Archive: News & Articles

Lockheed Martin has recently approved the use of synthetic aviation turbine fuels (SATFs) in the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the company announced on 16 January 2025. The new fuel sources will improve readiness by reducing reliance on the extended supply chain, Lockheed Martin noted. “Lockheed Martin is committed to ensuring the F-35 is […]

Airbus Helicopters has delivered to the French Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) defence procurement agency the first two of eight H225M Caracal helicopters ordered in 2021, Airbus announced on 17 January 2025. The helicopters will be operated by the French Air and Space Force, replacing Pumas currently in service overseas (in French Guyana, Djibouti and […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Zambia of Bell 412EP (Enhanced Performance) Exportable medium-lift transport helicopters, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 13 January 2025. The proposed sale, which is worth an estimated USD 100 million (EUR 97 million), has been passed to the US […]

Raytheon has been awarded a USD 333 million (EUR 324 million) contract from the US Navy to produce Standard Missile -6 (SM-6) Block IA missiles, parent company RTX announced on 13 January 2025. Deployed on US Navy ships, SM-6 “delivers a proven, over-the-horizon offensive and defensive capability by leveraging the time-tested Standard Missile airframe and […]

The Uruguayan Ministry of National Defense (MDN) has converted an option for five A-29 Super Tucano aircraft into a firm order, manufacturer Embraer announced on 14 January 2025. The agreement is part of a commitment signed in August 2024, when the Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) announced a firm order for one aircraft plus the option […]

Schiebel, as part of the Thales-led SEACURE consortium, announced on 13 January 2025 that it has been awarded a grant agreement under the European Defence Fund’s (EDF’s) call for unmanned anti-submarine and seabed warfare solutions. The SEACURE (Seabed and anti-submarine warfare capability through unmanned feature for Europe) consortium consists of 35 companies from 13 European […]

Babcock France, part of Babcock International, has been awarded a new 17-year contract to support military air training solutions for the French Air and Space Force and French Navy, the company announced on 10 January 2025. The EUR 795 million contract, awarded by France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) defence procurement agency, will see student […]

ESD was recently invited on board a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker to observe part of the Norwegian-led trilateral exercise ‘Apex Buccaneer’. This article details what this exercise involved and examines why exercises like ‘Apex Buccaneer’ are essential in facilitating Arctic security. On 3 December 2024 Norway, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States […]

The US Navy declared initial operational capability (IOC) for the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) system in December 2024, US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) reported on 6 January 2025. NAVAIR said the advent of the NGJ-MB system brings “a quantum leap in capability over legacy systems with drastic increases in power, target flexibility and […]

The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) has ordered three MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) announced on 16 December 2024. The sale to Poland will also include two Certifiable Ground Control Stations (CGCS) and three years of GA-ASI support services. The MQ-9B has an endurance in excess […]

The US State Department has approved a major potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Japan of AIM-120D-3 and AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and related equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 2 January 2025. The proposed sale, which is worth an estimated USD 3.64 billion (EUR 3.53 billion), has been […]

Turkey’s Havelsan announced on 6 January 2025 that its Advent Marti command-and-control (C2) system has been successfully integrated into aircraft TCSG-553: an Airbus CN235MP-100M operated by the Turkish Coast Guard Command (TCGC). The Advent Marti solution, which is part of Havelsan’s Advent combat management system product family and was developed under the leadership of Turkish […]

Leonardo, the Royal Navy and the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Future Capability Innovation (FCI) team have unveiled the design of the Proteus technology demonstrator aircraft, Leonardo announced on 7 January 2025 The uncrewed rotorcraft, which weighs around 3 tonnes, will be used to demonstrate advances in autonomy and payload modularity […]

The Bundeswehr and TAURUS Systems GmbH, a joint venture between European missile house MBDA and Sweden’s Saab, announced on 20 December 2024 that they have signed a contract for the maintenance and modernisation of the TAURUS KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missiles. Work under the contract will ensure the weapon’s operational readiness until at least 2045, […]

Airbus subsidiary Airbus DS Airborne Solutions (ADAS) and long-term partner Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have signed a follow-on framework contract to continue to provide uncrewed aerial maritime surveillance services to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, the companies announced on 17 December 2024. Under the terms of the contract IAI’s Heron medium-altitude, long-endurance […]

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (GUR) has claimed to have destroyed two Russian helicopters and damaged a third in an operation that used MAGURA V5 unmanned surface vessels (USVs) armed with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The operation, conducted by the GUR’s Group 13 special forces unit, took place in the Black […]

Embraer closed out 2024 with additional orders for a total of 10 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, although the Brazilian manufacturer declined to name the clients. On 30 December 2024 Embraer announced a firm order for six A-29 Super Tucano light attack and advanced trainer aircraft, with deliveries scheduled for 2026. These aircraft, Embraer stated, “will […]

Saab announced on 20 December 2024 that it had received an additional order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) covering enhanced capabilities for the Swedish Air Force’s (SwAF’s) fleet of Gripen C/D fighters. The contract extension, which is valued at SEK 466 million (EUR 40.7 million), includes several important updates and studies of upcoming […]

Eurofighter closed out 2024 with two news orders totalling up to 49 jets for Spain and Italy and the signing of a contract to secure the Eurofighter Typhoon’s long-term development. On 20 December 2024 it was announced that the leaders of the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) and Eurofighter had signed a contract […]

China stunned the aerospace world on 26 December 20224 when footage appeared on social media of a new sixth-generation fighter conducting a daytime test flight that bears little resemblance to anything that has come before it. Featuring a tailless, modified delta-wing design, the new aircraft is around 21 m long – with its delta wing […]

On 28 December 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin came as close as he was ever likely to in admitting that Russian air defences had mistakenly shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 three days before. A statement from the Kremlin noted that, in speaking to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Putin “apologised for the fact that the […]