Americas
Northrop Grumman’s AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) for the F-16 fighter jet has successfully completed testing at the US Air Force’s Joint Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Sensors (J-PRIMES) facility, paving the way for flight testing on Air Force F-16 aircraft. The J-PRIMES testing, conducted in an anechoic chamber, subjected the IVEWS to complex radio frequency spectrum threats, simulating real-world combat scenarios. The system demonstrated its capability to detect, identify, and counter advanced RF threats while maintaining compatibility with other F-16 systems.
Austal has rolled out the US Navy’s 15th Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport vessel in Mobile, Alabama. During the ceremony, the USNS Point Loma (EPF 15) was lifted via a self-propelled modular platform three feet (approximately 1 meter) above ground a distance of 400 feet (121.9 meters) to a deck barge adjacent to the final assembly bay. The barge moved the vessel to the firm’s West Campus repair yard where it was submerged via a floating dry dock to complete its first float.
Middle East & Africa
A war monitor said a senior commander from the security forces in northeast Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish-led administration was killed on Tuesday in a blast near a prison in Hasakeh province. “A commander in the Kurdish security forces was killed and another person was wounded” in an explosion near the prison in Umm Fursan on the outskirts of the city of Qamishli “at the same time that a Turkish drone was flying in the area,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The commander in the Asayish security forces had played “a prominent role in leading military operations against the Islamic State group in Raqa province,” a former bastion of the jihadists in Syria, said the Britain-based Observatory.
Europe
The Luftwaffe has declared Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defense system, achieving a significant upgrade for German air defense capabilities. This achievement comes just one year after the German Bundestag’s Budget Committee approved the procurement of six fire units, marking a rapid transition from acquisition decision to operational readiness. The IOC declaration ceremony, held at the Todendorf military training area in Schleswig-Holstein, saw attendance from top government and military officials, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, and Luftwaffe Chief Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz. Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch and representatives from the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) were also present, underscoring the collaborative effort between industry and the armed forces.
Asia-Pacific
The US State Department has agreed a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of follow-on technical support for Japan’s Aegis-class destroyer fleet, at an estimated cost of $150 million. The sale will include sustainment support and services, Aegis computer software updates, system integration and testing, in-country and on-site engineering support, familiarisation and sustainment. Additional, the deal will involve all necessary emergent support engineering and technical support services, operational support, system overhauls and upgrades, and on-the-job practical operations and maintenance. The payment will also buy Japan combat systems integration, development, testing, and installation of program patches; adaptation data and annual service agreements; coverage of any technical inquiries, operation, integration and maintenance; field service engineering, problem investigation and solutions to the technical problems arising from post-production; and testing capabilities. US government and contractor technical assistance will form a vital part of the package.
