Start Archive: News & Articles

Archive: News & Articles


The US State Department approves Turkish acquisition of 40 new F-16 Block 70s and 79 F-16V upgrades

The US State Department has approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Turkey covering 40 new F-16 Block 70s and the modernisation of 79 existing F-16s to F-16V standard, the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) announced on 26 January. The deal, which is worth USD 23 billion (EUR 21.24 billion), has been passed to […]

‘Steadfast Defender 24’, NATO’s largest exercise since the Cold War, kicks off

NATO’s Exercise ‘Steadfast Defender 24’ began on 24 January 2024. Planned to highlight and exercise NATO’s ability to deploy forces rapidly from North America and other parts of the Alliance to reinforce the defence of Europe, it is the largest NATO exercise since the last ‘Reforger’ exercise near the end of the Cold War. Running […]

GA-ASI announces maiden flight of Gray Eagle 25M UAV

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) has conducted the first flight of its Gray Eagle 25M (GE-25M) unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV), the company reported on 25 January 2024. The maiden flight, which took place on 5 December 2023 out of GA-ASI’s El Mirage flight facility in California, marks a significant milestone in the Gray Eagle […]



Saab receives order for T-7A aft fuselage systems as serial production for the Red Hawk ramps up

Sweden’s Saab has received an award from Boeing to produce aft fuselage systems for the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT), Saab announced on 23 January 2024. Saab noted that the order, which was booked in the fourth quarter of 2023, is worth USD 101.7 million (EUR 93.8 million). The T-7A, jointly produced by […]

First ECRS Mk2 radar installed onto a Eurofighter Typhoon

Engineers from BAE Systems and Leonardo UK have installed the first European Common Radar System Mark 2 (ECRS Mk2) radar, billed as the world’s most capable combat air radar, onto a Eurofighter Typhoon test and evaluation aircraft ahead of flight trials, the two companies announced on 17 January 2024. The ECRS Mk2 radar, developed by […]

Shapps announces major UK contribution to NATO’s Exercise ‘Steadfast Defender 24’

In the first half of 2024 20,000 UK service personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force (RAF) will deploy across Europe to take part in Exercise ‘Steadfast Defender 24’, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has announced. Delivering a speech at Lancaster House in London on 15 January 2024, Shapps stated, “We […]



US and UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen after attacks against commercial shipping continue

True to their word, US and UK military forces operating in the Red Sea region struck facilities used by the Houthi militia in Yemen on 11 January 2024 in response to the Houthis’ attacks on international shipping. More than 60 targets at 16 Houthi militant locations in Yemen were struck, according to the commander of […]

Slovakia receives its first two F-16 Block 70 fighters from Lockheed Martin

The first two F-16 Block 70 fighters for the Slovakian Air Force have been successfully delivered, the aircraft’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, announced on 10 January 2024. Slovakia signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for 14 F-16s in December 2018 in a deal worth EUR 1.589 Bn and will be the first European country to […]

Northrop Grumman to provide AUKUS allies’ Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability

Northrop Grumman announced on 11 January 2024 that it is developing the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) that will track objects in geosynchronous Earth orbit, protecting critical US and allied satellites. DARC is a global network of three advanced ground-based sensors to be operated in collaboration among the partner nations of the AUKUS alliance: […]



GA-ASI uses autonomy to close F2T2EA engagement chain with MQ-20 demo

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) announced on 9 January 2024 that it demonstrated its rapidly maturing open standards-based autonomy ecosystem for unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) on an MQ-20 Avenger unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of a live flight test on 2 November 2023. The flight combined three autonomy providers, government-provided human-machine interface […]

UAC plans to raise its Il-76MD-90A output to 18 aircraft in 2024

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) produced six Il-76MD-90A airlifters in 2023 and plans to raise its annual output to 18 aircraft in 2024, UAC CEO Yury Slyusar has told Rossiya 24 TV. In comments reported by Russian news agency TASS on 26 December 2023, Slyusar said, “The Defence Ministry will need a huge number of […]

Berlin has lifted veto on Eurofighter sales to Saudi Arabia, German foreign minister indicates

Germany is now willing to end its veto on more Eurofighter Typhoons being sold to Saudi Arabia, according to comments made by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during a visit to Israel on 7 January 2024. As one of the four Eurofighter nations Germany imposed the veto on further Typhoon sales to Saudi Arabia following […]



DARPA gives Aurora Flight Sciences green light to develop active flow control X-plane

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Aurora Flight Sciences to build a full-scale X-plane to demonstrate the viability of using active flow control (AFC) actuators for primary flight control. The award represents Phase 3 of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) programme. While conventional aircraft of all types […]

NSPA awards COMLOG its first European Sky Shield Initiative contract

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has awarded COMLOG, a 50/50 joint venture between MBDA Germany and RTX business Raytheon, its first contract under the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), Raytheon announced on 3 January 2024. With a total value of up to USD 5.6 Bn (EUR 5.1 Bn), the NSPA contract supports a coalition […]

Turkish Aerospace’s Anka-3 UCAV makes maiden flight

The Turkish Aerospace Anka-3 unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) made its first flight on 28 December 2023. A video of the UCAV’s maiden voyage was published on the website of the Turkish Defence Industry Agency (SSB) the same day. Posting in X/Twitter, the president of the SSB, Professor Dr Haluk Görgün, stated, “We have introduced another national […]



Boeing-built X-37B begins its seventh mission in space

The experimental Boeing-built X-37B autonomous spacecraft, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), began its seventh mission on 28 December 2023 when it was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Operated by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (DAF RCO) in collaboration with the […]

Canada orders fleet of GA-ASI MQ-9B SkyGuardians

The government of Canada has signed a contract to purchase a fleet of MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), the system’s manufacturer, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI), reported on 19 December 2023. Although GA-ASI did not specify the contract value or the number of RPAS and ground control stations (GCSs) ordered, the Canadian Department […]

General Jim Slife becomes US Air Force Vice Chief of Staff

US Air Force (USAF) General Jim Slife formally received his fourth star and was promoted to be the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff during a ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, DC, on 29 December 2023. Commissioned through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programme at Auburn University, Gen Slife has spent most of his […]



First Ukrainian pilots to receive RAF training are now learning to fly F-16s in Denmark

The first cohort of Ukrainian pilots to receive training from the Royal Air Force (RAF) is now learning to fly Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters in Denmark, having completed a basic programme of training in the UK, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 26 December 2023. The RAF began delivering flying and English language […]

Spanish MoD orders 16 C295s configured for maritime patrol and surveillance

The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ordered 16 Airbus C295 aircraft in maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) configurations, Airbus announced on 20 December 2023. The contract for the C295s, according to Airbus, is worth EUR 1.695 Bn. The new aircraft will be used to strengthen the anti-submarine warfare capabilities of […]

US State Department approves USD1 Bn training package for Saudi Arabia

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia covering Blanket Order Training and related equipment worth an estimated USD 1 Bn (EUR 0.91 Bn), the US US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 22 December 2023. The proposed training package has been passed to […]




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