Defence`s Feeds

The US Marine Corps (USMC) is on schedule to conclude the first operational test (OT-1) of its new short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aboard amphibious assault ship USS Wasp on 27 May, USMC and US Navy officials told

The imminent sale by Russia of 46 Mikoyan MiG-29 fighters to Egypt, reported by Russian business daily Vedomosti on 25 May, was stated to be worth about USD2 billion, making it the largest order for the MiG-29 since the fall of the Soviet Union. The MiG-29 contract would follow the announcement in

More evidence has emerged showing that the Libyan National Army (LNA) continues to receive aircraft and armoured vehicles from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The LNA is a coalition of military units and allied militias that is fighting on behalf of the Tobruk-based government

Canada has released the second edition of its Defence Acquisition Guide (DAG) long-term procurement planning document and formally confirmed that it will stand up a third-party panel to "review and validate" projects valued at CAD100 million (USD80 million) or more. The announcement was

The European Defence Agency's (EDA's) newest research project into transferring command-and-control (C2) of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from one satellite to another should carry that goal a step or two closer to regulatory and operational reality, but will fall short of actually demonstrating

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has cleared the USD2.5 billion procurement of 22 AH-64E Apache and 15 CH-47F Chinook helicopters from Boeing ahead of US defence secretary Ashton Carter's visit to New Delhi in early June. Industry sources said the MoD had forwarded the tenders to the finance

NATO is considering expanding its activities in the Middle East and North Africa to address instability there through 'capacity building', according to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Challenges along the alliance's southern perimeter tend to stem from non-state actors and, therefore, the

Chinese news media have reported a fatal accident involving a training aircraft on 13 May, thought to be from the Naval Aviation Academy at Huludao. The 27-year-old instructor and 22-year-old student pilot were killed when the aircraft crashed following an engine failure caused by fire. Coverage on

Bell Helicopter has sold its first 407GT light attack and armed reconnaissance platform to BBM Inc to perform a variety of security missions in the Middle East and Africa, it was announced on 27 May. Bell Helicopter did not disclose how many of the armed 407GTs are to be acquired, but the private

Saudi sources have denied claims that an F-15 crashed in Yemen on the night of 23-24 May. The claims made by various Yemeni media organisations were prompted by photographs and videos purportedly showing the wreckage of the aircraft that had crashed near the capital Sanaa during an attempt to bomb

A total of 250 Brazilian scientists, engineers, and technicians could be sent to Sweden for training and to increase their knowledge of fighter aircraft technologies, the Brazilian government announced on 27 May. The idea was discussed during a meeting in Brazil between Brazilian defence minister

Vietnam has deepened defence industrial ties with France and India as part of Hanoi's efforts to secure technology transfers and develop indigenous capabilities. State media in Hanoi reported on 27 May that senior officials from Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence (MND) and the international

Americas

• SpaceX has been cleared by the Air Force for national security-related launches, injecting competition into a previous United Launch Alliance monopoly on private DoD launches. This is part of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain’s efforts to end US reliance on the Russia-manufactured RD-180 rocket for space launches. However, the Pentagon has previously urged Congress to allow ULA to continue using the Russian rockets in order to “ensure access to space”.

• The Air Force has also successfully test-fired a Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg AFB, with the launch initiated and controlled from a U.S. Strategic Command Airborne Command Post E-6B Sentry AWACS aircraft operating the Airborne Launch Control System.

• The Pentagon is currently determining what should be included in the F-35‘s Block 4 configuration, ahead of a review later this year. Weapons that could feature in Block 4 include the Small Diameter Bomb II and the Kongsberg Joint Strike Missile, as well as potentially the B61-12 standoff nuclear bomb.

• Young and Rubicam Inc. was awarded an $84.4 million contract Wednesday for advertising services in support of Navy recruitment, with one base year and four option years. The total value of the potential five-year contract would be $457.5 million.

• Also on Wednesday, Electric Boat Corp. was handed a $46.4 million contract for planning efforts needed to conduct maintenance, upgrades and modernization on USS Montpelier (SSN 765) while it is in dry dock.

• The Brazilian Navy has received the first of a dozen A-4 Skyhawks modernized by Embraer in order to extend their service life to 2025. Originally manufactured by McDonnell-Douglas, the upgraded jets have received new communications, weapons, power and navigation systems, as well as other new components.

Europe

• The United Kingdom won’t make a decision on whether to procure a British or US-manufactured strike package to equip its F-35 fleet until 2018. The choice is between the Small Diameter Bomb II – manufactured by Raytheon in the US – or an offering from home team MBDA to fulfill the Selective Precision Effects At Range 3 (SPEAR 3) requirement.

• Airbus has reappointed its CEO Maria Amparo Moraleda Martinez, who will be in charge of the European defense giant until 2019. The shareholder vote was win by a narrow margin, with Martinez taking 40% of the vote. The French, German and Spanish governments own shares in the firm; 11% for Germany and France and Spain 4.1%.

Asia

• India’s Defense Ministry has cleared a $3 billion deal for 15 CH-47F Chinook and 22 AH-64D Apache helicopters, with the acquisition now under a Finance Ministry review before a contract is signed. The country’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) effectively cleared the procurement in August last year, following the demise of the Light Utility Helicopter program.

• India and Germany have agreed to strengthen their defense relationship, with the German Defense Minister Ursula Von der Leyen currently in New Delhi plugging the Indians for a potential sale of Eurofighters and submarines. This is not the first time the Eurofighter has been pushed by European politicians, with British Prime Minister David Cameron recently reiterating that a potential deal with India is still on the table.

Today’s Video

• The view from a Eurofighter‘s cockpit…

Embraer Defense & Security has delivered its first modernised AF-1 (AF-1B) fighter jet to the Brazilian Navy at its industrial plant in Gavião Peixoto, Brazil.

The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has taken delivery of the third software release from the General Dynamics (GD) Mission Systems future airborne capability environment (FACETM) team.

JFD, the company formed by merging Fisher Defence and Divex, has secured a £12.1m contract from the UK Ministry of Defence to support the Nato submarine rescue system (NSRS).

L-3 Communications's electro-optics unit has received a $48.7m contract from the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to develop and manufacture a new, slimmer version of its photonics mast.

Libyan Mig-23 Flogger performs insanely low flyby.

Some videos showing FLAF (Free Libya Air Force) Mig-23 Flogger jets have emerged recently: filmed from at an unknown airbase and posted on the official FB page of the Libyan Air Force they show the Soviet-era jets thundering at ultra-low altitude.

In this post you can find another image that has surfaced on the social network, reportedly released by the FLAF showing one of the flybys from a quite privileged standpoint.

According to the always very well informed Oryx Blog, the Libyan Air Force currently has two MiG-23MLs operational: 6472 based at Benina and 6132 based at al-Watiya. The two aircraft support the war of attrition against Libya Dawn forces that also operate one remaining Mig-23ML (the other one crashed after attacking the airstrip of al-Zintan on Mar. 23, 2015).

Image credit: FLAF

 

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The Brazilian Navy took delivery of its first upgraded Douglas AF-1 Skyhawk from aerospace conglomerate Embraer on 26 May under the A-4BR programme. The single-seat AF-1 has now been redesignated AF-1B and is expected to remain in service until 2028. The upgraded twin-seat aircraft will be