Americas
According to Defense Post, L3Harris has failed to overturn the US Army’s decision to award Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) a $991-million contract to produce the HADES next-generation spy plane. This after the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruled in favor of SNC to proceed with production despite a protest filed in October. The GAO’s decision confirms that the winning vendor met all operational and regulatory requirements and that the contract award was made in full compliance with the law.
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) demonstrated the first at-sea refueling of the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program. A pair of unmanned surface vessels (USV) — the Ranger and the Mariner — demonstrated the task originally designed for the program’s Defiant USV.
Middle East & Africa
Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the IDF inaugurated a new Directorate for AI and Autonomy this week, aimed at spearheading research, development, and force-building in the fields of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems across all branches of the IDF. During a ceremony attended by the Director-General of the Ministry of Defense, Major General (Res.) Eyal Zamir, and other senior officials, the directorate was presented as a foundation for an operational and technological revolution that will shape the future battlefield.
Europe
Brazil’s Embraer announced on in December 2024 that it had signed a contract for the sale of two C-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft, but declined to name the customer. The company did note that the new customer “is the tenth nation to select the C-390 after Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, South Korea, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Slovakia”.
Asia-Pacific
China recently introduced a new Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft designed to enhance the country’s threat detection capabilities. Named the KJ-3000, the aircraft is based on Beijing’s indigenous Y-20 strategic transport platform and features four high-powered engines.
