Americas
Lockheed Martin won a $14.4 million modification, which exercises an option to provide additional lab support labor and material to continue lab support of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter laboratory facilities at Edwards Air Force Base, California; Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland; and Fort Worth, Texas, in support of the Air Force, Navy, and F-35 cooperative program partners. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
The F-15EX made its debut public appearance at the Oregon International Air Show (OIA). The advanced fighter jet, operated by the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, wowed the crowds with flyovers. The F-15EX, a significant upgrade from its predecessor the F-15C, boasts a range of technological advancements. Equipped with advanced sensors, computers, flight controls, and enhanced power, the EX represents a generational leap in fighter aircraft capabilities. Its “digital backbone” is designed to facilitate rapid integration of new technologies, ensuring the aircraft remains at the forefront of airpower.
Middle East & Africa
The US has approved $165 million in weapons sales to Israel to fund heavy-duty tank trailers, the State Department announced Thursday. The systems include spare and repair parts, tool kits and technical and logistics support. They are not expected to be delivered until 2027. Earlier this year, the US announced a mammoth $20 billion weapons support package for Israel to include F-15 fighter jets. Like the tank trailers, those systems will not be delivered for several years and will not affect current Israeli military operations amid the 11-month-old war with Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by the terror group’s October 7 onslaught in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken.
Europe
The US State Department has approved the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) requested by Romania for the acquisition of the F-35 Lightning II. Romania will get 32 aircraft, a spare engine and related equipment for $ 7.2 billion as part of a government-to-government deal which has been defined as the most expensive in Romania’s history. The FMS notification includes a list of non-MDE (Major Defense Equipment) items which will be included, such as secure communications, spare part, test devices and various support equipment. Interestingly, no weapons were mentioned in the notification, although in the last few months Foreign Military Sales were approved for the AIM-9X and AIM-120C-8.
Asia-Pacific
Hanwha Defence Australia has selected Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia to supply their PASEO Joint Fires panoramic targeting sight on the Redback infantry fighting vehicle. A long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance sensor, the PASEO improves the survivability and lethality of infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks. “It integrates high performance day and night all weather optronics sensors and offers 360° coverage with a high-rate sectorial scanning capability,” Safran explains.
