Category: Military & Defense

Iridium Communications has announced that Airbus Helicopters is providing the Joint Light Helicopter (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger – HIL) French Armed Forces Programme with H160Ms that will be factory-equipped with Iridium partner SKYTRAC’s Iridium Certus Connected® SDL-700. A multifunctional system, the SDL-700 is a satellite communication terminal, data acquisition, and onboard server system that utilizes Iridium Certus broadband connectivity to provide up to 704 Kbps of bandwidth to enable mission-critical capabilities onboard the H160Ms. The SDL-700 is the latest iteration of SKYTRAC’s flagship broadband satcom terminal, the SDL-350™.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a contract valued at over US$200 million (£167 million) to provide special mission aircraft to a country in Europe, which is a NATO member country. The special mission aircraft will be developed by IAI’s Group and subsidiary ELTA Systems Ltd., home to Israel’s radar and intelligence technology and considered a global leader in the field. IAI’s special mission aircraft are active in Israel and in many countries around the world and provide an important strategic edge. IAI is one of the few countries in the world that has the ability to develop such unique Read more

The Moroccan Forces Royales Air has ordered a fleet of H135s for military primary training missions. The light twin-engine H135, a reference helicopter in the segment, will be used for training pilots to perform a wide array of demanding missions including utility and search and rescue.  The contract also covers an extensive support package including the delivery of flight training devices and the training of instructor pilots and maintenance pilots. The training programme will enable the Forces Royale Air to take full advantage of the H135’s multi-mission capabilities such as NVG and winching

The newest Boeing P-8 maritime patrol, reconnaissance aircraft has taken to the skies over Puget Sound bringing the total number of P-8s delivered to 150. The 150th multi-mission P-8 will be operated by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) One, based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Amassing more than 450,000 mishap-free flight hours, the global P-8 fleet includes 112 aircraft delivered to the U.S. Navy, 12 to Australia, 12 to India, nine to the United Kingdom and five to Norway. The aircraft are designed for anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and search and rescue. The 150 Read more

Boeing, ESG Elektroniksystem und Logistik GmbH and Lufthansa Technik have signed a three-party agreement that reinforces joint efforts to support Germany’s new P-8A Poseidon fleet. With the new agreement, Boeing, ESG and Lufthansa Technik will be the team responsible for executing the P-8A sustainment programme in Germany. “We are expanding our partnership with ESG and Lufthansa Technik in the form of a three-party agreement that will allow us to best support our German customer and the operational needs of the German Navy”, said Indra Duivenvoorde, Senior Director, Boeing Government Services Europe and Israel. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to directly Read more

PZL-Świdnik, the Polish company fully owned by Leonardo, has been awarded a contract by the Polish Ministry of Defence (MoD) worth PLN 8.25 billion (approximately £1.51 billion) ) for the supply of 32 AW149 multirole helicopters. The contract was announced during an official ceremony held at PZL-Świdnik’s facility on July 1, in the presence of representatives of the Polish Government.  In addition, the contract includes logistics, training and simulator packages. The logistics package includes a stock of spares and consumable parts, as well as equipment for the ground handling of the helicopters. The training and simulator package includes comprehensive training Read more