NHI has sold 597 NH90s to 14 different customers, including most lately Qatar (pictured). While the programme has been a success in terms of sales, some customers have complained of poor availability in particular. (NHIndustries)
Airbus is convinced it has the proper structures in place to enhance the user experience of the NHIndustries (NHI) NH90 helicopter, although the results have not yet manifested themselves, a senior official said on 17 March.
Author: Michael
Boeing has received a contract for the production and delivery of 184 Apache AH-64E helicopters for the US Army and foreign military sales (FMS) customers.
Valued at approximately $1.9bn, this is the third follow-on Apache production contract awarded to Boeing.
The initial AH-64E contract was awarded to Boeing in 2017, followed by the second multi-year award in 2019. The third multi-year contract now brings the overall value to $2.1bn.
Slovakian MiG-29s are soon to be in the service of the Ukrainian Air Force, according to an announcement made by the country’s prime minister on 17 March. (Slovakian Ministry of Defence)
Slovakia has followed Poland’s decision to send MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum’ combat aircraft to Ukraine, with the government announcing that it is to transfer its entire fleet.
Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger said on 17 March that 13 MiG-29s that are no longer used operationally by the Slovak Air Force are to be gifted to Ukraine.
Bayraktar TB2 UAVs and L-39 jets lined up for a handover ceremony at Bamako’s international airport on 16 March. (Presidence Mali)
The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) held another reception ceremony for new aircraft on 16 March, lining up four L-39 trainer/light attack jets and three Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the event at Bamako’s international airport.
The FAMa was already operating Turkish-made TB2s, having displayed two at Air Base 200 (previously Air Base 102) at Mopti-Sévaré airport in December 2022.
No one knows precisely when the last naval sword was used in combat. After centuries of being considered standard military-issued weaponry, the sword’s utility waned in the gunpowder age. The enlisted cutlass disappeared entirely by the 1940s. The officer’s sword, steeped in centuries of military tradition, was spared for the sake of ceremony. A required […]
The post For the Sake of Ceremony: Should the U.S. Navy Continue its Airborne Forward Air Controller Program? appeared first on War on the Rocks.
In America, civilian gun ownership is relatively common. According to the Small Arms Survey, there were an estimated 393 million firearms in civilian possession in the United States as of 2018, making it the country with the world’s largest per capita gun ownership.
In terms of ownership, the General Social Survey performed by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago revealed that in 2020, 31% of U.S. households reported having at least one firearm, a decrease from the peak of 50% in the late 1970s.
Four non-airworthy North Macedonia Air Force Su-25 aircraft have been transferred to Ukraine. (Igor Bozinovski)
North Macedonia has donated Sukhoi Su-25 ‘Frogfoot’ ground attack aircraft to Ukraine, Minister of Defence of North Macedonia, Slavjanka Petrovska said on 14 March. The announcement confirms Janes reports in July 2022 that four non-airworthy Su-25s (three single-seat Su-25s and one twin-seat Su-25UB) were transferred.
With Poland and Slovakia now committed to transferring their MiG-29 fleets to Ukraine, Bulgaria (aircraft pictured) will face pressure to do the same. (Bulgarian Air Force)
With Poland and Slovakia having recently pledged to provide Ukraine with MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum’ combat aircraft, focus will now shift to Bulgaria to do the same as the only other NATO operator of the type.
The 500th NH90 for the international programme was handed over to the French Army on 17 March. The programme has 97 more to deliver under current orders. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
NHIndustries delivered the 500th NH90 helicopter during a ceremony at the Marignane production facility in southern France on 17 March.
The consortium comprising Airbus Helicopters (62.5%), Leonardo (32%), and Fokker Aerostructures (5.5%) marked the milestone some 16 years after customer deliveries began, handing over the latest helicopter to the French Army.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has today signed a new law against the spread of false news about participants in military operations in Ukraine, punishing this offense with up to 15 years in prison.
The law toughens the punishment for discrediting the deployment of the Russian armed forces abroad, previously up to five years in jail. The changes make it illegal to defame volunteers and increase the maximum sentence for doing so from three to seven years.