Nigeria expects first batch of Leonardo M-346 fighter jets this year

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  September 21, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  Royal Thai Air Force expands fleet with additional H225M order

  Thailand, – Airbus Helicopters has secured an additional order of four H225M (previously known as EC725) multirole utility helicopters from the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), as part of the fleet strengthening programme. This follow-on order will bring the RTAF's H225M fleet to 12 units by 2021. Specially equipped with emergency flotation gear, fast roping, cargo sling, search light and electro-optical systems, these four new multirole H225M helicopters will join RTAF's existing fleet of six H225Ms for combat search and rescue missions, search and rescue flights and troop transport operations. The air force will also be receiving two H225Ms from its earlier order, by end of this year. This latest contract will also cover on-site technical support and continuing airworthiness management organisation services, fully supported by Airbus' Thailand team. “The H225Ms have served the Royal Thai Air Force well since the delivery of its first batch in 2015, and we are truly honoured by this renewed order, underscoring their continued trust and confidence in our helicopters and the committed support to their fleet. With its proven versatility, reliability and endurance, we know that the H225 will continue to capably fulfil the most challenging missions. RTAF can count on our Thailand-based customer centre for continued availability of the fleet,” said Philippe Monteux, Head of Southeast Asia and Pacific region. Featuring state-of-the-art electronic instruments and the renowned 4-axis autopilot system, the 11-ton-catergory twin-turbine H225M offers outstanding endurance and fast cruise speed, and may be fitted with various equipment to suit any role. Close to 90 units are in service, achieving 100,700 flight hours to-date. About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of € 59 billion restated for IFRS 15 and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2018/09/royal-thai-air-force-expands-fleet-with-additional-h225m-order.html

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  June 13, 2024 | International, Land

  NATO Allies strengthen protection of Allied skies

  On Thursday 13 June 2024, the Netherlands joined the NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) initiative, bringing the total number of participants to 13: Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Romania, Spain, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

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  October 9, 2018 | International, Land

  Army leans on scientists to push the boundaries of munitions range, precision, lethality

  By: Todd South Army researchers are speeding up development on key conventional munitions, from field artillery to long-range missiles, and making them more deadly when they land. At a panel hosted by Defense News at the annual Association of the United States Army annual meeting, commanders with the Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command, Program Executive Office-Ammunition and the Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team gave a few updates on those efforts. Brig. Gen. Alfred Abramson III, head of PEO Ammo and Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, told audience members that his researchers are finding the quickest ways to go after extending ranges, saying that the XM1113 round will be “critical” for the conventional artillery in the Extended Range Cannon Artillery program, a centerpiece of artillery modernization. Abramson noted that the existing M795 High Explosive artillery round, the base of the 155mm munition portfolio, includes about 614,000 rounds in the nation's stockpile. But those rounds only reach out to about 30 kilometers. The problem developers face in pushing the ranges of conventional rounds is keeping them both accurate and having a real effect when they strike, he said. “You want to push it out to 70 kilometers and ensure it's not just a long-range paintball,” Abramson said. The XM1128 pushes those ranges to about 40 kilometers currently. But work with “lithographic fragmentation technology,” Abramson said, makes the round more lethal on target. Col. John Rafferty, director of the LRPF CFT, said that recent testing has gotten 155mm artillery rounds to the 60-kilometer range at the Yuma, Arizona, testing facility. Abramson said that his organization has seen a significant spike of about $2.5 billion for fiscal years 2017 to 2022 funding for ammunition and armament systems products. Another $1.5 billion has been allotted to update the aging ammunition manufacturing plants across the Army, he said. Recent Overseas Contingency Operations funding for 2019 was marked at about $4.1 billion simply to replenish munitions consumed during combat. What's being done to advance the science? Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, commanding general of U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, said that over the past year, $900 million was realigned for science and technology development for the LRPF initiatives, and another $500 million was also realigned for the Air Missile Defense CFT. His organization just completed a six-month study of energetics propulsion that included a detailed study of adversary capabilities and advancements over the past two decades. It also looked at how those advances were achieved and what gaps exist in the United States' armaments, he said. While the study has not yet been released to the public, he said two non-technical gaps that the United States must correct are in their ability to collaborate with global partners and science, chemistry and energy experts within government. Further down the development pipeline he said was a shortfall in transitioning the research to the PEOs for development and fielding. One tech challenge is the existing stockpiles. As the developers push the capacities of conventional rounds and their systems they must also maintain “backwards compatibility” with the substantial munition stockpiles, he said. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/10/08/army-leans-on-scientists-to-push-the-boundaries-of-munitions-range-precision-lethality