Funding for OA-X may come in 2019, pending Congress approval | Australia chooses Rheinmetall for Land 400 | Seoul quietly orders additional Taurus

by Padraig McCarrick | Mar 15, 2018 | Daily Rapid Fire

Americas * Funding may be reallocated by Congress to fund a light-attack aircraft (OA-X) acquisition this year, accelerating the Department of Defense’s purchase of the aircraft by one year. Money for light-attack aircraft is currently slated to begin in fiscal...

USMC seeks info on new UAV for AEW, EW, and ISR role | Lockheed hails radar test success ahead of delivery to Latvia | Angola orders C295 from Airbus

by Padraig McCarrick | Mar 14, 2018 | Daily Rapid Fire

Americas * URS Federal Technical Services landed a $961 million contract Friday, March 9, for maintenance and support of the US Air Force’s unmanned aircraft fleet. According the agreement, the Maryland-based firm will cover support for MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9...

MBDA mulls land-based Sea Venom for coastal defense | USS Wasp and F-35Bs to play role in South Korean drills | Brazil keen on acquiring Super Cobras

by Padraig McCarrick | Mar 13, 2018 | Daily Rapid Fire

Americas * Brazil’s army has expressed interest in acquiring surplus Bell AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters previously used by the US Marine Corps (USMC). Brasilia has already contacted Washington over the sale, however, no bilateral negotiations have yet...

USAF seeks AAM capability for Reaper | Saudi’s sign memorandum for potential Typhoon re-order | Vote to see if Swiss will roll with new fighter order

by Padraig McCarrick | Mar 12, 2018 | Daily Rapid Fire

Americas * As the MQ-1 Predator officially leaves active duty with the US Air Force, the service announced its intentions to equip its replacement—the MQ-9 Reaper—with an air-to-air missile capability. The first steps in the effort has seen the Reaper’s...

Bruised KC-390 prototype returns to sky | Lockheed and MBDA Germany form joint venture for MEADS | Will a ban on palm oil foil Malaysian fighter deal?

by Padraig McCarrick | Mar 9, 2018 | Daily Rapid Fire

Americas * Flight Global has reported that Embraer’s first KC-390 prototype has returned to flight testing after an accident during a stall test last October put the transport/refueler out of action for several months. A company statement at the time of the...