Black Hawks Delivered to Philippines 11 November 2020

Poland-based firm PZL Mielec, which works for Lockheed Martin, delivered five of the S-70i Black Hawk transport helicopters manufactured for the Philippines. The Philippines, which ordered a total of 16 helicopters, signed a contract for the platforms in 2019 amounting to USD 240 million. Poland's Defence Ministry announced that the sixth helicopter will be delivered by sea because only five helicopters can be transported on the Antonov An-124 transport aircraft. The s...

Slovakia Plans to Buy Training Aircraft 31 October 2020

Slovakia's Defence Ministry wants to buy new training aircraft for the air force. Slovakia, which has purchased 14 F-16 Block 70 fighter jets in 2019, will send pilots to the United States for training in the first phase. Slovakia then aims to provide training to its pilots on the planes it buys. The Slovakian Air Force's fleet already has six L-39 Albatross training aircraft, with operational life expected to expire within the next six years. The Ministry of Defen...

Black Hawks Pass Through Taiwan Streets and Reach Airport 14 October 2020

Taiwan's government purchased a total of 60 UH-60M Black Hawk general purpose helicopters in 2009. With the arrival of six new UH-60M Black Hawks on the cargo ship at Kaohsiung port in the first week of October, the delivery of the country's purchased platforms has been completed. The footage reflected the transport of helicopters leaving the port to the airport on the streets of Kaohsiung. Six new helicopters will be deployed at Songshan and Kaohsiung airports. Ta...

Korea Retires Black Hawks 12 October 2020

The Republic of Korea will retire the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters in its inventory. 103 Black Hawks, which have been operational for nearly 20 years, were planned to go through the modernization process, but the country's arms supply agency said it could replace the UH-60s already in use with the KUH-1 Surion helicopters developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). According to a feasibility study conducted by the Korea Institute for Defence Analysis on gener...

Ivchenko-Progress to power up the Turkish Cruise missile 5 October 2020

Ukraine based defence magazine “Defence Express,” wrote that the company purchased components for the production of 12 new AI-35 engines. Quoting the ProZorro public procurement platform, reported that SE Ivchenko-Progress signed a number of contracts for the purchase of cutting-edge aircraft engine components for the new AI-35 turbojet engines that will equip new Turkish cruise missiles. The new cruise missile will have the deep-strike capability. SE Ivchenko-Progress d...

New Seahawk Seen Leaving Hangar 2 October 2020

The new Seahawk XSH-60L helicopter developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has left the hangar. The platform was developed in accordance with the needs of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF). New technologies used in the XSH-60L, described as the successor to the SH-60K, are currently unknown. The platform will be operated by the Purchasing, Technology and Logistics Agency of Japan's Ministry of Defence during the initial testing phase. The new platform is ex...

GA-ASI Conducts Sparrowhawk sUAS Flight Tests 27 September 2020

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems announced with a press release that the company conducted captive carry Sparrowhawk Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) flight demonstrations on September 16-17, 2020. The Sparrowhawk aircraft is designed as an airborne launch and recovery demonstrator aircraft tailored to fit GA-ASI platforms and is focused on Advanced Battle Management System’s attritableONE technologies. Sparrowhawk iterates on the DARPA Gremlins Program to further airborne rec...

Korea Retires UH-1Hs, Philippines Wants to Transfer UH-1Hs 26 September 2020

The Philippines wants to inventory UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) general purpose helicopters that the Republic of Korea has taken out of service in July 2020. The Philippine Air Force (Philippine Air Force/PAF) has confirmed plans to meet with the Korean Defence Ministry for 21 Huey transfers. The PAF is expected to send a team to examine helicopters that have been in Korea for nearly 52 years. During the negotiation process with the Korean government, the White House is expected t...

HSC-22 Receives First MQ-8C Firescout 25 September 2020

    US Navy, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22 received their first MQ-8C Firescout on Sept. 15 aboard Naval Station Norfolk.  HSC-22 marks the first East Coast squadron to operate all three systems to include the MH-60S Knighthawk, MQ-8B Firescout, and MQ-8C Firescout. The newly added capability of the MQ-8C combines the capabilities of the MQ-8B with the MH-60S Knighthawk to improve the Navy’s ability to investigate and target hostile su...

French Air Force Became French Air and Space Force 18 September 2020

 On 11 September 2020, the Armée de l'Air (AdlA), French Air Force) was renamed into Armée de l'Air & de l'Espace (AdlAdlE), French Air and Space Force. The new logo of the AdlAdlE was revealed on 11 September as well. The grey rounded line represents earth, while the well-known stylised sparrow-hawk is over watching that earth. On 3 September 2019, space was defined as being “a major stake” for France's strategic independence. The ...

Anomaly Detection Sensor for MH-60R Seahawk 14 September 2020

Under Lockheed martin's main contractor, the Digital Magnetic Anomaly Detection Sensor will be developed for the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. According to the U.S. Department of Defence, the sensor agreement is about $29 million. The contract includes software and hardware development and engineering support for the sensor's integration into the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. The magnetic anomaly detection sensor, which detects instant changes in the Earth's magnetic field, is...

Chinese KJ-600 Performs Maiden Flight 8 September 2020

  China’s KJ-600 carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft performed its first flight on August 28th. China became the second country other than the United States to have successfully developed such a platform. China announced it was developing a sixth AEW&C plane, the KJ-600. China had been working on building its AEW&C jet since the 1960s with relatively little success. Chinese state media confirmed what foreign media outlets and social media...

Korkut at Libya 18 August 2020

Domestic systems, which developed in line with the requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces, take their place in the battlefield. The Korkut self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system is spotted at Libya in the satellite images published on social media recently. Open source photos also featured Hawk launcher units and a camouflaged system thought to be radar. It did not go unnoticed that the coordinates given with the published images belong to Al-Watiya airbase. T...

Hawks are Stronger than Thought 16 August 2020

The good news for Australia from Hawk jet trainer, which has launched numerous acquisition programs within the scope of the modern combat requirements of the armed forces. The test program carried out on the Hawk Mk127 aircraft serving the Royal Australian Air Force (Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an advanced jet trainer aircraft has been completed. In a statement made by BAE Systems Australia, it was stated that RAAF could keep Hawk Mk 127's on duty until the end of the 2...

Stealth Black Hawk 12 August 2020

Stealth aircraft is an issue that many states have been working on with serious resources since the Second World War. Osama Bin Laden, the ringleader of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, was killed in May 2011 in an operation to his home in Bilal Town, Abbotabad City, Pakistan. In the operation carried out by SEAL (Sea, Air, Land), a special unit of the US Navy with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that had undergone special modifications also known as EH-60 shot down. The plat...

Turkish Navy to Provide Security for Seismic Surveys 11 August 2020

Turkish Navy, which has a powerful rooted tradition, provides the security of the seismic survey activities carried out by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ankara had declared Navtex in the Eastern Mediterranean for seismic research activities. MTA Oruç Reis, who anchored in the scope of the works, started to deployment in the region with the accompanying Turkish Navy vessels. As the relevant share his from the Ministry of Defence's official social medi...

Ear Order for MH-60R Sea Hawks 7 August 2020

Dipping sonars are the underwater ear of naval helicopters. These systems have great importance for anti-submarine warfare missions. Lockheed Martin, one of the leading defence companies of the USA, announced that a new order has been received from the aviation unit of the US Navy, NAVAIR (US Naval Air Systems Command). 39 AN/AQS-22 ALFS (Airborne Low-Frequency Sonar) systems will be received within the scope of the acquisition, which is a modification for the previously signed supp...

NATO Receives Fourth RQ-4D Phoenix UAV 31 July 2020

On Monday, the Headquarters Allied Air Command press release said that the fourth UAV of NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Force arrived at the Italian Air Force Base in Sigonella, Italy. “On July 26, 2020, the fourth remotely piloted aircraft of NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Force arrived at the Italian Air Force Base in Sigonella, Italy.  The aircraft took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California, USA, at 18:33 local time on July 25 ...

Unexpected Aviation Step from Serbia 30 July 2020

Serbia, which has close relations with Russia in the military aviation field, came up with an unexpected move. A senior official from the Serbian Ministry of Defence announced on July 25th that the country is interested in the US made T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft. In the speech, it was stated that the Serbian Air Force attracted attention with the price/performance ratio of the platforms that came to the fore with low initial acquisition and maintenance cost...

Trump Admin Officially Weakened Military Drones Export Regime 27 July 2020

  The US applies new rules to make it easier to export drones.  Under a new policy announced Friday, unmanned aerial systems that fly at speeds below 800 k/h will no longer be subject to the “presumption of denial”. This decision will affect most blocked international sales of drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper and the RQ-4 Global Hawk. This change will have effects how the United States interprets the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) The U.S. gov...

Additional Black Hawk Acquisition 10 July 2020

Jordan, which has a well-established military tradition and well-equipped armed forces infrastructure despite being a small country, acquiring additional helicopter. The U.S. recently approved the sale of 1 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter to Jordan. Within the scope of FMS (Foreign Military Sales), two T700-GE-701D turboshaft engines and other subcomponents will be delivered with the helicopter. Currently, there are more than 20 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters in Jordan...

Long Range Strike Capability to Greek Apaches 10 July 2020

Despite the economic problems, Greece continues to invest in arms and defence spending. Greece plans to modernize AH-64 Apache helicopters with the acquisition of surplus spare parts from the United Arab Emirates, which modernized its AH-64 Apache helicopters. Modernization of 19 helicopters is foreseen within the scope of the process, the total cost of which is thought to be 35 million USD. In this context, it is planned to replace the TADS/PNVS hardware of the platforms with ...

Black Hawk sales from the USA 8 July 2020

The U.S. Department of State approved a total of seven UH-60M sales to the Kingdom of Jordan and Lithuania. According to the US Defence and Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), one of these helicopters is for Jordan and the remaining six are for Lithuania. Jordan will pay $ 23 million for a single helicopter, and Lithuania will pay a total of $ 380 million for six helicopters. If Lithuania's helicopters were in the same configuration of Jordan, they would have cost $ 138 million instead of...

France to Improve Navy AEW&C Capability 8 July 2020

Ship-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft are eyes of the carrier task force in front lines, especially in open seas. Being the only user of nuclear aircraft carrier expect the USA, France is on the way to improve its ship-based AEW&C capability. In this context, Washington approved the possible sale of three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye under the FMS (Foreign Military Sales) to Paris. The total cost of the platforms and the necessary equipment was es...

US’ Mark VI Patrol Boats at Black Sea 17 June 2020

US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Ukraine of up to 16 Mark VI Patrol Boats and related equipment for an estimated cost of $600 million.  The Defence Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. The Mark VI is a class of patrol boat in service with the United States Navy, designed to patrol riverine and littoral waters.  ...

U.S. Improved Helicopter Engine Program Interrupted by Virus 15 June 2020

Coronavirus disrupted the U.S. improved helicopter engine program. The pandemic process caused delays in shipping key components of the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP). The critical design review phase of the planned engine program in the second quarter of the current fiscal year will continue slower than expected.  ITEP program officials are scheduled to begin testing on the General Electric Aviation T901 turbine engine next year. ITEP, which is expected to significantl...

Eastern Mediterranean Investment yo Hellenic Navy 11 June 2020

Despite economic problems, Greece continues its armament programs. Greek parliament approved several projects on May 2. Thus, Athens decided to add new ones to existing processes. Greece, which makes unilateral claims in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean and sometimes does not hesitate from dangerous convergence, continues its investments in weapon systems. At the parliamentary meeting held in Athens on 2 May, it was decided to expand the processes in question. In this c...

Search for Navy Jet Trainer 19 May 2020

Countries with aircraft carriers using the CATOBAR system need advanced jet trainers suitable for the system in question during the training of navy pilots. The US, the world's largest aircraft carrier user, has taken action for new advanced jet trainer planned to be procured to the Navy. In this context, Washington published an Request for Information Document on May 14. According to the document, the new platform, which will be used for FCLP (Field Carrier Landing Practice) do...

Navy Helicopter Agreement 18 May 2020

India continues its naval investments due to the growing tension in the region, the platforms that have reached the end of its economic life and the consolidation of maritime domination.  The US, which recently signed an agreement with India for the procurement of naval helicopters, took action for the production phase of the platforms. The US Navy signed a USD 904.8 million deal with Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, for the manufacture of 21 MH-60R Sea...

Future Ship Delivered 28 April 2020

Launched as the ship of the future, the Zumwalt class destroyers left an important milestone behind. A team of engineers commissioned by Raytheon, ship crew and naval staff, took part in the platform's testing and combat system activation activities. USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the first of the Zumwalt class platforms with advanced sensors, weapon systems and two 155 mm main guns with a structure that reduces the radar cross-sectional area, was delivered to the US Navy. The Navy, wh...

Production Rate Doubled 24 April 2020

COVID-19, which makes its impact felt all over the world, seems to be missed some processes, although it affects studies in the defence industry. Thales, which has delivered its first batch of Hawkei vehicles to Australia in the past few weeks, announced that it has increased its production speed. Company increased production rate twice at Bendigo Facilities, where the Hawkei production line based, and stated that the decision was made in order to meet the orders of Canberra go...

Navy Wants Tactical Nuclear Back 21 April 2020

In the late periods of the Cold War, START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) and then the INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty / Medium Range Nuclear Forces) were signed to reduce nuclear tension in the world. In this way, many nuclear weapons, especially tactical ones, were disposed, and the number of strategic systems in question was significantly reduced. After the USA and Russia announced one after another that they would suspend the INF in 2019, the ...

Climate Tests Succesful 16 April 2020

An important milestone has been left behind in the new combat search and rescue helicopter program. Test activities continue in the HH-60W Jolly Green II program, which was launched within the scope of the new search and rescue helicopter requirement of the the US Air Force (USAF). The platform completed the extreme weather tests on April 2. Jolly Green II has passed tests at the McKinley Climate Laboratory the in the Eglin Air Force Base, located in Florida. In the l...

Chinese Sea Hawk 6 April 2020

In addition to the original product development, the images of China's new helicopter, which intensely carries out reverse engineering activities, have been published. In the past years, China developed the Z-20 helicopter with the reverse engineering method from the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters it had previously acquired from the USA. The naval variant of the Z-20, which was produced in line with the need for high-performance helicopters especially in high altitude areas s...

New Vessel for the Submarine Fleet 6 April 2020

Conventional and nuclear submarine programs continue throughout the world. The US Navy continues the Virginia Class submarine process confidently. 18th Virginia was taken into the inventory on April 4, within the scope of the program, whose design process dates back to 1996. It was stated that USS Delaware (SSN 791), is the last Block III Virginia built in the program. The process will continue with Block IV model platforms. Eight Block III Virginia were built under t...

Modernised Tomahawk 2 April 2020

Increasing tension around the world leads countries to increase their systems in terms of quality and quantity. The US continues to sharpen the war axes. Under the $ 493 million deal signed with Raytheon, Tomahawk (Battle Axe) Block IV missiles will be modernized and upgraded to Block V. In this context, new generation navigation systems and data link equipment will be integrated into the projectiles. The status of the Tomahawks to be recertified will also be monitored and syst...

Turkish Black Hawk on Trials 25 March 2020

The T70 Utility Helicopter Program, which was launched for the utility helicopter requirement of the Turkish Armed Forces and the fire fighting helicopter need of the General Directorate of Forestry, continues its progress. Presidency of Defence Industries (Savunma Sanayii Başkanlığı / SSB), which is the military acquirement corporation of Turkey, shared an information from its official social media accounts about the testing activities of the platform. In the statement, &...

JL-9 Solution 23 March 2020

Aircraft carrier power is increasing worldwide. Described as a separate capability in aviation, the ship-based aircraft operation also creates the need for special equipment. China, which tries to become one of the world's leading aircraft carrier powers, continues its works without interruption. Beijing, which has commissioned the first two ships and continues the construction of the third, takes measures to meet the increasing need for aircraft and pilots. In this context...

Additional Jet Trainer 23 March 2020

The advanced jet trainers approaching the end of their economic life. So they will leave their places to new ones. The US Air Force also chose the T-7A Red Hawks in the past months to replace the T-38 Talons in its inventory. For the transition to new platforms, the USA launched the Reforge Proof of Concept (RFX) process to provide advanced training in specific areas with modern training aircraft. In this process, a limited amount of aircraft procurement is planned.

Bell and Sikorsky-Boeing Will Compete for New Design 17 March 2020

Bell and Sikorsky-Boeing will compete for the design planned to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk general-purpose helicopter, which has been operational since 1979. The US Army has awarded Bell and a Sikorsky-Boeing team Competitive Demonstration and Risk Reduction contracts for the next stage of its Future Long Range Air Assault (FLRAA) programme. Over the last several years, Bell and the Sikorsky-Boeing team designed, built and flew demonstrators for the service’s Joint Multi-Rol...