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Already an operator of the Gripen C/D, Hungary is now in discussions to acquire the follow-on Gripen E (pictured) combat aircraft from Sweden. (Saab)
Hungary is discussing with Sweden the possibility of acquiring Gripen E combat aircraft to add to the Gripen C/Ds it already operates, a senior Saab official said on 20 May.

An MQ-4C Triton UAV of the US Navy’s Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 taxis after landing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on 4 August 2023. (US Navy)
The US Navy is preparing to deploy two Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. This is the first known deployment of this high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on Okinawa.
A US Navy spokesperson confirmed to Janes on 20 May that the “US Pacific Fleet plans to temporarily deploy MQ-4C Tritons and associated personnel from Andersen Air [Force] Base, Guam, to a location in Japan”.

Vehicles that look like both the VPK-Ural and Streit Group Condor SUT featured in the LAAF parade on 17 May. (Libyan Arab Armed Forces)
The Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) in eastern Libya is now operating what look like Russian VPK-Ural 4×4 armoured vehicles, photographs of a parade on 17 May revealed.
Held near Benghazi’s Benina International Airport, the parade marked the 10th anniversary of Operation ‘Al-Karamah’, a victory over Islamist forces in 2014.

In the early 1990s, India responded to the end of the Cold War with a new “Look East” policy, which it subsequently rebranded as “Act East” in 2014. Today, India has developed a “Think West” policy, focused on what those in the West call the Middle East. So which way is India thinking, looking, and acting today? Much as India’s “Look/Act East” policy reflected a shift in India’s worldview following the end of the Cold War, New Delhi’s reinvigorated engagement with the Middle East today reflects a deeper, ongoing shift in the country’s external engagement.

 Imagine a scenario in which a junior Army captain is taking command of an airborne infantry company. This officer has never been to airborne or ranger school or completed an infantry field problem. But the officer has conducted countless offensive cyber operations, maneuvering through hostile networks to close with and destroy a digital adversary — and the Army has determined that kind of experience is the best preparation to lead an infantry company. Now imagine a different scenario.

The CAESAR 6×6 Mk II NG SPH will make its debut at Eurosatory 2024. (Nexter)
The CAESAR 6×6 Mk II New Generation (NG) self-propelled howitzer (SPH) will be unveiled at the Eurosatory 2024 defence exhibition to be held in Paris from 17 to 21 June, Janes learnt at Defence iQ’s Future Artillery 2024 conference being held in the French capital from 21 to 23 May.
Janes understands that the SPH is undergoing trials. Development of the CAESAR Mk II has been under way since it was launched in December 2021.

Germany plans to procure five PULS MRLs in co-operation with the Netherlands. (Elbit Systems)
Germany plans to procure five Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) as an option under the government-to-government agreement between the Israeli and Dutch ministries of defence (MoDs) for 20 of the MRLs signed in May 2023, Janes learnt at Defence iQ’s Future Artillery 2024 conference held in Paris from 21 to 23 May.

The EPC is expected to replace the Cassiopea, Sirio, and Comandanti classes in Italian Navy service alongside the 95 m Offshore patrol vessel class (pictured). (Fincantieri)
The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) project has been awarded funding under the European Commission’s European Defence Fund (EDF) 2023.
In the announcement of results of the EDF’s 2023 calls for proposals on 16 May 2024, the EPC2 project is to receive a maximum European Union (EU) contribution of EUR154.5 million (USD167.9 million) in funding.

This story is developing…
CDM reported our opinion recently that we deducted the helicopter crash causing the death of President Raisi of Iran was due to human error in bad weather.
Additional evidence has come to light from sources in-country showing video of the discovery of the crashed aircraft and remains of those on board.
The video, which we believe to be authentic, shows possible shrapnel damage to the tail boom of the Bell aircraft.
This could be possible evidence of a shoot down.
The damage could also be from a mechanical failure, such as a turbine engine disintegrating.

Aurora Flight Sciences recently unveiled a revised fan-in-wing vertical take-off-and-landing capable aircraft design it is developing U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). A key goal behind Aurora’s new demonstrator concept, which is uncrewed and otherwise scaled back from the design it first presented last year, is to provide a realistic pathway to actually flight test the capabilities this platform might offer.
Aurora, a subsidiary of Boeing, has been developing this design under DARPA’s Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT).