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FEBRUARY 2019 news
Air Forces - Aerospace and Aviation Defense Industry |
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On February 5, France unveiled that its forces had fired a nuclear-capable missile from a Rafale fighter jet, as part of an 11-hour mission. This mission saw a Rafale fighter refuel and fire an unarmed missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
On February 6, 2019, the French Minister of Defense, Florence Parly, and her German counterpart, Ursula von der Leyen, went to Gennevilliers, on the site of the company Safran, to give the industrial launch of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program (SCAF, Système de Combat Aérien du Futur). "The FCAS, the Franco-German fighter jet of the future, will anchor the rapprochement of our air forces, at the operational and technological level. Thank you to engineers, airmen and industrialists - French and German - who are already working tirelessly on this project", Florence Parly said.
According to Embraer's website, Embraer Defense & Security and its partner Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) were awarded a contract to deliver 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force.
On 6 February, the Land Component, the Intelligence service (SGRS) of the Belgian armed forces, and the Belgian Special Forces gave a joint conference about the past, ongoing and forthcoming external operations carried on by the Belgian army. Maj.Gen. Johan Peeters gave an overview of the worldwide involvement of Belgian troops, followed by Lt.Gen. aviator Claude Van de Voorde (SGRS) for an in-depth presentation of the various intelligence sources supplied to the F-16 detachment deployed by the Belgian Air Component (Air Force) in Iraq. According to him, intelligence is the first line of the Belgian Defense.
Iran unveiled its first home-made wide-body drone with a jet engine in an exhibition held by Armed Forces in Tehran. The Iranian Armed Forces indeed showcased their latest achievements and products, including new drones and weapons, in "Eqtedar 40" exhibition on January 30 in Tehran.
French government has announced its intentions to develop its own hypersonic weapons, heating up the race for hypersonic weapons, so far led by Russia, China and the US. Such hypersonic weapons are like missiles travelling at Mach 5, but are moreover likely to manoeuvre in mid-flight. This second trait makes of them threats much more harder to track and intercept than traditional missiles.
The Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) together with VR-Technologies Design Bureau of the Russian Helicopters Holding held the second stage of aerodynamic trials of the lifting rotor of the light coaxial VRT500 helicopter, TsAGI said.
On Sunday, February 3, 2019, around 18:00h Paris time, a Mirage 2000 patrol of the French "Armée de l'Air" (Air Force) intervened jointly with the Chadian army in Northern Chad to strike a column of 40 pickups of an armed group coming from Lybia.
It appears that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is to install a British missile system, the MBDA-built ASRAAM, on its HAL-built Su-30 MKI (Russian origin jets, built in India). IAF intends to replace the Russian Vympel R-73 with the ASRAAM, and hopes to be able to standardise this weapon system across all its fleet.
The Belgian Air Component (Air Force) plans the withdrawal of its last Lockheed C-130H airlifters for 2022, when six of its seven ordered Airbus A-400M Atlas should have been delivered.
Spotlight Labs, a veteran-owned technology company, announced the availability of its SPYDR hypoxia sensor, a helmet insert that gathers human biometric and aircraft condition data, detects and warns pilots of their imminent incapacitation, and records high fidelity flight data for post-flight analysis and improved flight outcomes. The company says that the SPYDR was tested by the United States Air Force, and can be utilized to prevent loss of life and improve pilot performance and training.
The U.S. Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $US 55 million contract, for modification to a previously awarded contract, for the providing of 5 MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned air systems (helicopters) and 2 lightweight fuel cells. Work is scheduled to be done by 2021.
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