Americas
The first low-rate initial production MQ-4C in the B8 configuration, with multi-intelligence capabilities, has been delivered to NAS Patuxent River on February 1. The B8 is the first production Triton to be upgraded to the multi-intelligence configuration to meet the Navy’s critical maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting needs.
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, said it is building nine additional CH-53K aircraft for the USMarine Corps. The CH-53K will support the military in its mission to conduct expeditionary heavy-lift assault transport of armored vehicles, equipment and personnel to support distributed operations deep inland from a sea-based center of operations, critical in the Indo-Pacific region.
Middle East & Africa
The Biden administration has cleared Jordan to buy 16 F-16C/D Block 70 fighters in a Foreign Military Sale worth up to $4.2 billion. Twelve of those fighters are C variants and Jordan will buy five spare engines. The package also contains 302 kits to convert bombs into JDAM and Paveway II smart munitions. Jordan will also have to decide whether to select the JHMCS II or Scorpion Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Tracker (HObIT) helmet mounted displays for the pilots.
The US State Department approved a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of multifunctional information distribution system-low volume terminals (MIDS-LVT) to Saudi Arabia. The estimated cost of the FMS, along with the associated equipment, is $23.7 million.
Europe
Hungary has blocked Ukraine’s membership in NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). The Secretary of the Ukrainian National Defense and Security Council (NSDC), Oleksiy Danilov confirmed it, reports Ukrayinska Pravda. Ukraine submitted an official request to join the CCDCOE in August 2021. Two months later, the procedure for approving the application began.
Asia-Pacific
The US Air Force has held an online meeting for the public to discuss the setup of a training base for foreign military pilots at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith on February 4. Patrick Jeanes of the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command disclosed that Singapore will relocate its 12 F-16s from Luke Air Force Base to Ebbing in June 2023. The first F-35 will arrive at Ebbing in July 2024, however, there is no information on which country owns the F-35 that will be delivered there.
Today’s Video
Watch: US Navy Tests Upgraded MQ-4C Triton Drone
