DEFENCE

US Air Force Conducts First Contingency Airfield Lighting Training in Florida

US Air Force Conducts First Contingency Airfield Lighting Training in Florida

The US Air Force has conducted its first expeditionary airfield lighting system (EALS-C) training at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Taking place under the service’s mission essential equipment training (MEET) course, the EALS-C demonstration honed the skills of electrical systems airmen in implementing contingency airfield lighting technology and services. The EALS-C training was led by […]

US Poised to Open Four Military Sites in Philippines

US Poised to Open Four Military Sites in Philippines

The US is poised to reach an agreement with the Philippines to open as many as four military sites to counter increasing threats from China. The move is part of Washington’s efforts to expand its strategic footprint in the Asia Pacific as Beijing ramps up its military presence in the South China Sea. Two of […]

French Drone Demonstrator Conducts Maritime Flight Trial, Completes Risk Reduction Phase

French Drone Demonstrator Conducts Maritime Flight Trial, Completes Risk Reduction Phase

France has tested the flight capability of its latest VSR700 tactical drone demonstrator at a French defense procurement agency (DGA) missile testing facility in Ile du Levant. The flight was part of a risk removal study for the government’s shipborne unmanned aerial vehicle (SDAM) program. During the trial, the drone was flown on five overwater deployments for […]

Rheinmetall in Talks With Lockheed to Produce HIMARS in Germany

Rheinmetall in Talks With Lockheed to Produce HIMARS in Germany

Rheinmetall is in discussions with Lockheed Martin to begin producing the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in Germany, CEO Armin Papperger revealed this week. Papperger said a production agreement could be reached at the Munich Security Conference, scheduled for mid-February. “We have the technology for the production of the warheads as well as for the rocket […]

Brazil Refuses to Send Tank Ammunition to Ukraine

Brazil Refuses to Send Tank Ammunition to Ukraine

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has rejected requests to send Leopard tank ammunition to Germany over fears that it would be transferred to Ukraine. According to a report by local media outlet Folha de Sao Paulo, former Brazilian ground forces commander Julio Cesar de Arruda made the request before he was relieved of his post earlier this month. He made […]

Boeing to Deliver Automatic Test Systems for US Army

Boeing to Deliver Automatic Test Systems for US Army

The US Army has awarded Boeing a $92-million contract for additional next-generation automatic test systems (NGATS). NGATS is a mobile diagnostic platform that provides real-time field tests and rapid automated troubleshooting of over 100 components for various military vehicles, aircraft, and weapon systems. The new NGATS units will support the US Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk […]

US Navy Triton Drone Conducts First Flight Test Under Icing Conditions

US Navy Triton Drone Conducts First Flight Test Under Icing Conditions

The US Navy’s MQ-4C Triton aerial drone has conducted its maiden flight test with wing ice accumulation over the Patuxent River in Maryland. The trial is the first of 15 flights planned through the spring of 2023 to validate the aircraft’s capability to transit low-temperature environments. As part of the demonstration, the Triton performed several flying techniques, […]

Rheinmetall to Modernize German Army’s Future Soldier Systems

Rheinmetall to Modernize German Army’s Future Soldier Systems

The German military has contracted Rheinmetall to modernize its soldier systems’ command and control equipment. A total of 14 Future Soldier-Extended Systems will be delivered to the army, enough to equip 476 soldiers. The contract is in the mid-double-digit million-euro range. Networked Warfare Loop In 2021, the latest System Panzergrenadier (system for mechanized infantry), was declared combat-ready by the […]

Future US Combat Drone Completes Ground Engine Test

Future US Combat Drone Completes Ground Engine Test

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Blue Force Technologies (BFT) have conducted a ground engine test for their Fury unmanned combat aircraft. The demonstration focused on a new carbon fiber composite propulsion flowpath system that will power the next-generation drone. Digital Engineering for Military Tests The trial supports military ground and flight tests […]