DefenceTalkThe Type 23 frigate is the first Royal Navy ship to be fitted with Artisan – a 3D radar 5 times better than the old version it replaces. Iron Duke left Portsmouth yesterday, Sunday 23 June, to begin an intensive period of sea trials. As part of a £100 million programme, Artisan (advanced radar, target […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iron-duke-back-at-sea-after-major-upgrade-48237/

DefenceTalkScanEagle is a maritime reconnaissance asset that can be launched off the back of Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships day or night to gather intelligence and survey the wider area of operations. Built by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing Defence UK Limited, the ScanEagle is the first maritime-specific unmanned air system capability to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/royal-navys-new-eye-in-the-sky-48214/

DefenceTalkThe Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia for the continuation of the United States-supported effort to modernize the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $4.0 billion. The Government of Saudi Arabia has requested […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saudi-arabia-requests-4bn-for-national-guard-modernization-48206/

DefenceTalkWorking with Lockheed Martin and the UK Ministry of Defence, we have linked simulation facilities across five UK sites to create a common synthetic environment to evaluate F-35 interoperability with other UK military platforms. Linking Air and Maritime A recent trial saw Royal Navy, RAF and US Navy pilots operating the F-35 fighter jet during […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukus-trials-review-f-35-interoperability-in-a-simulated-maritime-scenario-48193/

DefenceTalkDuring the three-month long deployment of the FREMM frigate Aquitaine, the implementation crew for the NH90 helicopter from 33F Squadron had an opportunity to experience the operational capabilities of the FLASH SONICS system. The FLASH system (Folding Light Acoustic System for Helicopters) is an active low-frequency airborne sonar that has been requested by the French […]https://www.defencetalk.com/flash-sonics-sonar-enters-service-with-french-navy-nh90-helicopters-48189/

DefenceTalkThe construction of the stern for the first Mistral helicopter carrier being built for the Russian Navy will be finished in France because a Russian shipyard cannot meet the deadline specified in the contract, a senior Russian defense official said Tuesday. “We will have the whole stern made there [in France], we won’t take risks […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-moves-mistral-stern-construction-to-france-48187/

DefenceTalkRomanian helicopter manufacturer IAR Brasov has chosen Thales to supply TMS 2000 sonobuoy processors to equip IAR-330 Puma helicopters operated by the Romanian Navy. The processors will give the Romanian Navy a decisive anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability to detect submarines in the Black Sea, in particular as part of NATO missions. TMS 2000 processors offer […]https://www.defencetalk.com/thales-to-supply-sonobuoy-processors-to-romanian-navy-48142/

DefenceTalkThe RQ-21A Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (STUAS) completed its first East Coast flight from Webster Field Annex on June 12, marking the start of the next phase of test for the program. A team from the Navy and Marine Corps STUAS program office (PMA-263) here and industry partner Insitu, Inc., are conducting flight operations […]https://www.defencetalk.com/rq-21a-small-uas-completes-first-east-coast-flight-48109/

DefenceTalkITT Exelis has been awarded a contract valued at more than $125 million by Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md., to deliver the latest variant of the AN/ALQ-214 airborne jammer. The AN/ALQ-214 is a subsystem of the Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) suite. Under this contract, Exelis will engage in the second full-rate […]https://www.defencetalk.com/exelis-to-provide-us-navy-aircraft-with-advanced-electronic-countermeasures-48064/

DefenceTalkSikorsky Aircraft Corp. has received a $435 million U.S. Navy contract to build four production-representative CH-53K heavy lift helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps. Designated as System Demonstration Test Articles (SDTA), the four aircraft will enable the Marines to conduct operational evaluation of the new helicopter system in support of Initial Operational Capability in 2019. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sikorsky-to-build-ch-53k-operational-test-helicopters-for-us-navy-48057/