The first F-16 Block 70 shortly after departing on its maiden flight on 24 January. As well as being a first for the wider programme, it also marked an important milestone for Bahrain, which is due to receive this particular aircraft in the coming months. (Lockheed Martin)
The first Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcon made its maiden flight on 24 January, ahead of its delivery to Bahrain.
Author: Michael
The Indian Navy commissioned its fifth Kalvari-class submarine, INS
Vagir
, on 23 January at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
(Janes/Prathamesh Karle)
The Indian Navy has commissioned the fifth of its six Kalvari (Scorpène)-class diesel-electric attack submarines (SSKs).
The submarine, INS Vagir (S 25), was inducted in a ceremony on 23 January held at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. All the Kalvari (Scorpène)-class SSKs are licence-built by state-owned Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai in collaboration with France’s Naval Group.
Lockheed Martin has reported an increase in net sales to $19bn during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2022, when compared to $17.7bn in Q4 2021.
The company said that its net earnings for Q4, that ended on 31 December 2022, totalled $1.9bn, or $7.40 per share. In the same quarter in 2021, the net earnings were $2bn.
Cash from operations for the reported quarter was $1.9bn, compared to $4.3bn for the same period in 2021.
The Q4 2022 capital expenditure was $693m, resulting in $1.235bn in free cash flow. The backlog for this period was $150bn, showing an 11% increase from Q4 2021.
The camera from a small drone steadies on a Russian T-72 tank somewhere in Ukraine. Slight movements can be seen in the video as the Ukrainian operator makes final adjustments to the drone’s position. Then, release. The munition – a grenade with a 3D-printed plastic fin assembly – falls into the frame and quickly disappears. […]
The post Into the Pickle Barrel: How Thinking About Precision as a System Can Expand the Munition Stockpile appeared first on War on the Rocks.
Janes
assesses that the design of the new VTOL UAV by KAI and Northrop Grumman could be influenced by the US company’s MQ-8C UAV (pictured).
(US Navy)
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed an agreement with Northrop Grumman to develop vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be operated from warships and coastguard vessels.
Janes understands that the Republic of Korea (RoK) Navy plans to acquire around 20 of these VTOL UAVs.
US Army soldiers prepare to fire a Stinger missile during an exercise. (US Army)
The US Army expects to increase production of Stinger missiles to 60 a month by 2025, up 50% from the current rate, according to a spokesperson for the service’s Program Executive Office Missiles and Space (PEO MS).
The ramp-up comes amid growing demand for the surface-to-air missile. The US government has provided about 1,500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine to help it counter Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
Raytheon Technologies’ products include the sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missile. (NAVAIR)
Raytheon Technologies (RTX) plans to streamline its organisation by combining its two defence-focused business units into one, the US-based company announced on 24 January.
Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RIS) and Raytheon Missiles & Defense (RMD) will become a single business called Raytheon. Aircraft parts maker Collins Aerospace and aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney will remain individual businesses within RTX.
The US Government Accountability Office said that the Columbia-class lead submarine faces potential construction delays. (US Navy)
There are concerns about lead-ship construction delays of the new Columbia-class strategic ballistic-missile submarines, according to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Elbit presented the Crossbow 120 mm turreted mortar system at IAV 2023. (Elbit Systems)
Elbit Systems presented the Crossbow 120 mm turreted mortar at Defence IQ’s International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) 2023 conference being held in London from 23 to 26 January.
The weapon can be installed in a mission module with minimal protrusion, can be easily operated by a single crew member, and is fuzed for fully automatic operation, according to Elbit.
It can fire the company’s range of mortar rounds, including those with an extended range and precision guidance.
SH15 self-propelled howitzers lined up at Harar Meda Air Base. (Ethiopian Press Agency)
Ethiopia has acquired Chinese-built 155 mm SH15 wheeled self-propelled howitzers (SPH), it was revealed on 21 January.
The SH15s were seen in footage that was released as part of the coverage of a visit by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Awash Arba Combat Technical School, but the SPHs were filmed at Harar Meda Air Base in Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa.
The SPHs were lined up in four columns of eight vehicles, indicating 32 have been delivered, although not all of them could be seen.