineering and Manufacturing Development

Americas

• A fix has been found for a recently discovered issue on a number of F-35 fighters involving tubing insulation crumbling between the wing tank and fuselage tank. The USAF revealed last week that an unnamed supplier used the wrong coating for the insulation which deteriorated when it met fuel. A total of 15 USAF and Norwegian warplanes along with 42 models on the production line were affected by the issue with manufacturer Lockheed Martin fixed to cover engineering and modifications for all affected aircraft.

• Bell Helicopter has unveiled its V-247 Vigilant, an unmanned tilt-rotor aircraft aimed at filling a USMC need for larger armed systems, as outlined in their 2016 Marine Aviation flight plan. Dubbed the Marine Air Ground Task Force – Unmanned Expeditionary Capabilities, also known as MUX, the service’s UAV concept envisions a multi-sensor, electronic warfare, C4 and strike platform that would complement the Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor and Lockheed Martin F-35B. While final details of exact requirements for MUX remain to be published, Bell believes that Vigilant will satisfy the USMC’s needs as outlined in the plan, and could make the aircraft ready for production as early as 2023.

Middle East & North Africa

• A bill that would have blocked the sale of Abram tanks and other armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia has failed a US Senate vote, 71-27. The $1.1 billion sale has received much negative publicity amid growing concern of the Saudi’s use of Western-supplied weaponry to commit human rights abuses throughout its ongoing campaign in Yemen. Supporters of the deal claim that the Gulf kingdom is still an important US ally in a volatile region and deserving of backing.

• Engineers working on Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)’s Ofek-11 reconnaissance satellite have managed to fix some of the operational issues found shortly after its launch. As a result, Ofek was able to transmit back its first set of pictures to the ground control station. While officials have called the developments encouraging, engineers are currently trying to solve the remaining problems that the satellite is experiencing.

Europe

• Saab has stated that an anonymous client has submitted a purchase order for RBS 70 NG short-range air defense systems. Delivery of the man-portable systems is expected to take place between 2018 and 2020 at a cost of $44 million. The company’s latest variant has garnered much interest from several international clients, with Lithuania and Latvia to integrate and test the weapon for their short-range air defense needs.

• Self-propelled howitzers (SPH) intended for Norway will instead go to Sweden. 24 Archer (6×6) SPHs will instead be delivered to the Swedish armed forces next year, bringing Stockholm’s total inventory to 48. Both Norway and Sweden agreed to co-develop the Archer back in 2007, but Oslo backed out of the agreement in 2013. Plans for the extra howitzers will see half of the former Norwegian allocation placed in reserve while foreign buyers are sought for the remaining 12.

Asia Pacific

• The US State Department has cleared the sale of four KC-46A aerial refueling tankers to Japan in what is estimated to be a $1.9 billion deal. All aircraft will come equipped with Northrop Grumman’s AN/AAQ-24(V) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system. Tokyo first announced its intention to purchase the new tankers last October, with the recent approval from the Pentagon moving it closer to becoming the aircraft’s first foreign customer for manufacturer Boeing.

• It may have taken a long while to get to this stage, but the Indian government is expected to sign a deal for 36 Dassault Rafale fighters today after the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with France. New Delhi had initially intended to buy 126 Rafale before several years worth of talks with Dassault broke down and Modi and Hollande stepped in last year to agree on the smaller purchase. Friday’s signing will see French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian finalize the deal with his Indian counterpart, Manohar Parrikar, believed to be worth between $8.5 and $9 billion.

Today’s Video

Sweden’s Archer (6×6) Howitzer:

Canadian Leopard 2A4M CAN Main Battle Tank

The US Marine Corps' (USMC) Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 has become the first operational F-35 unit to fire a live air-to-air missile.

Since 1974, Rodman Polyships has designed and constructed Glass-Reinforced Plastic (GRP) and composite-material fast patrol boats and fast patrol vessels for naval, maritime surveillance and maritime law enforcement applications.

The US Naval Sea System Command has awarded a five-year submarine repair contract worth $400m to General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB).

The US Navy has placed an order with Saab for the procurement of an AN/SPN-50 (V)1 shipboard air traffic radar.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Key Points A JSTARS RfP is 'on hold' while the USAF works with Congress on contract terms The USAF has been using a so-called hybrid contracting approach during the programme's EMD stage The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) request for proposals (RfP) is "on hold"

Key Points The USAF is preparing to conduct experiments with light-attack aircraft that could augment its CAS capabilities Unlike the heavily armoured A-10, such an aircraft would be used only in permissive environments The US Air Force (USAF) is preparing to conduct experiments with light-attack

The US State Department has approved the sale of four KC-46A aerial refuelling aircraft, with related equipment and support, to Japan for an estimated cost of USD1.9 billion. The sale was approved under the US Foreign Military Sales programme, and includes one additional spare Pratt &Whitney

Americas

• Gen. Carlton Everhart, head of the mobility command of the USAF has said that the number of KC-46 tankers the service is set to procure by 2028 are not enough. 179 units of Boeing’s latest tanker will be delivered; however between 2028 and 2035, no KC-46s are scheduled for delivery, leaving a capability gap. To remedy the issue, Everhart suggested that the flying branch embark on a study this year for a new KC-Z aerial refueling tanker that will enter service in 2035, as well as looking into the possibility of developing a “KC-Y” tanker to fill the procurement gap.

• Development is underway at the Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, for a new multi-purpose grenade for the US Army. The Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) hand grenade is being developed by the Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and will provide US Army and USMC with a grenade that offers both fragmentation and blast overpressure through a flip of a switch. Fuze timing of the new grenade will be completely electronic and detonation time can be narrowed down to milliseconds. Until armed, the weapon is completely safe.

• Lockheed Martin has installed and tested its Legion Pod on a US F-15C aircraft. The disclosure revealed that a fighter from the Jacksonville Air National Guard Base in Florida has been equipped with the new pod for testing. According to Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control at LM, one flight successfully saw the IRST21 infrared sensor installed at the tip of the pod “successfully track multiple airborne targets in representative scenarios.”

Middle East & North Africa

• Saudi Arabia’s Al Raha Group has successfully been awarded a USAF contract to provide support to the Saudi Arabian F-15 fleet. Valued at $355.9 million, Al Raha will provide comprehensive material management of unclassified spares, support equipment, and support services required to support base stand-ups and continued F-15 and F-15SA Royal Saudi Air Force flying operations. Work will be carried out both in Georgia, USA and in Saudi Arabia.

• US officials have blamed Russia for air strikes on aid convoys outside the Syrian city of Aleppo earlier this week, a claim Moscow denies. The incident happened just hours after a tentative week long ceasefire had ended, and resulted in the destruction of 18 of 31 aid trucks, with about 20 civilians killed including a senior official of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

Europe

• A deal has been signed between Latvia and Lithuania to synchronize military procurements for the two countries’ armed forces. Under the agreement, the envisioned joint procurements include deals to acquire fire-distribution centers for Lithuania’s and Latvia’s air defense, anti-tank missiles, and short-range anti-aircraft missiles. The agreement marks the latest development in the ongoing drama on NATO’s eastern region, as former-Soviet Baltic nations rush to enhance their military cooperation and boost merge defense capacities against Russia.

Asia Pacific

• Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has dismissed claims that it has abandoned its Yun Feng ballistic missile program. Media reports had said Taipei had dropped the missile’s development in order to offer a goodwill gesture to China. The project, which was initiated in the mid-1990s, had been suspended in 2008 with media now reporting that the new administration of President Tsai Ing-wen had dropped it for good. Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Chen Chung-chi said the report was “mere speculation.”

• Iran’s establishment marked the 36th anniversary of its 1980 invasion of Iraq with a huge military parade and a warning to the US to not meddle in the affairs of the Gulf. A televised parade in Tehran yesterday saw the military display long-range missiles, tanks, and the Russian-supplied S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system, while at the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf, the navy showed off 500 vessels, as well as submarines and helicopters. The muscle-flexing comes in a year when US officials claim that there have been more than 30 close encounters between US and Iranian vessels in the Gulf so far, over twice as many as in the same period of 2015.

Today’s Video

South Korea’s new AH-64Es:

The US Navy has received Northrop Grumman's first AQS-24B mine hunting sonar upgrade kits, which will be used by HM-12, -14 and -15 Mine Countermeasures Squadrons.