This conceptualised graphic of a new air-launched vehicle recently carried by a Xi'an H-6MW bomber is based on a low-quality photograph. The new air vehicle is possibly based on the design and development of other Chinese air vehicles such as the WZ-8 and MD-22, and a new HSV. (Janes)  A Chinese Xi'an Aircraft Company (XAC) H-6MW bomber has been photographed in flight while carrying a new type of air-launched vehicle.  The H-6MW is a specialised, cruise missile-carrying variant of the People's Liberation Army Air Force's (PLAAF's) strategic b...

The K9 SPH has a combat weight of 46.3 tonnes, a top road speed of 67 km/h, and an operational range of 360 km. (Hanwha Defense)  Vietnam's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has indicated that it is planning to procure the K9 self-propelled howitzer (SPH) – developed and produced by South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace – for the People's Army of Vietnam.  Vietnamese Vice-Minister of National Defence Hoang Xuan Chien expressed an intention to procure the K9 at the ‘11th Korea-Vietnam Defense Strategy Dialogue' held in Hanoi on 23 April, according to a press...

Lockheed Martin has secured a AUD500 million contract to provide a Joint Air Battle Management System to the Australian Defence Force. (Lockheed Martin Australia)  Lockheed Martin has secured a contract worth AUD500 million (USD323 million) from the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) to build a Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).  The JABMS will be built under the second tranche of the DoD's Project Air 6500 Phase 1, Lockheed Martin announced on 24 April.  According to the DoD, Project Air 6...

The Brazilian Navy wants to improve the radar capabilities of its OPVs. (Victor Barreira)  As part of an effort to update its Amazonas-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), the Brazilian Navy is acquiring a new air and surface search radar with identification friend-or-foe capability (IFF), according to the Navy Weapon Systems Directorate (Diretoria de Sistemas de Armas da Marinha: DSAM).    The Brazilian Naval Commission in Washington, DC, (Comissão Naval Brasileira em Washington: CNBW) on behalf of the DSAM has    requested a...

The IqAF is to equip all 34 of its F-16 combat aircraft with the AIDEWS electronic warfare suite. (Lockheed Martin)  Iraq is to equip its Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft with the L3Harris AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) electronic warfare (EW) system, the US Department of Defense (DoD) disclosed on 22 April.  The DoD requires the retrofit of the AIDEWS system into 34 Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) F-16C/D Block 52M aircraft located at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base (Ali Flai...

A file photo of a UAE F-16 combat aircraft. While the Gulf state has traditionally enjoyed strong procurement and operational ties with the West, the UAE AFAD is now also seeking closer co-operation with the PLAAF in China. (Lockheed Martin)  The chief of joint operations for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces has met with the head of China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) as the two countries look to promote closer co-operation between their respective air forces.  The UAE Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the meeting...

The disassembled L-39 light combat jet after being offloaded from a freight truck in Ukraine. (Lithuanian MoD)  Lithuania has successfully transferred an Aero Vodochody L-39ZA Albatros light strike jet to Ukraine, transporting the aircraft in the back of a freight lorry.  The Lithuanian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the delivery on 20 April, saying the single-engined jet had been transferred as part of a wider military aid package to Kyiv.  Once assembled and tested, the L-39ZA will join the Ukrainian Air Force, which already operates t...

Türkiye has placed four new contracts for domestically developed aircraft, including the first for the Hürjet Block 1 jet trainer (pictured here) and for the T625 Gökbey helicopter. (Turkish Aerospace)  Türkiye has placed its first contracts for the domestically developed Hürjet jet trainer aircraft and Gökbey helicopter.  A signature ceremony for these and two other manned aerial platforms was held with participants from Turkish Aerospace (TA), the Defence Industry Agency of Türkiye (SSB), the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and the Ministry the...

Nigeria is to receive 24 M-346 aircraft that will be used in both the trainer and combat roles. While Leonardo offers both the M-346FA and M-346FT (pictured) combat versions of the aircraft, all official announcements on the Nigerian deal by the NAF and/or Leonardo to date have referred only to the baseline M-346 advanced jet trainer that comes with a secondary combat capability. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Leonardo has for the first time disclosed that it has been contracted to deliver its M-346 to Nigeria, telling Janes on 19 April that it recen...

The two Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Sikorsky) SH-60Ks, which crashed on 20 April, were participating in an anti-submarine exercise with the JMSDF submarines and surface vessels, according to the service. In this representative 2016 photo, a JMSDF SH-60K Seahawk (in the front) operates with a US Navy MH-60R Seahawk. (US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew C Duncker)  Two Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Sikorsky) SH-60K helicopters of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) have crashed after they suffered a suspected mid-a...

One of the six C-130s that Germany is contributing to the joint unit with France seen at ILA 2022 in Berlin. All 10 of the unit's aircraft are now located at Évreux-Fauville Air Base in northern France. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The joint Franco-German C-130 air transport squadron has received its final aircraft, with all 10 Lockheed Martin KC/C-130J tanker and transport aircraft now located at Évreux-Fauville Air Base in northern France.  With the French Air and Space Force (Armee de l'Air et de l'Espace: AAE) having already received its two...

With the UK already flying the H145 with the UKMFTS training programme, it has acquired additional rotorcraft to take on its Brunei and Cyprus support missions. (Crown Copyright)  The United Kingdom has contracted Airbus to deliver six new Airbus Helicopters H145 rotorcraft to be used in Brunei and Cyprus.  Announced by the Defence, Equipment, and Support (DE&S) branch of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 18 April, the GBP122 million (USD152 million) award will see the helicopters acquired to replace the Airbus Puma HC2s (Helicopter Cargo 2) t...

A Dutch Chinook (foreground) arrived at Holzdorf Air Base in mid-April to help the Luftwaffe prepare for the arrival of its own Chinooks into the station from 2027. In the background is a Luftwaffe CH-53G currently based at the location. (Bundeswehr)  The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is helping the Luftwaffe prepare for its upcoming Chinook heavy-lift helicopter capability, dispatching one of its own helicopters to the type's future operating station in mid-April.  The Bundeswehr said on 18 April that an RNLAF CH-47F Block 1 Chinook la...

A new engine factory being developed by Hanwha Aerospace at Changwon will produce engines for the KAI KF-21 and the TA-50 multirole trainer aircraft. (Zhang Hui/VCG via Getty Images)  Hanwha Aerospace is building a new factory to produce engines for combat aircraft, including the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae 4.5-generation aircraft. The new factory is also expected to support the development of South Korea's new domestic fighter engine programme.    Ground was broken for the 16,530m  2  engine production faci...

The chiefs of the RAF and RAAF reconstituting their respective 80 Squadrons during a joint ceremony at Eglin AFB in the US. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) stood up their respective 80 Squadrons on 17 April to serve as US-based data units for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).  Announced by the RAF, the two separate but linked squadrons were reconstituted during a joint ceremony at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida.  “At the event, the [UK] Chief of t...

With France having an approaching requirement to replace its Alpha Jets, the country has touted the possibility of a joint modular solution with Spain and the UK. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  France has raised the possibility of developing or acquiring a new modular advanced jet trainer aircraft with Spain and the United Kingdom.  Responding to a question in the National Assembly on 16 April, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu said that, with France's Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets nearing the end of their service lives, the country is con...

The ITCM (pictured above from its test on 18 April) is a technology demonstrator programme to validate the capability of small turbofan engines. (Indian Ministry of Defence)  India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) test-fired its ‘Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM)' from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off the northeastern coast of Odisha, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release on 18 April.  “During the test, all subsystems performed as per expectation and the missil...

The KAI T-50 is a tandem-seat multirole trainer aircraft that is in service with Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand. (KAI)  Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has proposed a sale of T-50 multirole trainer aircraft to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), which seeks to acquire new combat aircraft from fiscal year (FY) 2025.    A KAI spokesperson told   Janes on   17 April that the proposal for the T-50TH variant was submitted in November 2023. The T-50TH is being pitched for the possible acquisition programme as the RTAF “has alread...

The MRC weapon system (pictured above from its trials in June 2023) is a containerised version of the Mk 41 VLS that can be integrated and fired from the bed of a M983A4 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. (US Army)  The US Army's 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1MDTF) has deployed its Mid-Range Capability (MRC) weapon system – also known as the Typhon Weapons System – at Northern Luzon in the Philippines as part of Exercise ‘Salaknib 24', the US Army Pacific said in a press release on 15 April.  This deployment aims to enhance the Philippin...

One of the new Z-9WE helicopters at Malabo airbase. (Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial)  The Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea (FAGE) is now operating two new Harbin Z-9 helicopters, the country's ruling Democratic Party (Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial: PDGE) revealed on 9 April when it reported that Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue had inspected the aircraft.  The PDGE released photographs showing the vice-president with at least one of the new helicopters at a location that could be identified as the airbase at M...