JULY 2018 news

Air Forces - Aerospace and Defense Industry

USAF, US Navy to receive StormBreaker bomb to hit in all weather conditions

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Unites States of America will soon get the 250-pound (113 kilogramme) StormBreaker bomb, which has the ability to hit moving targets in all-weather conditions several kilometres away. The StormBreaker bomb, previously known as the Small Diameter Bomb II, or SDB II bomb, has been developed by Raytheon and tested on the USAF F-15E Strike Eagle. The bomb will be integrated with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by 2022. The US Navy has also begun the StormBreaker bomb integration on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft.

Philippine air force FA-50 jets join interoperability exercise in Palawan

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The Palawan-based Western Command is currently holding a joint exercise that seeks to boost the interoperability of all its service branch. The DAGIT PA 2018 (Dagat, Langit Lupa), a form of Armed Forces of the Philippines Joint Exercise (Ajex), kicked off last July 23 and will last until Friday (Aug. 3), said Wescom public affairs chief Captain Cherryl Tindog. The early phase of the exercise included a staff exercise, with participants training for contingency, crisis action planning, and control of joint forces.

France approves renewal of MICA missiles for Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighters

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France is launching the MICA NG (Next Generation) program. This program will renew the MICA (Missile d’interception, de combat et d’autodéfense) of the Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighters of the Armée de l’Air (air force) and the Marine nationale (navy).

Russian MiG 29SMT train destroying cruise missiles, drones

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MiG-29SMT fighter jets intercepted conditional adversary aircraft and destroyed cruise missiles and drones at an exercise in Astrakhan region, the Russian Defense Ministry said: "The fighter center of the Aerospace Forces completed an exercise in Astrakhan region to intercept aircraft and destroy cruise missiles and drones of the conditional adversary".

Saab JAS 39C Gripen of Swedish Air Force dropped 500 lbs bomb on forest fire

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Wide forested areas of Sweden are currently ablaze, due to an unprecedented hot weather linked to climate change. Some of them are hard to reach and potentially dangerous areas. To try and halt the spread of one blaze in and around a military training range in the municipality of Älvdalen, Swedish emergency authorities decided to call for the air force assistance, Joseph Trevithick reports on War Zone.

RAF Eurofighters to receive new Saab self-protection system

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Saab has received an order from BAE Systems for development of a new pyrotechnic smart self-protection system for the Eurofighter “Typhoon II” to defeat radar- and IR-guided threats.

MQ-4C Triton UAV readied by Northrop for Signal Intelligence

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Signals intelligence (SIGINT) experts at Northrop Grumman Corp. are preparing to upgrade the U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with SIGINT capability to match that of the Navy's EP-3 manned SIGINT aircraft, as John Keller reports in Satnews Daily.

Rehearsal of the Belgian national day air parade of 21 July 2018

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Managing an air parade - be it for a national day or not - that involves several types of helicopters and airplanes due to overfly a same place in a continuous flow is really a tehnical challenge. Air Recognition was invited to attend the briefing given by the Air Component of the Belgian armed forces, followed by a rehearsal performed with the main aircraft types to overfly Brussels on Saturday 21 July 2018, Belgium's national day.

BAE Systems to provide UAE with new F-16 flight controls

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BAE Systems has been selected by Lockheed Martin to provide flight controls to upgrade next-generation F-16 aircraft for the United Arab Emirates.BAE Systems has been selected by Lockheed Martin to provide flight controls to upgrade next-generation F-16 aircraft for the United Arab Emirates.

IAI and Aero jointly unveil F/A-259 multirole fighter jet

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Aero, the biggest Czech aircraft manufacturer, and Israeli Aerospace Industries, world leader in defense systems technologies, introduced cost-effective, combat proven fighter attack aircraft. The F/A-259 Striker is a multirole aircraft for close air support, counter-insurgency operations and border patrolling with interception capabilities.

Qinetiq hands over first PC-21 to Empire Test Pilots’ School

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Qinetiq handed over the first PC-21 Pilatus trainer to the to the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS), the company announced on July 18, 2018. Under the contract concluded in 2016, Pilatus is to provide two PC-21s to the ETPS based in Wiltshire, England.

Airbus opens first Zephyr HAPS serial assembly line

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Airbus Defence and Space has unveiled the new Zephyr S HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite) to the world at Farnborough Air Show yesterday morning. The Zephyr S is the first production aircraft of the Zephyr programme, previous Zephyr units being Research and Development prototypes.

Russia Karelia Air Regiment reinforced with new Su-35S fighter jets

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The air regiment of the Russian Western Military District deployed in Karelia has been reinforced with three multirole Su-35S fighter jets, district spokesman Igor Muginov said.

Longbow Fire Control Radar hardware for US Army and foreign customers

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LONGBOW LLC and the U.S. Army have definitized contracts valued at $170.5 million to provide LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR) hardware for Apache AH-64E helicopters supporting U.S. Army lots 7 and 8 plus three international customers. LONGBOW LLC is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Corporation.

GA-ASI Predator B selected by the Royal Netherlands Air Force

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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) has been selected to provide UAS to the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). This decision follows consideration by the Ministry of Defence for the Netherlands, the US leading manufacturer of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) announced today.

GKN Aerospace contracted to extend F-35 bulkheads production

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GKN Aerospace and Lockheed Martin are expanding a longtime customer partnership by signing a contract to increase production of bulkheads for the F-35 Lightning II program through 2023. The bulkheads are a critical structure for the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) and carrier variants (CV). They require among the longest lead time of any F-35 part and are made from some of the largest titanium forgings of any aircraft.

BIRD Aerosystems unveils advanced configuration of ASIO ISR solution

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BIRD Aerosystems, the leading developer of Special Mission Aircraft Solutions (ASIO) and Airborne Missile Protection Systems (AMPS), is showcasing an advanced configuration of its ASIO solution for the first time in the Farnborough airshow. The new configuration of the ASIO integrates pre-mission intelligence planning toolsalong with unique mission sensors configuration and sophisticated analysis algorithms, providing unique alerts of various suspicious activities.

PLAAF H-6Ks to compete at Russian International Army Games

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The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force will send H-6K bombers, J-10A fighters, JH-7A fighter-bombers, IL-76 and Y-9 transport aircraft, and a team of airborne troops to Russia to participate in the International Army Games.

Russia pulled out 35 military aircraft from Syria

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Russia has so far withdrawn from Syria a total of 35 military aircraft, including warplanes and helicopters, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. The ministry said in a statement that two Mi-8AMTSh helicopters have returned to their permanent deployment base in Russia's Novosibirsk region in southwestern Siberia.

Boeing and RNLAF sign contract for Apache and Chinook support

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Boeing and the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) signed a Combined Helicopter Support services agreement at the Royal International Air Tattoo on Saturday, July 14 that will provide maintenance, services and spare parts to the RNLAF’s fleet of AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

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