Defense Projects and News

It appears that debris of the missing F-35 have been located after the pilot that was flying it ejected on Sunday.

The venerable E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is getting a needed upgrade. The United States Navy has awarded a $458.2 million modernization contract over five years to refresh and modernize the avionics and computing power of the aircraft type. "Northrop Grumman has a long partnership with the U.S. Navy on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program to ensure with this fleet modernization that we continue to outpace evolving threats into the 2040s and beyond, with this proven airborne battle management command and control aircraft," Janice Zilch, vice president of multidomain command and control programs at Northrop Grumman, said in a statement.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has taken delivery of the first twin-seat light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas produced by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The aircraft are for fighter pilot training. "I am proud to be part of this historic occasion and salute the spirit of HAL, which has been spearheading Swadeshi manufacturing in Defense," Minister of State for Defense Ajay Bhatt said. These are the first in an order of 18 from HAL.

Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, commented: "The A400M has been in reliable service for the German Armed Forces for over ten years. To keep it that way, the new Airbus A400M Maintenance Center Wunstorf is an important step forward: here, we will deepen the cooperation with the German Armed Forces and further improve the availability and operational capability of the A400M. The new maintenance center will sustainably strengthen the successful cooperation between industry and the German Air Force."

Airbus has officially launched the construction of the new A400M maintenance center in Wunstorf. The traditional groundbreaking ceremony on the site at Wunstorf Air Base, the base for the German Air Force's A400M military transport aircraft, was held by Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schöllhorn together with high-ranking representatives from politics and the German Armed Forces. Among them were Parliamentary State Secretary to the Minister of Defence Siemtje Möller, Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil, Germany’s Chief of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz and Vice President of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) Ralph Herzog. At the new maintenance center, around 300 employees will service and maintain A400M aircraft from mid-2027.

Multimission radar for next-generation threats.

• Bombardier Defense delivered the seventh Global 6000 aircraft to the U.S. Air Force for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program.

There is news of a Chinese warplane intercepting a USAF B-52 over the South China Sea. The aircraft was identified as a People’s Republic of China Shenyang J-11 fighter jet. "… The PRC pilot flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner [and] demonstrated poor airmanship by closing with uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of collision," INDOPACOM said in a statement Thursday. "We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision."

Textron Aviation announced it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL, for Cessna SkyCourier, Cessna Grand Caravan EX, Beechcraft King Air 360 and Beechcraft King Air 260 turboprop aircraft in support of Foreign Military Sales (FMS). The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract allows up to $100 million U.S. dollars for the acquisition of Textron Aviation aircraft over a five-year period. "This IDIQ aligns with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recent tasking memo directing improvement and acceleration of DOD’s institutional processes to execute FMS cases. It will provide highly capable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) aircraft that can be equipped with COTS releasable technology, and it will accelerate acquisition and contracting timelines from many months or years to weeks,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, Special Mission Sales for Textron Aviation. “We are honored the U.S. Army created this multiyear IDIQ contract with Textron Aviation, which provides the ability to rapidly procure COTS aircraft and modification for FMS allies and partner nations."

Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider took its first test flight earlier this month. "Flight testing is a critical step in the test campaign managed by the Air Force Test Center and 412th Test Wing’s B-21 Combined Test Force to provide survivable, long-range, penetrating strike capabilities to deter aggression and strategic attacks against the United States, allies, and partners," Ann Stefanek, Air Force spokesperson, said in a statement.

Canada has selected the Boeing P-8A Poseidon. Heidi Grant, president, Business Development for Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said: "The P-8 will bolster Canada's defense capability and readiness, and we look forward to delivering this capability to the Royal Canadian Air Force. Together with our Canadian partners, we will deliver a strong industrial and technological benefit package that guarantees continued prosperity to Canada's aerospace and defense industry."

The Belgian Air Force is set to get its first F-35A as the first specimen rolled-out in ceremony at Lockheed Martin.

Bombardier is not pleased about this selection at all.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency and a Boeing [NYSE:BA]-led industry team successfully intercepted an intermediate-range ballistic missile in space during the latest test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, system. The test validated GMD's Capability Increment 6B configuration, which gives the Missile Defense Operators more time, space, and flexibility to intercept ballistic missile threats to the U.S. homeland. During the test, a GMD interceptor released a kinetic-force Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, or EKV, during the rocket booster's second stage of its normally three-stage sequence of flight. The threat-representative target was air launched from the Broad Ocean Area and the interceptor was deployed from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

"This successful test is important because it opens up the window of opportunity to intercept threats to our homeland," said Debbie Barnett, vice president of Strategic Missile & Defense Systems. "We're committed to continuously enhancing the GMD system's capability to meet rapidly evolving missile defense needs for the nation."

Boeing [NYSE: BA] will build an additional 15 KC-46A Pegasus tankers under a Lot 10 contract awarded by the U.S. Air Force valued at $2.3 billion. One hundred fifty-three KC-46A multi-mission aerial refuelers are now on contract globally, providing advanced capability advantages for the joint force and allies. “We appreciate our partnership with the U.S. Air Force, which allows for the expansion of the capacity and capability of the KC-46A fleet,” said Lynn Fox, vice president and KC-46 program manager. “We understand the advantages that KC-46 capabilities give the warfighters, and in the current global environment, we continue to focus our investments on evolving the aircraft for the changing needs of the mission.”

The Royal Canadian Air Force (CAF) is set to buy a fleet of 11 MQ-9B SkyGuardian combat drones from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), the country’s defense officials recently revealed.
“At a time when defense and security needs are changing faster than ever, we must ensure Canada has a modern, adaptable military that is prepared to respond to evolving and emerging security challenges,” said Defense Minister Bill Blair. “Canada must meet the growing demand for domestic assistance while preserving our ability to defend Canada, protect North America, and support our allies.”

Spain has placed an order that encompasses 16 Airbus C295 aircraft that are expected to be used in patrol and anti-submarine roles. The purchase contract includes new medium multirole aircraft for the Spanish Air and Space Force and the Spanish Navy configured as both maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA). The MPA aircraft will replace the country’s Lockheed P-3 Orion fleet, which it retired last year.

F-35ws bolster NATO in Iceland.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZGT6AruAgVc

The U.S. Air Force has now put together an agreement with a company called Merlin to demonstrate the company’s autonomous flight technology on the KC-135 Stratotanker. “Integrating onto one of the most abundant and important military aircraft in the [Air Force’s] fleet allows Merlin to materially evolve our advanced automation systems, which includes enabling autonomous close formation flying for the KC-135,” said Matt George, CEO and co-founder of Merlin. “Our work with Air Mobility Command will build meaningful operating data, serving as an important step to maturing functional autonomy across the force.”

Turkiye's first home-grown fighter jet.

A look at the new Gen 2 Turret.