Americas
Boeing won a $21.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for the F-15 Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System. Work will be performed at Nashua, New Hampshire, and is expected to be completed by November 30, 2025. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Sikorsky has announced a bold venture into the future of vertical flight with its plans to develop a family of next-generation Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) systems. This initiative aims to push the boundaries of existing technology and explore diverse configurations – ranging from more traditional helicopters to winged configurations – to address the evolving needs of the aerial mobility landscape. The cornerstone of this effort is the construction and testing of a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing demonstrator (HEX / VTOL). This aircraft, featuring a tilt-wing configuration, will boast a maximum gross weight of 9,000 pounds. To achieve this, the demonstrator will leverage a 1.2-megawatt-class turbogenerator and associated power electronics. This hybrid-electric approach signifies Sikorsky’s commitment to exploring alternative propulsion technologies with the potential to reduce emissions and noise signature compared to conventional VTOL designs. Notably, the aircraft will also be equipped with an advanced autonomy system, paving the way for optionally piloted flight.
Middle East & Africa
Nigeria has taken a step towards bolstering its military transport capabilities by acquiring four CN235-220 multipurpose aircraft from Indonesia. This marks the first export order for PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) in 2024 and signifies a significant development in bilateral defence cooperation between the two nations. According to PTDI’s statement at the Singapore Airshow 2024, it is currently in the process of obtaining a new procurement contract for 4 units of the CN235-220 multipurpose aircraft with Allied Aeronautics Limited (AAL), a local aerospace company in Nigeria for the Nigerian Air Force end user.
Europe
According to Defense News, several European nations have sourced hundreds of thousands of 122-millimeter artillery rounds from abroad to donate to Ukraine, a move that experts say will help bridge Kyiv’s ammunition shortage against invading Russian forces during a critical time of the war. The latest military package bound for Ukraine, announced this month by the German government, included over 120,000 artillery projectiles of the Soviet-standard caliber. The Berlin government specified that the deliveries were coming from industry stocks financed with public funds.
Asia-Pacific
Australian Navy personnel have begun training with recently acquired sea mines, Air Vice Marshall Leon Philips revealed at a recent event. “The first batch of modern sea mines have been received and have been used in maritime training by our Navy,” Naval News quoted the Chief of Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) as saying during the 21st annual Australian Defence Magazine Congress. Australia’s defense department purchased the “smart” mines from RWM Italia last year as part of Project SEA 2000 Maritime Mining.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday of a “real” risk of nuclear war if the West escalates the conflict in Ukraine, offering a defiant and emboldened stance in his annual speech to Russians. Speaking in Moscow, Putin said his soldiers were advancing in Ukraine and warned the West of “tragic consequences” for any country that dared to send troops to Kyiv. “They have announced the possibility of sending Western military contingents to Ukraine… The consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic,” he said in his address to the nation.
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