Americas
The New Zealand Defense Force has finalized the sale of four retired Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130H Hercules aircraft to American aerial firefighting company Coulson Aviation for $9 million. The deal, announced on April 11, marks a new chapter for the venerable aircraft that were officially retired from military service earlier this year. The aircraft will be prepared for flight and flown to Coulson’s Maintenance Base in Thermal, California by a commercial crew over the next few months, where they will undergo substantial upgrades and conversion to firefighting tankers.
Bell Textron, based in Fort Worth, Texas, has received a contract extension worth about $14.6 million to continue supporting H-1 military aircraft. This extension covers the fourth and fifth years of a long-term agreement that originally included five optional one-year periods. The contract is a firm-fixed-price agreement, meaning the price won’t change. It was awarded without competition, following specific government rules that allow for sole-source contracts when only one supplier is considered suitable. The support will continue until April 13, 2027, for the US Marine Corps. The funding for the project will come from the defense budget for the years 2025 through 2027. The contract was issued by the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Middle East & Africa
A second American aircraft carrier has reached the Middle East, where Washington’s forces are carrying out near-daily air strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the US military said on Thursday. The USS Carl Vinson — which is armed with F-35C stealth warplanes — is now working alongside the USS Harry S. Truman in the region, US Central Command said in a post on X that featured side-by-side video clips of aircraft taking off from the two ships.
Europe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that hundreds of Chinese nationals were fighting at the Ukraine frontline alongside Russia, after accusing Moscow of dragging Beijing into its invasion. “As of now, we have information that at least several hundred Chinese nationals are fighting as part of Russia’s occupation forces,” Zelensky told a gathering of military chiefs from allied countries in Brussels.
Asia-Pacific
STM has laid the keels of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s future Ada-class corvettes as part of a contract signed in 2024. Conducted in Istanbul, the event further progresses the production of Kuala Lumpur’s three-vessel program scheduled for completion by 2028. The Southeast Asian government’s incoming fleet will be designated as Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) and will deploy for anti-surface, anti-aircraft, asymmetric, and electronic warfare in open waters once commissioned.