Americas
The US Navy’s transition to the CMV-22B Osprey for its long-range and medium-lift aerial logistics missions took a significant step forward on April 5, with the arrival of the first tiltrotor aircraft assigned to the East Coast at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 40, nicknamed “Mighty Bison,” received the first Osprey, marking the beginning of their permanent relocation to Norfolk. All VRM-40 personnel have been stationed in Norfolk since February 2024, with the remaining squadron aircraft expected to arrive this summer. The CMV-22B Osprey offers a significant upgrade in capabilities compared to the C-2A Greyhound. This tiltrotor aircraft combines the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities of a helicopter with the long-range cruise efficiency of a fixed-wing airplane. This versatility allows the Osprey to deliver critical supplies, personnel, and high-priority cargo from shore bases directly to ships at sea, supporting Atlantic carrier strike groups starting in 2025.
Sierra Space has successfully completed initial beta testing of its Sierra Space Ghost program, a revolutionary space logistics system designed for rapid global resupply within 90 minutes. Developed by Sierra Space’s Axelerator incubator program, the Ghost system features a deployable decelerator that protects a pre-staged payload during re-entry from orbit. This innovative approach aims to revolutionize the delivery of critical defense supplies by enabling hypersonic transport to any location on Earth.
Middle East & Africa
Israel for the first time deployed its ship-mounted defense system, called the C-Dome, against a “suspicious” target that entered the country’s airspace near the southern city of Eilat, the military said Tuesday. The C-Dome is a naval version of the Iron Dome air defense system used to shield against rocket and missile attacks. On Monday evening, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported an alert in the area of Eilat, which was targeted in February by intercepted ballistic missile fire from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, allies of Palestinian militants Hamas.
Iraq’s state-owned defense industry has said it has begun producing Norinco VN22 6×6 armoured vehicles. The Defense Industry Commission of Iraq (DICI) posted a video on its Facebook page on 1 April in which engineer Mustafa Ati Hassan, the president of the Military Industrialization Authority, stood next to a VN22 to announce the start of production of a 6×6 vehicle he did not name at the Al-Rabie factory, which is in southeast Baghdad. He provided no further details of the programme, with the video showing a production line for 4×4 light armoured vehicles, not the VN22
Europe
Germany on Monday began the permanent deployment of a military brigade in Lithuania with an advance contingent of 20 soldiers arriving in Vilnius and 150 more to join them by year’s end. Berlin said last year it would deploy roughly 4,800 troops in Lithuania at a permanent base on NATO’s eastern flank as tensions rise with Russia. The advance party is tasked with “planning the brigade’s transfer to Lithuania and coordinating military infrastructure needs,” the Lithuanian Defense Ministry stated.
Asia-Pacific
Taiwan plans to deploy a land-attack cruise missile capable of striking China this year. A total of 100 Hsiung Sheng missiles are being considered for deployment with a range of 1,200 kilometers (745 miles), Taipei Times reported, citing sources. The extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng-IIE, the Hsiung Sheng has been in production since 2022 and was tested for the first time last year.
