Americas
General Atomics won a $34.4 million deal, which procures eight mobile ground control stations and six ground data terminals in support of successful operational capability of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary Medium Altitude Long Endurance MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper air vehicles and ground control stations for the Navy. Work will take place in California and is expected to be finished in May 2025.
Carrier-borne variants of the LCA and MiG-29 have landed and taken off from India’s indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant for the first time on February 6. The achievement is a milestone for Aatmamirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative. Design and built in India, the INS Vikrant is a Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) carrier that was commissioned into service in September 2022.
Middle East & Africa
According to Jane’s, the Iraqi Army Aviation Command (IAAC) is planning to replace its Russian helicopters with US-made types, according to the latest quarterly report on Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ released by the US Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) on February 7. It said the Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MoD) has submitted Foreign Military Sales (FMS) requests for 16 Bell 412M and four Bell 412EPX medium-lift helicopters to replace the IAAC’s Russian-made Mi-17s, 15 new Bell 407Ms to replace existing 407s in the light-attack role, and 15 new Bell 505 helicopters to replace the 407s and OH-58s currently used as trainers.
Europe
US Senator Bob Menendez, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has approved the sale of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets to Greece. Greece had sent a Letter of Request for 20 F-35A fighters to Washington DC via the US embassy in Athens in June 2022. This is the first step in a multi-stage process to acquire the stealth fighters. “I am pleased that two days ago I signed off for the F35-s to the Hellenic Republic and I did so not because I am simply a fan of the Greek people; I did so because this is a country that shares our values, that is aligned with us to things that are important in the world; democracy, human rights, rule of law, a country that is not belligerent to its neighbors,” Menendez was quoted as saying.
Asia-Pacific
Boeing has conducted a successful trial of the Royal Australian Navy’s new maritime communications system. Performed in collaboration with engineering partner BMT, the test allowed developers to validate the networking and management software of the Maritime Warfighter Network. The team incorporated meshed broadband line-of-sight radios, as well as wired and wireless shore connectivity.
Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has tested a new cruise missile believed capable of reaching mainland China, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. The weapon, said to be an extended-range variant of the Hsiung Feng 2E land-attack cruise missile, was launched from the island’s southernmost county of Pingtung.
Today’s Video
WATCH: F-35A Fighter Jets At Exercise Poseidon’s Rage 22
