Americas
Palantir Technologies has won a $480-million contract to begin the prototyping phase for the US Army’s Maven Smart System project. Maven is an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tool that fuses information from various sources into a unified interface to provide faster and much-improved battlefield analysis. It can identify military points of interest more rapidly than other battlefield analyzers, speeding up the work of intelligence analysts. Work for the contract is expected to be completed by 2029.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen Bell Textron and Aurora Flight Sciences to move to the next phase of the SPRINT X-Plane development program. Short for Speed and Runway Independent Technologies, the SPRINT initiative aims to design and build an experimental aircraft that does not require a runway and can fly at over 741 kilometers per hour). According to a DARPA spokesperson, the two companies have been awarded separate contracts for Phase 1B, which covers preliminary design work for the vertical-lift aircraft.
Middle East & Africa
Four Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) F-15Ks escorted the plane of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan as he arrived in Seoul on May 28 for a two-day state visit at the invitation from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Europe
The US State Department approved possible Foreign Military Sales to the governments of Austria and Sweden for UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, along with related equipment, training, and support. Both countries requested to purchase twelve UH-60M helicopters each, with differences in the related equipment. The value of the Swedish contract is $900 million, while the Austrian contract is valued at $1.05 billion. Sweden already operates the UH-60M, locally named the Hkp16A, whereas Austria operates the S-70A-42. Austria received its Sikorsky S-70s in 2002/2003 and is currently upgrading its fleet of nine Black Hawks with work done by Ace Aeronautics in Guntersville, Alabama. These helicopters are receiving extensive avionics upgrades, with the first one re-delivered to Austria in March 2021. In 2020, the Austrian Ministry of Defense purchased three UH-60L Black Hawks from the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF). An additional contract with Ace Aeronautics LLC will provide these Black Hawks with the same upgrades as the S-70A-42 models.
Sweden has unveiled its most substantial military support package for Ukraine to date, a $1.3 billion contribution aimed at bolstering the nation’s air defense capabilities and fulfilling other critical needs. The centerpiece of the package is the donation of Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASC 890) aircraft, also known as the Saab 340 AEW&C. These advanced platforms will provide Ukraine with a newfound capability to identify and engage aerial and maritime threats at extended ranges. The package encompasses comprehensive support, including training for Ukrainian personnel, technical equipment, and logistical aid for establishing air surveillance and command & control systems.
Asia-Pacific
India’s Defense Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) flight tested the indigenously-developed RudraM-II air-to-surface missile on Wednesday. An Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30 MK-I fighter launched the missile during the test, validating its propulsion system and control & guidance algorithm. The anti-radiation missile is designed to strike enemy air defenses from a standoff range to enable unhindered penetration of air assets during an air attack.
