Americas
The US State Department has cleared the transfer of 24 F-16s from Denmark to Argentina. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Security in the State Department, Mira Resnick, delivered the letter approving the transfer to Jorge Argüello, Argentina’s ambassador to United States on October 11. Also cleared was the transfer of four P-3 maritime patrol aircraft from Norway to Argentina. The Argentinian government will now have to decide whether to accept the offer from the United States.
The US Army has procured 7,000 additional RT-2129 combat net radios (CNRs) from Thales to ensure robust and secure communications on the battlefield. The order is part of a $6 billion dual-vendor, multi-year contract signed in May 2022. According to the company, the system will form a critical element in the US Army’s modernization efforts as it will serve as a modern radio replacement for its legacy Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS).
Middle East and Africa
The Israeli army said Thursday it was preparing for a ground assault on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip but that the country’s political leaders had not yet taken a decision. It said the military’s campaign against the Islamists was also aimed at “taking out” the group’s senior leadership, including top government officials. “We are waiting to see what our political leadership decides about a potential ground” incursion, army spokesman Richard Hecht told journalists.
Europe
The Czech Republic and Denmark will send dozens of armored vehicles and tanks and thousands of firearms to Ukraine as part of a joint project, the Czech defense ministry said on Thursday. The weapons will be provided by private Czech companies and paid for by the Danish government. In the first phase of the project, Ukraine will, “in the months to come,” receive almost 50 armored vehicles and combat tanks, 2,500 handguns, 7,000 rifles, 500 machine guns, and 500 sniper rifles, the ministry said.
The UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) has put its first underwater surveillance ship in service. RFA Proteus had its launching ceremony on the Thames on October 10 as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance program. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced the ship’s development last year as a mothership for protecting critical seabed infrastructure such as cables and gas pipelines.
Asia-Pacific
Airbus and the Singaporean Air Force have completed a series of automatic air-to-air refueling between an A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) and F-15 Eagle fighter jets. The campaign supports the certification of the A330/F-15 automated refueling setup slated for certification in 2024, which will make the Southeast Asian nation’s air force the “first in the world to have a boom automatic refueling capability with all of its receivers.”
Today’s Video
WATCH: How Panic Created The Best Fighter Jet Ever: The F-15 Eagle
