Switzerland Selects the Israeli Hermes 900 for its Future Drone
Switzerland has selected the Hermes 900 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as the successor for IAI/Ruag Ranger UAV that has been in service with the Swiss Air Force since 2001. The first drones under the $280 million acquisition plan will be delivered by 2017
Scramble? Quiet! We are sleeping
Recent incursions of civil and military aircraft into neighboring airspace has highlighted the state of alert maintained by different nations, and raised once again the validity of the huge investments countries are spending in acquiring military capabilities, if they do not provide the means to maintain these capabilities at reasonable state of readiness
Israeli DIRCM laser to protect German A400M transport planes
Diehl Defence signed an exclusive cooperation agreement with Elbit Systems, to equip the Bundeswehr´s Airbus A400M transport aircraft with the Israeli developed J-MUSIC self-protection system. Set to receive the first systems by 2015, the German Atlas would be the first A400M to fly with a DIRCM system
Swiss voters reject Gripen deal
Swiss voters rejected today a planned procurement of 22 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden, under a program worth $3.5 billion. The Swiss Air force planned to field the Gripen as a successor for the obsolete F-5E/F that has been in service since since 1976.
Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) Assessed as Rapier FSC Replacement
A £36M contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been placed with MBDA for the Land variant of the Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS Land). The new system will eventually replace the Rapier Field Standard C (FSC) currently in in British Army service. Rapier FSC has been in service since 1996 and is coming to...
Airbus invites partners to test mission payloads with Zephyr 8 ‘Pseudo-Satellite’
Airbus Defence and Space has launched a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) program developing a commercial variant of the world record setting Zephyr 7 high altitude long endurance (HALE) solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle. Zephyr 8 will develop the next generation platform, designed to operate at very high altitude, as a pseudo-satellite. Airbus' subsidiary Astrium has been working on HAPS since...
NATO’s quick reaction alert scrambled to follow Russian bombers over the North Sea
Russian bombers Flying on a 16 hour training mission over the North Sea, two Russian Tu-95 bombers (NATO reporting name: ’Bear’) were intercepted yesterday by British, Dutch and Danish fighter jets. It is not the first time such an event happens, but this one has attracted the media attention due to the heightened tension over Russian military activity in Ukraine.
Norwegian Battle-Lab Drive M-113 Via Oculus Rift Augmented Reality Goggles
The Norwegian Army is evaluating the use of commercial off the shelf (COTS) augmented reality goggles, enabling troops to look through the armour protecting their vehicles. In a recent test troops were able to drive an M-113 armoured personnel carrier using the Oculus Rift gaming-goggles.
International Debut for F-35 at Farnborough, Air Tattoo in July
The F-35 Lightning II aircraft will make its international debut in July this summer, the British Defence Secretary has announced.
The F-35 Lightning II will participate in the flight demonstration at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford (11-13 July, 2014). It will continue to the Farnborough International Air Show (14-20 July) where it will also participate in the aerial...
World First: Neuron UCAV flying in formation with Rafale, Falcon 7X
On March 20, 2014 Dassault Aviation has performed a unique formation flight in which the nEUROn unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) was flown in formation with a Rafale fighter and a Falcon 7X business jet, both produced by the company. Organizing a formation flight like this was a daunting challenge, company spokesperson explained, for each maneuver in the planned sequence,...
The Ukrainian crisis – a cyber warfare battlefield
The crisis in Ukraine was the largest battlefield of cyber war since Russia's cyber-attacks on Estonia in 2007 and Georgia in 2008. Russian cyber operations in Ukraine were based on the experience and lessons learned from previous attacks; they haven't left 'fingerprints' leading to the sources. Russia has managed to hit almost all Ukraine government websites and it was able to take control and to put on surveillance and monitoring all the Internet and telephone communications lines, before the invasion and occupation of Crimea by its military.
Airborne Sense and Avoid Radars for RPAs
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) successfully completed its second airborne demonstration for the Air Force Research Lab under its Multi Sensor Detect Sense and Avoid (MSDSA) program using a prototype radar sensor. This new Airborne Sense and Avoid (ABSAA) sensor, utilized on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), repeatedly detected and tracked airborne intruders resulting in over 60 seconds of avoidance time,...
F-35 PEO: “any foreign partner pooling out will have an effect on the others, a ‘death spiral’”
Lt. General Christopher C. Bogdan, the Program Executive Officer outlined the achievements and hurdles of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in his testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services committee. While the program is now in a better shape, obstacles still remain, in software integration, affordability and future operating & support.
British Study Determines F-35C Would be More Economical Option Despite Costly Carrier Upgrade
The classified MOD report leaked by the Daily Telegraph casts shadows on the capability of the F-35B to meet the requirements set by the military. The documents stated that in order to fulfill the entire mission requirements met by 97 F-35C, MOD will have to buy 136 F-35B STOVL ‘jump jets’, at an extra cost of £2.4 billion. Nevertheless, British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to support shifting back to the STOVL variant.
