Saildrone has partnered with Thales Australia to enhance the capabilities of its Surveyor-class USVs (pictured) by equipping them with Thales Australia's BlueSentry thin-line fibre-optic towed array. (Saildrone)  Thales Australia has signed an agreement with California-based Saildrone to collaborate on integrating its BlueSentry sonar system into Saildrone's Surveyor-class unmanned surface vessels (USVs).  The agreement, announced at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, on 8 April, will h...

BAE Systems is integrating VRAI's simulation data capture and analysis software in a Hawk trainer simulator. The data will be compared with live Hawk training sorties to improve fast jet training. Pictured is one of the Royal Air Force's Hawk T2 trainer aircraft. (Benoit Denet)  BAE Systems has partnered with VRAI to leverage extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) in order to enhance pilot training.    VRAI's HEAT data capture technology, which collates, analyses, and visualises simulator data, will be integrated by BAE...

Collins Aerospace's sixth-generation cockpit demonstrator as seen at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space global maritime exposition in April 2024. (Janes/Jeremiah Cushman)  Collins Aerospace is demonstrating its latest cockpit technology for sixth-generation manned combat aircraft at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, held from 8 to 10 April.    The technology demonstrator is conceptual and is being constantly upgraded with feedback from potential users, Tracy Miller, principal sales eng...

Dry dock work has been completed for the mid-life overhaul of aircraft carrier USS   John C Stennis  .  (US Navy)  HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division completed the dry dock portion of the refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis (CVN 74), HII confirmed on 8 April during the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland.  NNS flooded the dry dock with 100 million gallons of water to float Stennis and move the carr...

Submarine equipment funding is being sought after the US Navy cut an attack submarine from future procurement. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Following the US Navy (USN) decision to cut an expected Virginia-class attack submarine (SSN) from its proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget proposal, Chris Kastner, the president and CEO of submarine builder HII, has called for the USNto maintain the supply chain for that work by buying submarine materials anyway.  “We need to make sure that we order a full ship set of material for that other submarine so we k...

In its economic impact study on the programme, PwC has outlined a ‘growth scenario' that could see the sale of as many as 287 additional Eurofighter combat aircraft. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  An economic impact study report published by the Eurofighter consortium on 9 April has predicted the potential sale of hundreds more of the multirole combat aircraft to both partner and export countries.  Compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the Eurofighter Economic Impact Assessment study touts a “growth scenario” of as many as 287 new sales, includ...

Raytheon is seeking to improve operations in RF-cluttered environments for ESSM Block 2 missiles, shown here being tested by Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS   Fredericton  in November 2022.  (Royal Canadian Navy)  As the first Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 units start to make their way to areas like the Red Sea, Raytheon Technologies is working on further improvements to missile operations in areas challenged by radio frequency (RF) interference, according to Chris Driscoll, the company's ESSM direct...

India's TASL launched an Earth observation satellite aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on 7 April. The satellite can be used to gather intelligence for the Indian Armed Forces. (SpaceX)  India's Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has launched an Earth observation satellite that can be leveraged by the Indian Armed Forces to enhance surveillance of strategic areas of interest.    The satellite, named TSAT-1A, was carried into space by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Bandwagon-1 rideshar...

The Bundeswehr ordered 123 Boxer sWaTrg Inf HWC infantry vehicles from Rheinmetall on 21 March. (Rheinmetall)  The Bundeswehr is procuring its first specialised versions of the Boxer, placing orders with Rheinmetall for Skyranger 30 air-defence systems mounted on Boxers in February and heavy weapon carriers (HWCs) in March.  It ordered 123 Schwerer Waffenträger Infanterie (sWaTrg Inf) HWC infantry vehicles from Rheinmetall on 21 March, the German company announced in a press release the same day.  On 20 March the Bundestag, Germany's parliame...

HII had already started its workforce for more work at its shipyards, including its facility at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Shipbuilders for US Navy (USN) programmes had braced for a growing work demand signal before the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the pandemic's impacts exacerbated the challenges of that growing manufacturing need, according to Chris Kastner, HII president and CEO.  Shipbuilders, suppliers, and the USN are investing – but still struggling – to meet that work demand in an industry...

Seen here in US Army service, the UH-60M Black Hawk will soon be flown by the Hellenic Army also, following the signing of an LOA for 35 helicopters. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Greece has joined the international UH-60M Black Hawk programme, with the announcement on 5 April that it signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for 35 of the medium-lift helicopters.  Lockheed Martin disclosed the milestone some four months after the US government approved the approximately USD1.95 billion Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in December 2023. This figure...

The decommissioning of amphibious assault ship   Bonhomme Richard,  after the fire, shown here, in April 2021 created a shortfall for such ships in the fleet.  (US Navy)  The US Navy (USN) is investing more in amphibious-related shipbuilding because of perceived operational shortfalls in the amphibious fleet and the extra future capacity for submarines and aircraft carriers, according to Bryan Clark, senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute.    While th...

Taiwan has developed Hsiung Feng IIE, Hsiung Sheng, and Ching Tien LACMs capable of striking key Chinese cities such as Beijing as well as Wuhan, Shanghai, and Qingdao, as part of its plan to improve air and sea combat capabilities. (Janes)    Taiwan is planning to deploy a long-range variant of Hsiung Feng II land-attack cruise missile (LACM) called Hsiung Sheng in 2024, a Republic of China Army (RoCA) officer told   Janes   on 6 April.   The missile – which went into production in 2022 – can strike at a maximum range of 1...

HII is hoping to avoid some of the resource issues that have delayed the construction of carrier   Enterprise  , whose keel-laying is shown here.  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Hoping to bolster the supply chain for the production of aircraft carrier CVN 82, HII is hoping to get funding and support for material orders for suppliers, Chris Kastner, HII president and CEO, noted during a roundtable media discussion on 4 April in advance of the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition, starting on 8 April in...

A resistance attack on Myanmar's administrative capital Naypyidaw on 4 April used domestically produced 3D-printed UAVs such as the aircraft depicted in this 2023 photo. This UAV, which appears to be similar to the UAVs used during the 4 April attack, carries a 2 kg 60 mm mortar bomb. (Thierry Falise/LightRocket via Getty Images)  An attack on Myanmar's administrative capital by resistance forces using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was part of the opposition National Unity Group's (NUG's) efforts to co-ordinate UAV operations against the mi...

A US Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye demonstrating its aerial refuelling capability. (Northrop Grumman)    The E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft has been the eyes of US Navy carrier strike groups for more than 60 years. The newest variant, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, brings the latest technology into the platform that can confront threats anywhere in the world, Janice Zilch, Northrop Grumman's vice-president for multi-domain command and control, told   Janes  on 5 April, ahead of the Navy League Sea-Air...

An MQ-4C maritime unmanned aerial vehicle in flight. (Northrop Grumman)  Northrop Grumman's MQ-4C Triton unmanned maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft achieved initial operational capability (IOC) with the latest multi-intelligence (multi-INT) Integrated Functional Capability–4 (IFC-4) in August 2023. The first orbit of four air vehicles is operating with 7th Fleet out of Guam.    Since reaching IOC, the MQ-4C is meeting the fleet's mission capability rate requirement and has become an integral ISR capab...

Raytheon Technologies is ramping up production of RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile guided weapon systems. (Raytheon Technologies)    Raytheon Technologies is ramping up RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) production as it works on improving operational missile communication capabilities, Roger Bissmeyer, company's RAM programme director, told   Janes  .   Future missile iterations will likely feature “next level of communication,” Bissmeyer noted. “When missiles talk to the ship and the ship talks to missiles, that's a w...

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket (pictured) launched South Korea's second reconnaissance satellite on 7 April. The satellite is equipped with a SAR payload that can capture high resolution images of strategic areas of interests. (SpaceX)  South Korea has launched a second reconnaissance satellite to strengthen military preparedness against possible threats from North Korea.  South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on 8 April that this synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite was carried into space using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, wh...

The Mission Master SP UGV (pictured above) features a bay that can be equipped with a variety of payloads such as remote weapon stations and masts equipped with sensors, and it is fitted with localisation and navigation sensors for remote and autonomous control. (Rheinmetall)  German automotive and arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has signed a “multimillion-dollar” contract with the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) to supply three Mission Master SP wheeled unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) for testing,...