Americas
Bell Boeing won a $23.4 million modification, which exercises options to provide continued flight test support for the V-22 aircraft in support of the Navy, Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Fort Worth, Texas; and Hurlburt Field, Florida, and is expected to be completed in January 2024. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft developed by Boeing and Bell Helicopters. Boeing is responsible for the fuselage, landing gear, avionics, electrical and hydraulic systems, performance and flying qualities.
The US Army has decided that the two Iron Dome batteries will be sent to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington while the service figure out where the final deployment location will be. Equipment training on the second battery will be completed by the end of March, a spokesperson for the Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Missiles and Space wrote in a Jan. 8 email to Breaking Defense.
Middle East & Africa
The Biden administration has informed the US Congress of preparations to sell F-16 Fighting Falcons to Turkey, under a $20 billion deal. However, this is facing opposition from congress. Last Thursday, the US Department of State informed Congress that preparations for the deal are underway. In October 2021, Turkey requested to acquire 40 F-16 fighter jets (Lockheed Martin) as well as 80 upgrade kits for its existing F-16s. And while the government supports the deal, Congress so far is refusing to greenlight it.
Europe
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is deploying its E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance planes to Bucharest, Romania on January 17. The purpose of this deployment is to support the Alliance’s reinforced presence in the region and to monitor Russian military activity. This move is a response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which has threatened peace and security in Europe. In order to address this threat, NATO has increased its air presence in eastern Europe with additional fighters, surveillance aircraft, and tankers.
Norway, a NATO member that shares a border with Russia, said Friday it would place an order for artillery shells worth $263 million to boost its ammunition stocks. The defense ministry has signed an agreement with national ammunition manufacturer Nammo which, as a result of this “biggest contract ever,” will increase its production capacity. “There is a new geopolitical situation, there is a war in Europe and the preparedness level has been raised,” Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram told reporters.
Asia-Pacific
The Indian government on Tuesday approved the purchase of a domestically-developed portable air defense system. The Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORAD) is part of a wider defense acquisition approved for 42.76 billion rupees ($523 million), including HELINA anti-tank guided missiles, BrahMos missile launchers, and fire control systems.
Today’s Video
WATCH: How Israel’s Iron Dome Works | WSJ
