Americas
Raytheon won a $13.4 million deal to exercise options for design and engineering support services for the Rolling Airframe Missile on January 25, 2024. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona and is expected to be completed by March 2028. The Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is a lightweight, quick-reaction, fire-and-forget missile system designed for ship self-defense against anti-ship missiles and aircraft. It was jointly developed by the United States and Germany to provide close-in defense capabilities for naval vessels.
Raytheon and the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) have concluded a three-week field test of the Counter-Electronic High-Power Microwave Extended-Range Air Base Defense (CHIMERA) in New Mexico. CHIMERA was developed to protect military installations from medium to long-range airborne threats.
Middle East & Africa
Israel’s push for Apache helicopter procurement from the US has gathered momentum after an initial denial. Israeli officials re-requested the Boeing choppers during a meeting with their US counterparts, resulting in the application being “advanced and given priority,” Yedioth Ahronoth revealed, citing sources.
Europe
Slovakia has expressed interest in purchasing the Patriot missile defense system from the United States, aiming to modernize its air defense capabilities. The announcement, made by Defense Minister Robert Kalinak on January 28, comes amid ongoing discussions about defense strategies in the wake of the Ukraine war. Slovakia is exploring the possibility of using a discount secured in a previous arms deal with the US to offset the cost of the Patriot system. The discount stemmed from Bratislava’s decision to supply Ukraine with its retired MiG-29 fighter jets and an S-300 air defense system in exchange for 12 Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters at a two-thirds discount.
Members of the Global Air Combat Programme are considering opening up the initiative to other countries. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto revealed that Italy, Japan, and the UK are open to collaborating with other nations to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter, but only after its initial phase is completed.
Asia-Pacific
According the Defense Post, The Philippine government has approved a revised military modernization plan called “Re-Horizon 3,” which would see it spend up to $35 billion in 10 years. Signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Re-Horizon 3 is the final stage of a three-phase modernization initiative that started in 2013 in response to Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.
