Rapid Fire 2011-07-18: Spydr ISR Aircraft

* NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen thanks General David Petraeus for his command of coalition troops, and hails the handing over of Bamiyan province to Afghan security forces as the beginning of full transition. * UK Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox is set to unveil a radical overhaul of the British Army. It is expected that regular troop levels will fall from 101,000 to 82,000 by 2020. Dr Fox is also expected to endorse a review of the UK’s use of its reserve forces for frontline activities. * L-3 uses the UK’s Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) to unveil its Spydr intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. The Spydr is based upon Hawker Beechcraft’s King Air 350-ER with the potential to be equipped with L-3’s processing, exploitation and dissemination systems. * Australia welcomes another 3 of its 24 ordered F/A-18F Block II Super Hornet fighters, bringing its fleet to 18. * ‘First cut’ ceremony marks the beginning of Scorpene attack submarine construction in Brazil. * Belarusian defense firms are to exhibit over 40 types of electronic equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) at next month’s MAKS-2011 air show near Moscow. Among the products on display will be the Strela target drone and Grif-1 UAV. * Czech Republic’s Defense Minister warns that further budget cuts may bring into question the country’s ability to fulfil […]