Americas
RENK America won a $54.6 million modification by the US Army for for Bradley Fighting Vehicle System and Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle System transmission and hardware production support. Work will be performed in Muskegon, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2025. The Bradley Fighting Vehicle’s role is to transport infantry on the battlefield, to provide fire cover to dismounted troops, and to suppress enemy tanks and fighting vehicles. The M2 carries a commander, gunner and driver, plus six fully equipped infantry men.
Northrop Grumman won a $387.8 million modification, which adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering efforts in support of the production of three unique configuration E-2D Advanced Hawkeye for the Government of France. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida; Marlborough, Massachusetts; Baltimore, Maryland; Liverpool, New York; Orlando, Florida; West Chester, Ohio; Woodland Hills, California; Cisterna di Latina, Italy; and various locations within the continental US, and is expected to be completed in December 2027.
Middle East
IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) and Odysight.ai unveiled a cutting-edge visual-based health monitoring system for UH60 helicopters. The system is based on a multicamera system that enables real-time monitoring of the aircraft systems’ health, ensuring maximum safety and availability. The UH60 helicopter is a dominant player in rotary-wing aircraft. It is used for various missions, including search and rescue, medical evacuation, and transportation of passengers and equipment. The new visual-based health monitoring system provides a comprehensive view of the helicopter’s systems, detecting component degradation and early malfunction before they become critical. The helicopter is equipped with Odysight.ai’s advanced visual sensing & video analytics technology, which includes multiple highly resilient cameras, high-performance processing units, machine vision embedded software, and AIML models and algorithms to support a variety of predictive maintenance and condition-based monitoring solutions. The cameras will be strategically placed throughout the helicopter, capturing real-time visual conditions on various safety critical components.
Europe
The British Army has taken delivery of new lightweight recovery vehicles (LWRVs) from local manufacturers Supacat and NP Aerospace. The vehicles, supplied to army units in Tern Hill and Leuchars, are part of the country’s Protected Mobility Engineering and Technical Support program. According to the developers, the LWRVs are designed to meet the UK Ministry of Defense’s off-road recovery requirements for its high-mobility transport vehicles.
Slovenia has revised its current defense plan to acquire six additional multi-purpose helicopters and a C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. The amendment, approved by the government, aims to ensure that Ljubljana can properly address emerging security challenges. The European nation already ordered one C-27J and associated services from Italian aviation firm Leonardo for $96.4 million.
Asia-Pacific
Taiwan’s Air Force is taking strategic and risk-hedging measures by considering the extension of the service life of its Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jets. The nation’s Air Force Command Headquarters announced its intention to assess whether nine of these Mirage 2000-5DI twin-seat fighters can continue to serve for another 20 years. Taiwan procured a fleet of 60 Mirage fighters starting in 1997, and as these aircraft are now entering a later stage of their life cycle, the cost of maintaining and repairing them has escalated, surpassing that of other aircraft in the Air Force’s arsenal.
Today’s Video
WATCH: Slovenia to Acquire Multipurpose Helicopters and C 27J Spartan Transport Aircraft
