The Hercules will soon be augmented by the C-27J Spartan Light Transport Aircraft recently selected by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force for the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program. The aircraft was designed by the Italian company Alenia Aeronautica (from the Finmeccanica group). The aircraft will be built and supported in the US by a team led by the L-3 Communications group, with team members Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), and Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS). The aircraft is a medium range, multifunctional transport aircraft, designed for logistical resupply missions, medical evacuation, troops transport and airdrop operations. The aircraft will support U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force operations, including force projection, humanitarian assistance and homeland security. The Spartan will replace the Shorts C-23 Sherpas, C-12 and C-26 aircraft.
Elbit Systems Introduces a New Tactical UAS: the Hermes 650 Spark
Elbit Systems has rolled out the Hermes 650 Spark, the latest addition to its Hermes family of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS). Spark is designed to be the contemporary successor to the long-serving Hermes 450, aiming to modernize UAS fleets that currently consist of mixed 450/900 models or are exclusively equipped with the 450 variants.