Iran unveiled the unmanned aerial vehicle Mohajer-10 at the Defense Industry Fair on Tuesday, which state media said is an upgraded version of the Mohajer-6 that the country exports. Various reports indicated that the new drone’s purported features include a 2,000-kilometer range and a 300-kilogram payload, twice the capacity of the older version. The drone...
Author: Arthur McMiler (Arthur McMiler)
Saab Assembling Gripen Combat Aircraft at Embraer’s Sao Paolo Plant
Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab is assembling 15 F-39E Gripen combat aircraft at Embraer‘s factory in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The fighter production line, inaugurated in May, is an offshoot of the $5.04 billion order for 36 Gripen fighters that Brazil initiated in 2014, with four more added in 2022 to double the country’s air...
BAE to Help Develop New UK Military Communication Network Under $112M Contract
BAE Systems has secured a five-year contract worth $112.4 million from the UK Ministry of Defence for research and development of the British military’s wide area network. Known as Trinity, the WAN program will replace Falcon, the British Army and Royal Air Force’s current communications network scheduled for retirement in 2026. The U.K .military’s local...
US Approves $12B Apache Helicopters Sale to Poland
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Monday that it has moved to notify Congress of the Department of State granting approval of a possible $12 billion helicopter sale to Poland. The proposed sale includes 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters plus Hellfire missiles and Hellfire captive air training missiles, Joint Air-to-ground Missiles and Stinger missiles. The...
Australia to Buy US Artillery Rocket Systems for $975M
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress of the possible sale of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to Australia. The proposed deal, which has received Department of State approval, calls for the delivery of up to 22 HIMARS and related equipment for an estimated cost of $975 million. Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Leonardo...
US, Israel Put R&D Focus on Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity
The Israel-United States Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation has approved four projects under its BIRD Cyber Program, an initiative that it launched in 2022 in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Israel National Cyber Directorate. The BIRD Cyber Program aims to promote partnerships in the technology sectors of the U.S....
US OKs Germany’s $3.5B Purchase of Arrow 3 Missile System
Four Shipbuilders Eye Initial Contracts in Planned Australian Naval Buildup
The Royal Australian Navy’s planned buildup in response to China’s increasing threat has already drawn bids from four shipbuilders, Breaking Defense reported. The pitches came following the April release of the Australian Defence Strategic Review, which lined up a naval strategy of increasing the number of smaller surface vessels in RAN’s fleet. The four...
MD Helicopters Secures 12-Aircraft Middle East Contract
Mesa, Arizona-based MD Helicopters has signed a contract with an unnamed Middle East buyer of six advanced Cayuse Warrior Plus Attack/Scout aircraft with precision weapons capability. According to the MD website, the Cayuse Warrior Plus aircraft is based on the Cayuse Warrior with laser-guided technology. Besides the precision weapons system, the Plus variant comes with updated...
Chinese Companies Pivot to R&D, Away From Copycat Strategy
Chinese companies are boosting product research and development spending to veer away from copying foreign products. According to a Nikkei Asia report, listed companies in China spent $228 billion on R&D in 2022, a figure that has more than doubled over the last five years. These firms employ a total of 3.08 million researchers and...