Magellan To Provide F-35s With Machine Titanium Components | Aero Vodochody Delivered Albatros To Nigeria | India Received P15B

Americas

Lockheed Martin has awarded Magellan Aerospace a contract to provide machine titanium components for its F-35 Lightning II Fighter Aircraft. The agreement covers the development of machined wing tie bars for the plane’s flap. Tie bars are placed on an aircraft’s joints, curb, or shoulder parts, connecting bordering or adjoining portions to prevent separation and damage in flight.

A bipartisan group of US senators has asked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to explain the reasons behind not sending the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones to Ukraine. The 16 lawmakers demanded the explanation in a letter following the Pentagon’s reported refusal to send the General Atomics platform for fear of technology theft.

Middle East & Africa

Rheinmetall has delivered the first tranche of Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to the Hellenic Armed Forces as part of a military “backfill” initiated by the German government. Following the delivery, the Hellenic Armed Forces featured the IFVs on parade in Thessaloniki. In exchange for the Marders, Greece will provide Ukrainian forces with Soviet-made IFVs and other military equipment to support the country in its ongoing struggle to repel the Russian invasion.

Europe

Rheinmetall has delivered the first tranche of Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to the Hellenic Armed Forces as part of a military “backfill” initiated by the German government. Following the delivery, the Hellenic Armed Forces featured the IFVs on parade in Thessaloniki. In exchange for the Marders, Greece will provide Ukrainian forces with Soviet-made IFVs and other military equipment to support the country in its ongoing struggle to repel the Russian invasion.

NATO allied and partner forces have trialed the French Air Force’s Mamba surface-to-air missile defense system in a live-fire exercise in Romania. The activity was conducted to prove NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) System capabilities in guarding and protecting allied airspace. Multinational aircraft tested the missile system, including Turkish F-16 Fighting Falcons and Spanish Eurofighters currently deployed on a separate NATO mission in Bulgaria.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Navy has received its second P15B stealth guided-missile destroyer from local firm Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. The delivery, which took place on Thursday, was part of a 2011 agreement to develop four ships under the navy’s Project 15B. The first ship in the project, INS Visakhapatnam, has been in service with the Indian Navy since last year.

Today’s Video

WATCH: Marder 1A3: Discover Germany’s IFV Sent to Greece

ER/MP Gray Eagle: Enhanced MQ-1C Predators for the Army

Its initial battles were fought within the Pentagon, but the US Army’s high-end UAV has made its transition to the battlefield.

The ER/MP program was part of the US Army’s reinvestment of dollars from the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program, and directly supports the Army’s Aviation Modernization Plan. The US Air Force saw this Predator derivative as a threat and tried to destroy it, but the program survived the first big “Key West” battle of the 21st century. Now, the MQ-1C “Gray Eagle” is in production as the US Army’s high-end UAV. As CENTCOM’s wars end, however, the Gray Eagle may find that staying in the fleet is as hard as getting there.

This FOCUS article offers a program history, key statistics and budget figures, and ongoing coverage of the program’s contracts and milestones.