The War Zone
• Joseph Trevithick
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has delivered an FQ-42A Vengeance to Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, where the aircraft will continue regular test and evaluation operations. The handover marks the latest step in advancing the platform’s operational assessment with the U.S. Air Force.
Military Aircraft Procurement
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Lockheed Martin will enter production of the Precision Strike Missile Increment 2 after a successful test against moving maritime targets, under a U.S. Army indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $1.2 billion. The agreement advances PrSM’s anti-ship and moving land-target capability while further flight testing continues.
European space and defense leaders say Ukraine has accelerated efforts to strengthen the region’s space-defense capabilities, but consensus-building, procurement reform and integration of dual-use systems remain significant obstacles to moving from strategic urgency to deployable capability.
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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has delivered an FQ-42A Vengeance to Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, where the aircraft will continue regular test and evaluation operations. The handover marks the latest step in advancing the platform’s operational assessment with the U.S. Air Force.
The State Department has detailed a $24.3 billion package covering up to 48 F-35A stealth fighters, alongside logistics and training services. If completed, the deal would make Saudi Arabia the first Arab country to operate the F-35, extending the aircraft’s sensitive export footprint into the Gulf.
The U.S. Air Force formally retired EC-130H Compass Call aircraft 1590 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, on Sept. 18, following its final operational taxi and flight. The C-130-based electronic warfare platform served for more than 40 years before the EA-37B transition.
One of Finland’s first three F-35 fighters remains in the Azores after developing an avionics fault during its delivery journey. The aircraft is expected to join a subsequent delivery flight later this autumn, leaving Finland temporarily short one of its initial aircraft.
Lockheed Martin says its Armed Black Hawk kits can convert UH-60M and S-70i helicopters into armed attack platforms in less than three hours, offering operators a rapid path to add offensive capability to existing rotary-wing fleets without replacing the underlying aircraft.
Tekever will supply the British Army with an initial batch of six AR5 uncrewed air vehicles under a five-year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence, establishing a dedicated procurement and support relationship for the company’s UAV platform.
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