The Canadian Department of National Defence has awarded Arcfield Canada a $157.4 million follow-on contract for continued avionics in-service support of the country’s CF-18 aircraft fleet. Jacques Comtois, vice president of operations at Arcfield Canada, said the agreement will ensure fleet availability and mission readiness for the CF-18 fighters until the fleet is deactivated. According...
Category: Defense Security Cooperation
European Defence Agency Teams Up With Netherlands, Austria on Military Satellite Project
The European Defence Agency said it has partnered with the Netherlands and Austria to launch within two years a constellation of two to four satellites maneuverable within the low-Earth orbit and very low-Earth orbit space domains. Dubbed LEO2VLEO: Military Crisis-Response Satellite Constellation, the $10.9 million project seeks to design, develop, launch and operate space capabilities...
European Commission Unveils Defense Industrial Strategy With $1.6B Seed Program
The European Commission has recently introduced the European Union’s first-ever European Defence Industrial Strategy. The proposal suggests creating a regulatory European Defence Industry Programme that would activate a budget of $1.6 billion from the EU. The allocation is planned for 2025-2027, and it aims to continue enhancing the competitiveness of the defense technological and industrial...
Palantir Aims to Accelerate Ukraine’s Demining Efforts Using AI Tech
Palantir Technologies has agreed to support Ukraine’s demining efforts using the company’s artificial intelligence-enabled software. Palantir’s deal with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine will see the two parties collaborate to digitize and automate humanitarian demining operations in the war-torn country. The partnership will also improve digital capabilities to coordinate better land release and assessment...
Greece Joins Defense Initiatives as It Seeks to Increase Interoperability With European Nations
Greece has signed up to two European Defence Agency initiatives in a bid to increase cooperation with European neighbors. The Hellenic Republic has become the sixth member of the C-27J Spartan Cooperation. Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias signed the Statement of Accession, which formalizes the Balkan country’s inclusion in the C-27J program. Launched in 2020, the initiative encourages...
Canada Sharpens Arctic Military Capabilities With Northern Allies in Operation Nanook-Nunalivu
The Canadian Armed Forces deployed more than 300 members to the Operation Nanook-Nunalivut military exercise to demonstrate and sharpen the service’s Arctic capabilities and ensure the CAF’s continuing coordination with allies and partners in the region. The operation is one of four annual military exercises launched in 2007 to secure Canada’s northern regions and demonstrate...
US, South Korea Kick Off Freedom Shield With 12 UN Command Members
The United States and South Korea have started the 2024 Freedom Shield Exercise to boost their defenses against North Korean threats. The exercise began amid Pyongyang’s continued aggressive military activities, such as artillery firings and missile launches. Yonhap News Agency reported that joining the 11-day exercise that kicked off Monday are military elements from the...
US, Partner Countries Participate in Project Convergence Capstone 4
The United States is holding a multinational force experiment at Camp Pendleton and Fort Irwin National Training Center in California to identify technologies that can enable joint multidomain operations. Military members from the U.S. and its allied countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, are participating in the U.S. Army-led Project Convergence Capstone 4, which...
UK Selects Babcock for $710M Contract to Upgrade HMS Victorious Submarine
The U.K. Ministry of Defence has awarded Babcock International a $709.9 million contract for maintenance and life extension support of the Royal Navy’s HMS Victorious submarine. The agreement calls for the defense contractor to repair and modernize the Vanguard-class submarine, which serves a critical role in the United Kingdom’s continuous sea deterrence efforts. In a...
US, Poland Finalize $2.5B IBCS Purchase Agreement
The U.S. government has signed an Integrated Battle Command System purchase agreement with the Polish Ministry of National Defence worth $2.5 billion, with deliveries to begin later in 2024. According to a Defense News report, Poland plans to use the IBCS to operate Patriot missile launchers under the Wisla and Narew defense programs. At the...