Americas
Stratolaunch, LLC, a leading aerospace company, has announced a significant partnership with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to support the upcoming maiden flight test of their second reusable cutting-edge Talon-A hypersonic test vehicle, TA-3. The Talon-A vehicles, when launched from “Roc,” the world’s largest flying aircraft, serve as rocket-powered, autonomous testbeds. They are capable of executing various hypersonic flight profiles while also carrying customized payload experiments onboard. This collaboration builds upon a prior partnership with the AFRL, which was established in late 2022 for the inaugural flight of TA-1, an expendable configuration within the Talon-A product line.
The US State Department has cleared the transfer of 24 F-16s from Denmark to Argentina. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Security in the State Department, Mira Resnick, delivered the letter approving the transfer to Jorge Argüello, Argentina’s ambassador to United States on October 11. Also cleared was the transfer of four P-3 maritime patrol aircraft from Norway to Argentina. The Argentinian government will now have to decide whether to accept the offer from the United States.
Middle East and Africa
International Business Machines won a $38 million deal for the modernization of the Egyptian Air Force Integrated Logistics System. This contract provides for a fully integrated maintenance management and supply chain management system with the capability to support maintenance, repair, overhaul, operations, enterprise resource planning, forecasting, analytics, material management, and contracting operations. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Maryland, and Egypt, and is expected to be completed by June 5, 2029.
Europe
Lockheed Martin won a $379.6 million order, which provides for the production and delivery of eight MH-60R aircraft for the government of Spain. Work will be performed in Owego, New York; Stratford, Connecticut; and Troy, Alabama, and is expected to be completed in March 2027. MH-60R Seahawk is a multi-mission helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It is considered to be the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter.
According to Defense Post, Poland has approved the acquisition of combat support vehicles and ammunition for the Polish military. In a recent ceremony, defense minister Mariusz B?aszczak signed contracts with local firm Obrum for 43 MS-20 Daglezja-S bridging vehicles worth $179.6 million. The MS-20 is a modern mobile assault bridge mounted on an armored Jelcz truck chassis and trailer. It is designed to help overcome 20-meter (66-feet) water or terrain gaps.
Asia-Pacific
Airbus and the Singaporean Air Force have finished a series of automatic air-to-air refueling between an A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) and F-15 Eagle fighter jets. The campaign supports the certification of the A330/F-15 automated refueling setup slated for certification in 2024, which will make the Southeast Asian nation’s air force the “first in the world to have a boom automatic refueling capability with all of its receivers.” The demonstration involved over 500 automated wet and dry contacts with the service’s full fleet of receiver aircraft, including the F-15SG, the Singaporean variant of the US-developed F-15E Strike Eagle.
Today’s Video
WATCH: MH-60 Seahawk: The World’s Most Anti-Submarine Warfare Helicopter
