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BAE System To Build Advanced Radar Jamming Technology | Turkey Conducted First Ship-Launched Firing Of Atmaca | Philippines Receive C295M

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Americas BAE Systems wants to create an interim advanced radar jamming technology until next summer for helicopters and UASs, that is lighter and smaller than systems available now. The company published a statement November 12 announcing, the US Army awarded it a research and development contract to bring the technology to bear. The system “aims […]
Americas

BAE Systems wants to create an interim advanced radar jamming technology until next summer for helicopters and UASs, that is lighter and smaller than systems available now. The company published a statement November 12 announcing, the US Army awarded it a research and development contract to bring the technology to bear. The system “aims to improve air survivability and mission effectiveness” for aircraft “by detecting and defeating complex and unknown threats in electronic combat,” the statement read. BAE plans to demonstrate the technology in July 2020. The technology is under development within BAE Systems’ FAST Labs and combines adaptive radio frequency jamming and sensing capabilities into one system, the company statement noted. As the Army looks to modernize its capabilities to fight across multiple domains in highly contested environments, the technology, the company said, will enable the aircraft to fly closer to threats and remain protected.

The US Air Force has reportedly approved a retrofit to prevent cargo locks on an aerial refueling tanker from coming undone midflight. Will Roper, the Air Force’s top acquisition official, told Defense News he’s confident the KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tanker’s malfunctioning cargo locks will be fixed within months. In September, after a flight where cargo locks on the bottom of the aircraft’s floor became unlocked midflight, the tanker was restricted from carrying either cargo or people in the back of the aircraft. So far Boeing has paid more than $3.5 billion of its own money to fund corrections to ongoing technical issues, of which the cargo issue is the fourth. The company has also paid to address the tanker’s remote vision system, which provides imagery that in certain lighting conditions looks warped or misleading; instances of the boom scraping against the airframe of the receiver aircraft; and a requirement to redesign the boom to accommodate the A-10 plane.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that the Turkish Naval Forces conducted the first ship-launched firing of the Atmaca (Hawk) Anti-Ship missile (ASM) from the TDK Ada Class corvette TCG Kinaliada (F-514) at an undisclosed location in the Black Sea on November 3. Evolved within the scope of the MILGEM Project, which is Turkey’s national warship program, Atmaca is the country’s first indigenously developed dedicated above-water ASM system, and is intended to replace the Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon ASM in TDK surface platform service. Atmaca is an autonomous, all-weather, low-signature, super sea skimming ASM. Resistant to countermeasures, the missile features a mission planning system with 3D routing, and a target update, re-attack, re-target, and mission abort capability via a commercial off-the-shelf two-way datalink.

Europe

Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov has confirmed that two Su-30SM fighters ordered by the country will land at Baranovichi aerodrome this afternoon, Tass reports. Two more jets are expected to be home this year. The country has ordered 12 Su-30SMs. The Defense Ministry of Belarus signed a contract with Russia’s Irkut Aviation Corporation in 2017 on the delivery of 12 Su-30SM fighters in 2018-2020. Belarus was expected to receive up to four planes a year. The Su-30SM is a generation 4++ serial-produced and upgraded two-seat super-maneuverable fighter jet.

The Czech Ministry of Defense has submitted a document to the government on its plan to purchase 8 UH-1Ys and 4 AH-1Z attack helicopters. Minister of Defense Lubomir Metnar said that he hopes to sign the contract by this year in order to receive the aircraft in 2023. The AH-1Z Viper is the latest in the long line of Huey family helicopters. The twin-engine attack helicopter is based on the AH-1W SuperCobra developed for the US Marine Corps and features a four-blade, bearingless, composite main rotor system, upgraded avionics and a new target sighting system. The Bell UH-1Y Venom is another recent member of the Huey helicopter family. Sometimes called the Super Huey, it is a twin-engine, medium-sized utility helicopter, built for the US Marine Corps. It entered service in 2008, and was planned to replace the USMC’s fleet of 1970s-vintage UH-1N Twin Huey light utility helicopters, which were retired in 2014.

Asia-Pacific

The Philippine Air Force has taken delivery of a C295M at Clark Air Base on November 11. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was the guest of honor at the handover and blessing ceremony. The aircraft is part of the command-and-control fixed-wing turboprop acquisition project of the AFP’s modernization program. It is a new addition to the three operational C295 aircraft in the Air Force. The Air Force is expecting another command-and-control aircraft, the Gulfstream G280, by August next year.

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