Americas
Northrop Grumman will collaborate on the US-Japan counter-hypersonic missile system development program. Along with the US Missile Defense Agency, Northrop will team up with the Japanese Ministry of Defense and its industry partners to develop elements of the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI). This stems from the 2023 US-Japan bilateral memorandum of understanding for research, development, test, and evaluation projects.
The government of the United States has authorized the potential sale of twelve UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to the Brazilian Army (EB). This is evident from one of the most recent statements from the Department of State, which notifies the U.S. Congress of the potential operation through the FMS Program for approval. The authorization issued by the Department of State follows the information previously provided by the Commander of the Brazilian Army, General Tomás Miguel Miné Ribeiro Paiva, who, during a legislative hearing, informed about the force’s requirement to renew part of its fleet of utility helicopters. In more detail, the need to replace the Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk (HM-2) and Airbus AS532 UE Cougar (HM-3) operated by the Army Aviation was highlighted.
Middle East & Africa
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has taken delivery of three additional CH-4 Rainbow medium altitude and long endurance (MALE) drone from China. The drones will be transfered at once to the theatre of operations against the M23 and the Rwanda Defence Force in the east of the country. Three more are expected in the coming months.
Europe
Marshall has been awarded a seven-year, $127 million contract for the development of Sweden’s command and control shelter suites. The UK company will deliver up to 500 shelters over the next four years, with the option to extend for three more after completion. All 16 shelter variants will adapt Marshall’s standard 20-foot (6-meter) container range, with combinations of electromagnetic shielding, HVAC, and CBRN filtration systems installed in them.
Asia-Pacific
South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced the successful completion of the Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM) system on May 25, marking a significant milestone in bolstering the country’s air defense capabilities. The L-SAM system is specifically designed to engage incoming aerial threats at high altitudes, ranging from 50 to 60 kilometers. This capability fills a crucial gap in South Korea’s multi-layered missile defense architecture, known as the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system. Currently, the KAMD system relies on a combination of medium-range surface-to-air missile systems for lower altitude defense and the U.S.-deployed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system for upper-tier threats exceeding 40 kilometers. The L-SAM’s operational envelope bridges this gap, providing a robust defense against a wider range of ballistic missile threats.
