Boeing Tapped For Stingray | DoS Approves F-35 Sale To Germany | Bangladesh To get Bayraktar

Americas

Boeing won a $57.7 million order, which provides for the procurement of various initial spares and repair equipment in support of the MQ-25A Stingray air vehicle for the Navy. Work will take place in Missouri and Indiana. Expected completion is in July 2025.

Four Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-16s have flown for the last time in the United States on July 29. The flights took place at Morris Air National Guard (ANG) Base and it also marks the end of Dutch F-16 training in the United States.

Middle East & Africa

Dyncorp International LLC won a $56 million contract modification for maintenance support services for the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command Aviation Program. Work will take place in Saudi Arabia. Estimated completion date is January 31, 2024.

The UAE sent one of its C-17 cargo plane, #1228, to Amarillo, Texas on July 26 to help Bahrain bring two of its new AH-1Z attack helicopters home. The jet landed at Rick Husband International Airport and KVII news station was there to report the event. Bell was awarded a $240 million contract to supply 12 Lot 16 AH-1Z attack helicopters to Bahrain in 2019.

Europe

The US State Department has approved a potential sale of over $8 billion worth of F-35 aircraft to Germany, moving closer to providing Berlin with new fighter aircraft for nuclear deterrence missions. The State Department on Thursday announced the approval of a foreign military sale of up to 35 F-35A aircraft, along with munitions and related equipment, for a total estimated cost of $8.4 billion.

Asia-Pacific

Bangladesh is set to be the latest operator of the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle. Turkey’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Tufan confirmed that an agreement has been signed. In 2021, Mosud Mannan, the Bangladeshi envoy in Turkey, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that his country was considering purchasing Turkish drones.

Two MH-60R naval helicopters ordered by India have reached home after being ferried to Cochin by a US Air Force C-17 aircraft. A third rotorcraft will be delivered in August and 21 more helicopters are expected to arrive home later.

Today’s Video

WATCH: MH-60R Seahawk Best Anti Submarine Helicopter

UCLASS to be Descoped for CBARS Conversion AKA MQ-25 Stingray

The idea of UAVs with full stealth and combat capabilities has come a long way, quickly. Air forces around the world are pursuing R&D programs, but in the USA, progress is being led by the US Navy.

Their interest is well-founded. A May 2007 non-partisan report discussed the lengthening reach of ship-killers. Meanwhile, the US Navy’s carrier fleet sees its strike range shrinking to 1950s distances, and prepares for a future with fewer carrier air wings than operational carriers. Could UCAV/UCAS vehicles with longer ranges, and indefinite flight time limits via aerial refueling, solve these problems? Some people in the Navy seem to think that they might. Hence UCAS-D/ N-UCAS, which received a major push in the FY 2010 defense review. Now, Northrop Grumman is improving its X-47 UCAS-D under contract, even as emerging privately-developed options expand the Navy’s future choices as it works on its new RFP.