An Aerovel Flexrotor unmanned aerial vehicle takes off from the flight deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS   Paul Hamilton  (DDG 60) in the Gulf in March 2023. Airbus has now acquired the manufacturer as it looks to expand its portfolio in the tactical vertical take-off and landing unmanned aircraft sector.  (US Navy)  Airbus has completed the purchase of US company Aerovel, which manufactures the Flexrotor unmanned aircraft system (UAS).  The European company announced the milestone on 7 May, saying it will...

An infographic of Aselsan's Marlin USV, which is on display at DSA 2024. (Janes)  Turkey's Aselsan has for the first time displayed its Marlin unmanned surface vessel (USV) in its full anti-submarine warfare (ASW) configuration.  In this configuration – on show at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May – the USV is integrated with the Mini-Düfas low-frequency active towed array and passive towed sonar system. Aselsan aims to operationalise the mini version of its Düfas towed active sonar for USVs, call...

Having previously signalled its intent to acquire 48 new Eurofighter Typhoons in addition to the 72 already received (pictured), Saudi Arabia is now looking at the Boeing F-15EX Eagle II and the Dassault Rafale for its future requirements also. (Saudi Press Agency)  France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are to bid on Saudi Arabia's pending combat aircraft requirement, with the Middle East country holding a full and open competition for the first time.  A senior industry official with knowledge of the requirement told Janes and oth...

An AFRL chart outlining the Battle Management of AI concept under development by the US Air Force. (US Air Force)  The US Air Force's (USAF's) main research and development (R&D) directorate is soliciting industry solutions to accelerate the air service's integration of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities into its command-and-control (C2) and battle management systems.  Officials from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) issued a broad agency announcement (BAA) in March, seeking industry input on “development and application of AI t...

A model of the Gibbs & Cox International-class light frigate displayed at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space exposition in April 2024. (Janes/Jeremiah Cushman)    Gibbs & Cox, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leidos, has developed a platform to meet global demand for smaller frigates, William Cowardin Jr, vice-president for global ship design, Gibbs & Cox, told   Janes  in April during the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland. What the company calls the International class began as an i...

Germany's 35 F-35As will be built at the Fort Worth facility in the US (pictured) rather than at the Cameri site in Italy. (Lockheed Martin)    Berlin has decided that the F-35A variant aircraft contracted for the Luftwaffe are to be built at the US final assembly and check-out (FACO) facility in Fort Worth, Texas, rather than at the European FACO at Cameri, Italy.  “Currently, final assembly and check-out of German F-35 aircraft is planned to occur at the Fort Worth facility using major components from across Europe, including Germany, UK, a...

Poland has assigned the name ‘Barbara' to the Aerostat reconnaissance programme, which seeks to enable persistent air and ground surveillance. The US currently deploys Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems (pictured) to support airborne border surveillance along the US Mexico-border and select Caribbean areas. (US Department of Defense)    Poland's Armament Agency announced on 6 May that its    aerostat reconnaissance programme will be called Barbara, with four systems expected to be acquired to bolster surveillance.    In Febru...

Victa integrated with Capewell's UMCADS. (SubSea Craft)  UK-based SubSea Craft has joined forces with Capewell Europe to explore the air deployability of its Victa diver delivery unit (DDU) prototype when integrated onboard the latter's newly developed Universal Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery System (UMCADS).    Speaking to   Janes   on 1 May, Lee Ebsworth, SubSea Craft's chief commercial officer, said the partnership has mutual opportunities as the two companies work together to increase the evidence bank for Victa as a deploy...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on 14 February 2024. (US Space Force)  The Pentagon's Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded a USD414 million deal to build a series of new satellites, presumably capable of early warning and precision tracking of hypersonic missile systems.  Agency officials selected California-based Millennium Space Systems to construct the eight fire-control satellites as part of the SDA's Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter (FOO...

The T-650 – pictured above from the DSA 2024 exhibition – is an electrically powered heavy-lift UAS capable of lifting 300 kg out to a range of 30 km (or a radius of 15 km) at 140 km/h. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  BAE Systems showcased its Herne extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV) and T-650 all-electric heavy-lift unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.  This is the first time Herne and T-650 systems are being showcased in Asia.    Mike Blake, business...

MBDA showcased the scale models of its Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions and VL MICA New Generation system at the DSA 2024 exhibition. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)    European missile maker MBDA has offered its Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions (EMADS) self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system and VL MICA New Generation (NG) SAM to the Malaysian Armed Forces, a spokesperson of MBDA told   Janes   at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.   “[MBDA has] proposed the sy...

It is possible that Malaysia will acquire the latest version of the Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-33 Sniper airborne targeting pod, with the capability improvements as detailed in this 2021 Lockheed Martin infographic. (Lockheed Martin)  The US Department of State has approved a possible sale of Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs) for the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF's) Boeing F/A-18D fleet.  The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 7 May that 10 AN/AAQ-33 airborne targeting pods had been approv...

BrahMos Aerospace showcased a scaled version of the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet armed with three BrahMos cruise missiles at the DSA 2024 exhibition. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  BrahMos Aerospace – a joint venture (JV) between India and Russia – has outlined its plans to export its supersonic cruise missiles to Southeast Asian countries at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.  Speaking with Janes at the show, a spokesperson for BrahMos Aerospace said the company has offered its cruise missiles to countrie...

The first upgraded Hercules was delivered back to the Portuguese Air Force on 2 May. (Victor Barreira)  After several delays, the Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa: FAP) took delivery of the first modernised Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules transport aircraft on 2 May.    A ‘stretched' C-130H-30 Hercules was formally received by the    Squadron 501 ‘Bisontes', the FAP said.    OGMA – Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal was awarded a contract in November 2018 worth EUR15.5 million (USD16.7 million) to modernise two C...

The single-seat KAI FA-50 project intends to replace the aircraft's second cockpit and crewperson with an additional fuel tank to increase the type's combat radius. (KAI)  South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has announced a plan to fund the development of the single-seat version of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 light trainer and attack aircraft.  The ministry said on 3 May that KRW49.4 billion (USD36.39 million) will be invested with KAI to develop the single-seat version. The project aims to improve the...

The BT-67 is no stranger to Antarctica's harsh climate. This picture displays a Basler BT-67 (re-engined DC-3) in polar configuration equipped with snow skids. (Basler)  The US Department of State has approved Argentina's request to purchase Basler BT-67s, support equipment, and training for up to USD143 million, the department announced on 18 April.  “The proposed sale will … [provide] additional capacity for airdrop and airlift operations to service Antarctica during the winter season,” the announcement read. “This will reduce the burden on...

The MV-22 (pictured) is to soon receive new engine nacelles to be followed by a refreshed cockpit. Longer-term modifications may include a new drivetrain and perhaps even new wings. (US Navy)  The V-22 is likely to fly through 2050, and upgrades are in the planning process to allow it to reach that age, US Marine Corps (USMC) Colonel Brian Taylor, V-22 programme manager at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), said at the Modern Day Marine 2024 conference in Washington, DC on 30 April.  In the near term, NAVAIR is working to centralise the V-...

After joining the CAVS programme in April 2023, Germany has joined the programme's R&D phase. (Patria)  Germany has joined the Finnish-led 6×6 Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) vehicle research and development (R&D) phase, Patria announced in a press release on 2 May. It joins the other CAVS countries – Finland, Latvia, and Sweden – participating in the R&D phase.  Patria said joining the R&D phase would give Germany access to the results of the product development packages developed in the CAVS programme and allow it to co-define its req...

Leonardo has teamed with Textron Aviation Defense to offer the M-346 jet trainer for a US Navy requirement. (Aermacchi Spa)  Leonardo has teamed with Textron Aviation Defense to offer its M-346 jet trainer for the US Navy's (USN's) Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) programme. The service's current jet trainer, the T-45 Goshawk, entered service in 1991 and has experienced numerous technical issues in recent years. In September 2023 the USN released a request for information for the UJTS.  Textron Aviation Defense will serve as the prime...

An artist's impression of the French Navy's PA-NG next-generation carrier. (MO Porte Avions)  The French defence procurement agency (Direction Générale de l'Armement: DGA) has placed the first order for long-lead items for the country's future Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération (PA-NG) next-generation nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN), the French Ministry of the Armed Forces has confirmed.  In a 30 April announcement, the French defence ministry said the DGA had awarded a contract worth EUR600 million (USD642.7 million) to the PA-NG progra...