The Bundesheer and Rheinmetall signed a contract on 21 February for the German company’s Skyranger 30 turret. (Georg Mader)
The Bundesheer (Austrian Armed Forces) and Rheinmetall announced on 23 February that they had signed a contract for the German company’s Skyranger 30 turret, making Austria the launch customer for the air-defence system.

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With the Black Hawk set to remain in US Army service through to the 2070s, Lockheed Martin says the helicopter can serve as a bridge through to future rotorcraft now being developed. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
Lockheed Martin is touting its S-70 Black Hawk medium-lift helicopter as a bridge to next-generation rotorcraft now being developed, with new technologies intended to take it out to 2070.

The MDH MD 530F, as it was designated then, was showcased at IQPC International Military Helicopter (IMH) conference in February 2023. Now known as the TH/AH530, it is again being promoted at the IMH 2024 event, with the company telling
Janes
it expects to close sales of “several dozen” platforms in Eastern Europe alone.

Despite setbacks with the US Army, Lockheed Martin will continue to develop and offer its X2 technologies to the international market. (Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin is to continue developing its X2 technologies for the international market despite suffering setbacks with its offerings to the US Army.

Austria has ordered 225 Pandur EVO AFVs for the Bundesheer. (GDELS)
A contract for 225 Pandur Evolution (EVO) armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) for the Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer) was signed by Minister of Defense Klaudia Tanner, Chief of Defence Staff General Rudolf Striedinger, and managing director of General Dynamics European Land Systems-Steyr (GDELS-Steyr) Martin Reischer on 19 February.
Present at the signing were Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Karl Hufnagel, managing director of ESL, which will supply the AFV’s 12.

The UK government has formally launched the second half of the NMH procurement process to replace the Puma HC2, with the release to industry of the invitation to negotiate on 27 February. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
The UK government has launched the second half of its New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme to replace the Airbus SA 330E Puma HC2 in military service.

The UK Ministry of Defence will take the next step in its New Medium Helicopter programme, inviting three prospective suppliers to negotiate.

Gas emanates from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in September 2022 following sabotage to the pipeline. Concerns are growing about seabed infrastructures security.

The presidential campaign of Javier Milei of Argentina was one of a kind, from the chainsaw he wielded at rallies to his promise to create a marketplace for human organs. He shouted “long live liberty” to screaming crowds and described his cloned dogs as his closest advisers. Those idiosyncrasies, however, overshadowed the most radical item on Milei’s platform — a foreign policy designed to distance Argentina from China, a top trading partner.

In Moscow last December, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar praised the “exceptional” nature of Indian-Russian relationship, describing it as the “one constant in world politics.” The reality, however, is that this relationship is a shell of its former self and, rather than being a constant, it is in fact undergoing a managed decline. This is demonstrated by New Delhi downgrading its interactions with Moscow on several fronts, including bilateral summits and multilateral forums, economic engagement, and defense cooperation.

Crowds of onlookers greeted a captured U.S.-supplied Ukrainian M2A2-ODS-SA Bradley Fighting Vehicle that is now on a rail-bound propaganda tour of Russia. It is an unprecedented and somewhat jarring thing to behold, but one that should come as no surprise.
Bradley Fighting Vehicle pictured in Russia today. Unknown author via X/Twitter
Where or when exactly the pictures of the Bradley strapped to the train car were taken is unclear. However, several Russian accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, suggest it arrived in Moscow on February 26, but this remains unconfirmed.

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A U.S. Air Force B-52H bomber made an emergency landing at Minot Air Force Base North Dakota recently due to a fire in one of its eight TF33 engines. The fire was successfully extinguished on the ground and none of the crew members onboard were injured in the mishap.
Officials at Minot confirmed to The War Zone that the incident occurred and that the mishap is now under investigation.
A B-52H bomber at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on January 7, 2024.

MilitaryView

The Future of the Russia-Ukraine War After Two Years
The Future of the Russia-Ukraine War After Two Years” – the article focuses on the ongoing conflict and its potential trajectory, offering a concise and informative preview of the content.
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which has entered its third year, presents a complex and evolving situation with significant implications for both countries and the broader international community.

The Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office is poised to put its new and highly anticipated minimum viable capability for Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) to work at the Army’s latest Project Convergence experiments kicking off this week.

HMS Diamond, the Type 45 destroyer that shot down multiple Houthi drones while spending months on patrol around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has been reloaded with surface-to-air missiles and is supposedly going to head back to the troubled region soon. The news comes just a couple weeks after the warship had docked in Gibraltar after being relieved on station by the less capable Type 23 Frigate HMS Richmond. At the time, it was reported that HMS Diamond would return home to Portsmouth after a months-long deployment.

MilitaryView

Israeli Submarines could have a big Nuclear Secret
The origin of the Dolphin class dates back to the aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf War when Germany agreed to compensate Israel for the development of Iraqi ballistic missiles capable of reaching its territory.
The Dolphin class of Israeli submarines is part of the country’s nuclear deterrence strategy, standing out for their possible nuclear arsenal and advanced features.

Army Reserve Col. Reece Roberts was indicted on Feb. 21,2024 for allegedly defrauding the Defense Finance Accounting Service of more than $62,000 in benefits that he didn’t earn. (Sgt. 1st Class Brent C. Powell/U.S. Army Reserve).
Federal prosecutors say an Army Reserve colonel created bogus lease documents and claimed to live in a different state in order to collect more than $62,000 in travel and family benefits to which he was not entitled, according to the Justice Department.
Col. Reece Dennis Roberts was indicted by a federal jury on Feb.

A major cold weather training exercise wrapped up in Alaska with a long list of lessons and new ideas, said Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler commander of the 11th Airborne division. One of them: beards.
Soldiers may not have to shave when they’re deployed in the Arctic, the Army’s commanding general for the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division said Monday.
The comments came from Maj. Gen.

A story published during the Singapore Airshow last week gained much attention, specifically the claim that the F-15EX Eagle II — the U.S. Air Force’s newest F-15 incarnation — can reach a speed of “nearly Mach 3.” If that sounded too good to be true, that’s because it was. But there’s no doubt that the Eagle II can hit a very impressive speed. The War Zone spoke to Boeing — and three different Eagle drivers — to find out more.

One of Ukraine’s U.S.-supplied M1 Abrams tanks looks to have sustained significant damage and appears to be the first loss of one of these prized tanks in combat in the country. Evidence that Ukrainian Abrams tanks had finally entered the fight only recently began to emerge. This also comes amid concerns about the ability of Ukraine’s armed forces to sustain these tanks in the long term.
Pictures and video appearing to show a Ukrainian Abrams on fire began circulating on social media earlier today.

The sixth episode of Masters of the Air is the first not to feature aerial combat. Rather, the audience is shown the challenges airmen faced on the ground, both in England and Germany. After getting shot down on the Munster mission, Bucky tries, but fails, to evade capture. Meanwhile, Col. Harding sends Crosby to Oxford to attend an Allied conference and get away from Thorpe Abbotts following Bubbles’ death. Similarly, Lt. “Rosie” Rosenthal and his crew are sent to Coombe House, a USAAF Rest Home, to recuperate after being the only crew in the 100th to return from Munster.

India’s DRDO gathered various micro, small and medium sized enterprises across the nation’s defence ecosystem to grants 23 licensing deals.

Michael Chapman’s films are well-known to audiences worldwide. Many of them were blockbusters for their time or have earned even further cult status. He collaborated with such directors as Martin Scorsese (four times), Ivan Reitman, Paul Schrader and Andrew Davis. Chapman was part of the American New Wave of the 1970s and 1980s. He grew up in Boston and attended Columbia University.

Post-graduation he worked as a brakeman for the Erie Lackawanna Railroad in the Midwest and served in the U.S. Army. He broke into the industry as an assistant cameraman and focus puller for commercials.

The UK could be set to complete a review into the planned acquisition of 14 CH-47ER heavy-lift helicopters from the United States.

Česká zbrojovka and Ukroboronprom have joined forces to assemble CZ BREN 2 Rifles, which will bolster Ukraine’s defence capabilities.

Antares
, the Spanish Navy’s remaining Castor-class survey ship, was decommissioned on 16 February.
(Spanish Navy)

The Spanish Navy has retired its remaining operational Castor-class survey ship
Antares
(A 23) after 50 years of service. A formal decommissioning ceremony was held at Puntales Naval Station in San Fernando, Cádiz, on 16 February, the Spanish Navy announced the same day.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is expanding access to government healthcare for millions of veterans years earlier than previously passed legislation calls for, officials announced Monday. New Jersey National Guard photo by Mark C. Olsen.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is expanding access to government healthcare for millions of veterans years earlier than expected, officials announced Monday.
Beginning March 5, former troops will be able to sign up for VA-sponsored healthcare without having to first apply for VA benefits.

An active-duty airman died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy on Feb. 25, 2024. (Video screenshot).
An active-duty airman who set himself on fire on Sunday outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., to demonstrate his opposition to the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza has died of his injuries, according to the Air Force.
“The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night,” the Air Force said in a statement on Monday.

An active-duty airman died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy on Feb. 25, 2024. (Video screenshot).
Senior Airman Aaron Bushnell died of his injuries on Sunday after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., to demonstrate his opposition to the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza, Air Force officials said.
The Air Force deferred questions about the incident to Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department.

High Point Aerotechnologies displayed its latest-generation Sawtooth counter-unmanned aircraft system. (Janes/Prasobh Narayanan)
US-based High Point Aerotechnologies showcased its latest-generation Sawtooth counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) for the first time at Singapore Airshow 2024 held from 20 to 25 February.
Speaking to Janes, the chief revenue officer of High Point, Evan Hunt, said the Sawtooth C-UAS uses layered technologies to adequately detect unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

An Italian FREMM multimission frigate, similar to what Indonesia is seeking for its own navy. (Fincantieri)
The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has submitted a proposal to the country’s Ministry of Finance, requesting to cancel the foreign loan approvals allocated for an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and 15 other smaller procurement programmes.

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Besa Pinchotti was juggling tasks in her car, returning calls on her cellphone in between dentist visits for her children, when, after pausing for a moment, she said into her phone,…