Americas
Brazil has left negotiations for the purchase of India’s Akash air defense system over the Indian side’s unwillingness to offer the system’s latest version. The medium-to-long range system was considered for bolstering the Brazilian Army’s air-defense capabilities — currently restricted to an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,843 feet). The Brazilian side was interested in discussing the latest version of the Akash, which features Israeli components, according to CNN Brasil.
BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P won a $48 million firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract for MK 41 Vertical Launching System canister and ancillary equipment production. Work will be performed in Aberdeen, South Dakota (90%); and Minneapolis, Minnesota (10%), and is expected to be completed by February 2028. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
Middle East & Africa
A drone packed with explosives was shot down Monday near Arbil airport, which hosts US troops from the international anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, Kurdish security forces said. “At 02:20 (11:20 GMT) an explosive-laden drone was downed near Arbil International Airport, without causing casualties or damage,” said the counterterrorism services of the Kurdistan region. There has been no claim of responsibility for the drone, the second intercepted near the airport this month.
Europe
France will accelerate a hike in defense spending to reach $75 billion in 2027, three years earlier than planned, President Emmanuel Macron told troops and military brass ahead of Bastille Day celebrations on July 14. In the face of the greatest threat to freedom since 1945, France needs to step up, the president said in his traditional speech at the Armed Forces Ministry in Paris the evening before the national holiday. Macron said Europe must be ready to face a permanent Russian threat on its borders, from the Caucasus to the Arctic.
Asia-Pacific
On July 5, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) announced it had successfully conducted a live flight and target engagement activity using a new type of locally developed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This indigenous UAV is designed to conduct precise strikes on medium-range targets whilst under the control of a remote operator. Often referred to as “kamikaze drones”, this type of weapon has seen wide-scale use in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Thai UAV was developed through collaboration between the RTAF’s Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Air Force Academy, the Air Force Armaments Department and the Directorate of Aeronautical Engineering. In the demonstration, the UAV was able to demonstrate a hit accuracy of better than 5m.