Americas
Elbit Systems has unveiled the Air Keeper, a revolutionary airborne system designed to integrate Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities with Electronic Warfare (EW) functionalities on a single platform. The Air Keeper is built with a modular architecture, allowing for compatibility with various business jets and civilian platforms. This flexibility enables customization to meet the specific needs of different clients.
BAE Systems’ Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) has successfully completed Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) with the US Air Force, marking a significant leap forward in electronic warfare (EW) capabilities for the F-15 fighter jet platform. The successful completion of IOT&E paves the way for full-scale production and deployment of EPAWSS. EPAWSS equips the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II with a comprehensive suite of digital EW tools. This includes advanced radar warning, geolocation, and situational awareness functionalities, providing pilots with a critical 360-degree view of the battlespace. The system also boasts robust self-protection measures through its multi-spectral radio frequency (RF) countermeasures suite. This enables F-15 pilots to effectively detect, identify, and neutralize a wide range of threats, including both legacy and emerging dangers, in dense signal environments.
Middle East & Africa
The Nigerian Army has inked an agreement with the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) to convert 30 of its petrol-powered vehicles to CNG-powered capabilities. They will collaborate with the National Institute of Transport Technology to facilitate the vehicle conversions. A two-week conversion technology training for 22 of the army’s engineers will also be facilitated by the institute. The move comes in response to the Standard Organisation of Nigeria pushing for CNG use in road vehicles and related technologies.
Europe
Britain’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed that software-update problems in the F-35 program will hit aircraft deliveries, though a key official said the delay is unlikely to affect the timing for proclaiming the fleet fully operationally capable next year. “We are aware of the current short-term delays to U.K. aircraft deliveries,” Procurement Minister James Cartlidge wrote in a letter to the chairman of the parliamentary Defence Committee, Jeremy Quin. “At this time, it is not assessed to impact the scheduled FOC declaration at the end of 2025,” he added, referring to the term Full Operational Capability, a milestone in military-procurement lore that indicates an acquisition program is performing as planned.
Asia-Pacific
Austal confirmed Tuesday that it received an unsolicited bid from Hanwha to acquire the Australian shipbuilding giant for up to $663 million. In a press release, Austal revealed that it had rejected the offer, citing concerns that the government would not permit the sale due to the sensitivity of the company’s operations. Under the proposal, Austal shareholders would receive 2.825 Australian dollars per share. Hanwha also promised to bring important investments to support local communities in Australia.
Taiwan said Tuesday that soldiers on one of its tiny frontline islands just off China’s mainland were on heightened alert following what it called provocations by Chinese civilian drones. Beijing claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control. In addition to military pressure from Chinese warplanes and vessels that maintain a near-daily presence around the island, Taiwan has faced incursions from civilian and unidentified drones that surveil and harass its troops.
