Defence`s Feeds

UK law firms Astraea Group and Hillmont Partners congratulated themselves and each other for negotiating the out of court agreement

In June 2024, Lt. Col. Justin Meyer became the first Air Force pilot to surpass 2,000 flight hours in the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. On Jun. 6, 2024, 110th Bomb Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Justin [...]

The post Missouri ANG Pilot Becomes First Air Force Pilot to Surpass 2,000 Flight Hours in the B-2 appeared first on The Aviationist.

Americas Sikorsky Aircraft won a $120 million modification, which adds scope to procure additional long-lead time materials to support 21 full rate production, Lot Nine, CH-53K King Stallion aircraft. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed in March 2025. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. The US Army has demonstrated the capabilities of nine of its counter-small unmanned aerial systems (C-sUAS) against more than 40 aerial targets. Described by the service as its “most challenging counter-drone systems test to date,” the test aimed to evaluate the command-and-control capabilities of its available C-sUAS weapons. These systems include radio frequency scanners and jammers, electro-optical/infrared cameras, kinetic interceptor drones, and guided rockets. Middle East & Defense Elbit Systems has received a $190-million contract to provide its Iron Sting mortar munition to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The Iron Sting is a laser and GPS-guided shell developed for precision strikes in complex environments, minimizing collateral damage to a target area. The warhead is typically launched from 120-millimeter mortar for a range of up to 6.2 miles. Europe The United States on Monday announced new military aid for Ukraine valued at around $1.7 billion […]

CH-53K concept (click to view full) The U.S. Marines have a problem. They rely on their CH-53E Super Stallion medium-heavy lift helicopters to move troops, vehicles, and supplies off of their ships. But the helicopters are wearing out. Fast. The pace demanded by the Global War on Terror is relentless, and usage rates are 3 times normal. Attrition is taking its toll. Over the past few years, CH-53s have been recalled from “boneyard” storage at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ, in order to maintain fleet numbers in the face of recent losses and forced retirements. Now, there are no flyable spares left. Enter the Heavy Lift Replacement (HLR) program, now known as the CH-53K. It aims to offer notable performance improvements over the CH-53E, in a similar airframe. The question is whether its service entry delay to 2018-2019 will come too late to offset a serious decline in Marine aviation. The HLR Program Lifts Off [youtube:v=k_pAe8Gvua8] Sikorksy on HLR, 2011 The $25.5 billion, 200-helicopter CH-53K program will define the long-term future of the US Marine Corps’ medium-heavy lift capabilities – and may be needed to save Marine aviation in the medium term. On average, existing CH-53E aircraft are more than […]

U.S. Air Force pilots and air battle managers are getting “hand-on” experience with the E-7A Wedgetail during the latest iteration of Pitch Black. Beginning in 2022, the U.S. Air Force initiated a program to embed [...]

The post USAF Airmen Embed with Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail Unit At Pitch Black 2024 appeared first on The Aviationist.

The technologies saved hours of time and effort, improved safety, and simplified several tedious tasks in maintaining the B-52. The U.S. Air Force is experimenting with new ways to improve maintenance and repair practices on [...]

The post Drone Scanning and Augmented Reality Demonstrated at Barksdale AFB for B-52 Maintenance appeared first on The Aviationist.

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $19 million modification for the procurement of material modification kits, and special test and tooling equipment necessary to support F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft retrofit and modification efforts for the Air Force, Marines, Navy, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in August 2027. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. US Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311 (VMFA-311) is close to declaring Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the F-35C Lightning II, marking a significant milestone for the squadron and the US Marine Corps. Based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, VMFA-311 is one of only two squadrons in the Marine Corps operating the F-35C variant, designed specifically for carrier operations. The squadron has successfully met the rigorous training, personnel, equipment, and aircraft number requirements to achieve IOC. The unit, boasting a rich history dating back to the 1940s and including notable figures like Ted Williams and John Glenn, is now at the forefront of naval aviation. Middle East & Africa The US State Department has approved a possible $2.8 billion foreign military […]

President Joe Biden's administration has in recent months considerably increased the volume of intelligence the United States shares with the European Union, according to our sources. One of the main channels for this relationship has been established between the State Department's Bureau of

Data analysis specialist Rakia Group is stepping up its efforts to establish itself in the US market, with the Dubai-based

The KNDS defence group is considering opening a maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) centre in Abu Dhabi in the coming months.

In Never Say Never Again, James Bond, played by Sean Connery, frees Domino Vitali (Kim Bassinger) from the villain Largo's citadel

Chicago-based accounting firm Crowe has been roped into an ongoing legal fight between financial research firm Viceroy Research and US

The US firm BlackSky, a New Space veteran dedicated to geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), is due to present its next results on

The Poniard rocket successfully passed the performance tests of the U.S. Navy and might become the first South Korean weapon system to be exported to the United States. The U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) and [...]

The post South Korea’s Poniard Guided-Rocket Test-Fired From USV, Destroys Target At RIMPAC 2024 appeared first on The Aviationist.

Flight test cancelled at Groom Lake for a “Watchdog Tango” condition. Michał Rokita, is an aviation spotter and photographer who often travel to remote spots, on public land, in Nevada from where he can have [...]

The post Area 51 Helicopter Spots Aviation Spotter on Tikaboo In The Darkness: Sensitive Mission Aborted appeared first on The Aviationist.

July 27, 2024 marked the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the de Havilland Comet, the world’s first jet-powered airliner. This airliner had a troubled start to service, but eventually became a reliable workhorse. [...]

The post The de Havilland Comet at 75: From Troubled Jetliner to Military Icon appeared first on The Aviationist.

Americas North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) conducted a series of intercepts involving Russian and Chinese military aircraft operating within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on July 24. Two Russian Tu-95MS and two Chinese H-6K aircraft were detected, tracked, and intercepted by NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada. While operating in international airspace, their presence within the ADIZ necessitated a response from NORAD which dispatched F-16, F-35 and CF-18 fighter aircraft. Raytheon won a $325 million ceiling increase modification for the StormBreaker® Small Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II, GBU-53/B). The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract from $275,000,000 to $600,000,000. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2026. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. Middle East & Africa Bell Textron has delivered five 505 Jet Ranger X (JRX) training helicopters to the Royal Jordanian Air Force, completing a contract signed in 2022. The tranche is the second half of a 10-unit deal ordered with corresponding flight training devices and a computer-based training […]

Ukrainian authorities have faced an upsurge this month in fires at rail signal boxes, electrical transformers and energy storage substations. This critical infrastructure ensures the electricity supply to the Ukrainian rail network, in a climate of severe national energy restrictions.Meanwhile,

On 19 July, with the utmost discretion, Abu Dhabi sent out an invitation to tender to a handful of carefully

Space sector lawyers in Riyadh were silent this week when asked when the Saudi government would publish a final version