Successful Detonation Of Hypersonic Missile | Norway Gets First Poseidon | New Chinooks For Australia

Americas

Shipyards could suffer if the US Navy does not order additional Arleigh Burke Class destroyers, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was told this week. Hicks visited Bath Iron Works in Maine, a General Dynamics subsidiary founded in 1884 whose primary customer is the US Navy, and the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Portsmouth, Naval Shipyard, to discuss a decrease in orders for Navy destroyers, the Pentagon said.

According to the Eglin Air Force Base, the US Air Force successfully detonated a hypersonic missile warhead for the first time this week. The Drive reported that the prototype warhead, designed for the in-development Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon, a hypersonic missile, was detonated for the first time in a ground test last week.

Middle East & Africa

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Ground Forces put its new state-of-the-art weapons and aircraft on display during a ceremony held on July 7. The Ground Forces received precision-guided missiles, as well as various long-range drones designed for combat, reconnaissance and “suicide missions”, in which troops carrying out dangerous tasks. Single-seater, attack, reconnaissance helicopters and tactical and multi-purpose vehicles were also added.

Europe

The first P-8A Poseidon aircraft for Norway rolled out of the paint shop in Renton, in Royal Norwegian Air Force livery. Norway is one of eight nations to have acquired the P-8A as their new multimission maritime patrol aircraft. The Norwegian air force had recently revealed the names of its five P-8A Poseidon aircraft: Vingtor, Viking, Ulabrand, Hugin and Munin.

Asia-Pacific

Turkey’s state-controlled missile-maker Roketsan has developed a supersonic, anti-radiation missile for the TF-X, the country’s indigenous fighter jet in the making. The missile, dubbed Akbaba or “vulture”, was included in the ammunitions list of the TF-X at a Turkish Air Force briefing on June 30.

The Australian Army received two CH-47 Chinook helicopters, taking the total number of this aircraft in service to 12. Australia acquired four Chinooks via a foreign military sales agreement for approximately $441.6 million. The first two aircraft, drawn from US Army stock, were delivered to the Townsville-based 5th Aviation Regiment on 7 July by a U.S. Air Force C-5M Galaxy transport.

Today’s Video

Watch: Nothing Can Kill the Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer

The New Chinooks: Boeing’s Modern H-47 Heavy-Lift Helicopters

DII FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record; this FOCUS Article covers the CH-47F/MH-47G Chinook helicopter programs, in the USA and abroad. These helicopters’ distinctive “flying banana” twin-rotor design stems from the brilliant work of aviation pioneer Frank Piasecki. It gives Chinooks the ability to adjust their positioning very precisely, while carrying a large airframe whose load capacity has made it the world’s most popular heavy-lift helicopter. The USA expects to be operating Chinooks in their heavy-lift role past 2030.

The CH-47F looks similar to earlier models, but offers a wide range of improvements in almost every aspect of design and performance. While the related HH-47’s $10-15 billion CSAR-X program win was terminated, delivery orders continue for CH-47Fs and for MH-47G Special Forces configuration helicopters. International orders or formal requests have also come in from Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the UAE, with India and other countries expected to follow.