Poland is purchasing Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles-Extended Range under a $735 million contract with the United States, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Tuesday. The ministry said the JASSM-ER’s range is about 1,000 kilometers. Deliveries are set to take place in two to four years. “This is strategic equipment for the Polish air force that changes...
Author: Arthur McMiler (Arthur McMiler)
US Beefs Up Military Alliance With Morocco, Other Allies at African Lion 2024
Training on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare highlighted the military activities in Agadir, Morocco, as part of African Lion 2024, a major U.S. Africa Command exercise that also features events in Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia from April 19 to May 31. The U.S. Army said the Morocco-hosted CBRN joint drill, which extended to explosive...
Balfour Beatty to Support Rolls-Royce Expansion for New Royal Navy, AUKUS Projects; Terry Meighan Quoted
U.K.-based global infrastructure group Balfour Beatty will support the Rolls-Royce Submarines’ Raynesway campus expansion to meet the growing needs of the British Royal Navy and Australia’s $3.1 billion, 10-year commitment to the AUKUS submarine program. Rolls-Royce said Balfour Beatty will build new manufacturing facilities and offices in the submarine plant in Derby, England, doubling its...
Romanian Navy H215M to Adopt MBDA’s Marte ER Missile; Arnaud Rousset Quoted
The Romanian Naval Forces will integrate the Marte ER anti-surface warfare missile into its two Airbus H215M helicopters to provide flexible mission capability with automatic or manual navigation and salvo firing. According to the missile manufacturer, France-based MBDA, it will work on the aircraft’s missile platform integration under a contract with Romanian aerospace company IAR...
Mauritius to Adopt Thales’ National Identity Management System; Youzec Kurp Quoted
The Prime Minister’s Office of Mauritius has awarded a 10-year contract to a consortium led by the Paris-based global technology conglomerate Thales Group to develop a national identity system for the African island nation. The consortium, which includes Port Louis-headquartered company Harel Mallac Technologies, will provide end-to-end support to the project, from citizen registration to...
Accenture Grows Italian Footprint With Intellera Acquisition; Mauro Macchi Quoted
Accenture has announced the completion of its purchase of Intellera Consulting, an Italian company that specializes in public sector consultancy services. The acquisition brings 1,400 professionals from Intellera, which has main offices in Rome and Milan, into Accenture’s workforce. The multidisciplinary services Intellera extends to its customers include facilitating organizational transformation and navigating access to...
Report: New Zealand Defense Spending Cut May Derail AUKUS Phase 2 Plans
A proposed 6.6 percent cut in New Zealand’s defense budget could stall the Oceanian nation’s bid to join the AUKUS military alliance, according to a Reuters report on Wednesday. Wellington is planning to reduce its proposed defense spending for the year ending June 2025 to $3.03 billion from the current year’s $3.25 billion, based on...
$435M Order Jumpstarts New Maestral Shipbuilding Partnership; Pierroberto Folgiero Quoted
Abu Dhabi-based defense and technology company Edge Group and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri have signed an agreement to form a shipbuilding joint venture called Maestral, which has already booked a contract from the United Arab Emirates Coast Guard. The order, worth $435 million, calls for the delivery of 10 offshore patrol vessels. Edge, which holds a...
Eurodrone Project Advances to Critical Design Review With Preliminary Check Completed
The Eurodrone program, seeking to deliver the first unmanned aerial system for non-segregated airspace flight, is advancing to its critical design review, following the completion of the project’s preliminary design check. The completed initial review included technical assessments and evaluations, including wind tunnel testing and checks on digital twin technological capabilities. According to Airbus Defence...
Israeli-Made Heron UAV for Luftwaffe Takes First Flight in Germany
An unmanned aerial vehicle developed and produced in Israel and designed with Germany’s military requirements in mind took its maiden flight in German air space on Wednesday, with senior officials of the German Armed Forces present. Airbus, one of the contractors for the German Heron TP drone, said the remotely powered aircraft system was developed...