Author: Defenceline Webdesk
Switchblade 600 Block 2 advances long-range loitering strike. Credit: AeroVironment, Inc./Business Wire. AeroVironment has secured a $186m delivery order from the US Army for its Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20 explosively formed penetrator (EFP) loitering munition systems. The order comes under the Army’s five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS). Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more Awarded in August 2024, the IDIQ contract has a maximum value of $990m. This marks the Army’s initial…
The Rafale source-code controversy has sparked debate in defence circles, yet it remains a peripheral matter rather than a deal-breaker in India’s procurement of these advanced French fighter jets.Dassault Aviation’s reluctance to share the proprietary source code—essential for integrating indigenous weapons like the Astra missile—stems from legitimate concerns over intellectual property and national security.This stance reflects standard practice among leading arms exporters, prioritising protection of decades-old software that powers the jet’s AESA radar and mission computer.India’s original 2016 deal for 36 Rafale jets proceeded without full code access, delivering operational success despite limited technology transfer. The Indian Air Force has…
Steve Trimble, Aviation Week Regiment-size units, which seldom possess more than a handful of small UAS at any time, are racing to prepare for the logistical and operational realities of… Source link
DAYTON, Ohio — The U.S. Air Force is trying to speed up a contract award in its plan to buy Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft to protect the program from a potential continuing resolution that could limit available funds.The Air Force selected the E-7 in April to replace a portion of its E-3 Airborne Warning and Control fleet, a command-and-control platform the service has been operating for more than 40 years. The service’s proposed 2023 budget calls for retiring 15 E-3s, or about half the fleet, and includes $227 million in research, development, test and evaluation funds…
Over the span of 10 days in February 2026, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia signed a series of high-level defence-industrial agreements covering a fifth-generation fighter programme, a utility helicopter, and unmanned naval platforms. Taken together, these deals point toward something that could be larger than a bilateral procurement cycle but, instead, an early shape of a ‘Central’ bloc of defence-industrial output forming between the traditional Western and Eastern anchors of global arms production.The Erdoğan–MBS Summit and Its Defence DividendPresident Erdoğan visited Riyadh on February 3, meeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Defence cooperation featured prominently in the bilateral outcomes. Speaking to reporters on…
Photo of the AW149 medium-lift helicopter at the Farnborough International Air Show, 24 July 2024. Credit: Author. Reports emerged in recent hours that the UK was about to announce that Leonardo UK will be awarded the New Medium Helicopter contract The programme is intended to deliver up to 23 medium-lift helicopters to the British Army Once again, the UK Government appears to be failing to control the narrative as rumours swirl Emblematic of the chaos surrounding Main Building at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), rumours that the UK Government was on the verge of awarding a critical military helicopter…
The Indian Air Force has unveiled a determinative video showcasing the Sudarshan S-400 long-range air defence missile system in operational action for the first time. Released just before the prestigious Vayu Shakti-2026 exercise, the footage provides a rare public insight into one of India’s most sophisticated and secretive military capabilities. Shared on social media platform X, the video captures the S-400, known as the Sudarshan Chakra in Indian service, tracking and neutralising simulated aerial threats during intensive drills. This demonstration highlights its seamless integration into India’s multi-layered air defence framework. The IAF accompanied the release with a caption boasting of…
USNI News NATO is working to integrate emerging technologies like uncrewed surface vehicles and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles into crisis planning through its latest major exercises Source link
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Philippines has confirmed it is in the process of canceling a contract to acquire Russian-built transport helicopters, citing changes in priorities brought on by world events. National Defense Department spokesman Arsenio Andolong said in a statement carried by the Philippines’ national news agency that the government is currently formalizing the termination of the contract with Russia’s Sovtechnoexport for 16 Mi-17 helicopters. “We are also preparing to initiate a diplomatic dialogue with the Russian side regarding matters arising from the project’s cancellation,” Andolong said, adding cryptically that “changes in priorities necessitated by global political developments resulted in…
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) struck targets across at least five Afghan provinces between 21 and 27 February, including the Afghan capital Kabul, the Taliban’s spiritual seat of Kandahar, and the southeastern province of Paktia. Pakistani officials described the strikes as intelligence-based operations against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K) camps, claiming over 130 Afghan Taliban fighters killed in the latest round alone.The Taliban responded on 26 February with what its spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid called “large-scale offensive operations” against Pakistani military posts along the Durand Line. Kabul claimed the capture of between 13 and 19 Pakistani…