The War Zone
• Joseph Trevithick
The Navy is considering new facilities to increase its capacity to make major modifications to F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. The effort comes as production priorities shift, putting the ability to upgrade existing aircraft alongside changing demands on the industrial base.
Military Aircraft Procurement
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The Navy is considering new facilities to increase its capacity to make major modifications to F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. The effort comes as production priorities shift, putting the ability to upgrade existing aircraft alongside changing demands on the industrial base.
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AeroVironment received a $405 million international direct commercial sales order for 30-kW LOCUST X3 laser systems from an undisclosed Middle Eastern customer. Separately, AFRICOM awarded Merlin $500,000 to demonstrate autonomous casualty evacuation, while the Army awarded Safe Pro Group $2.5 million for explosive-detection software on Anduril Ghost-X drones.
Republic of Singapore Air Force fighter pilots have taken part in a U.S. Air Force simulated exercise with the Lockheed Martin F-35 as Singapore awaits its first aircraft. The city-state is poised to become the first operator of the fifth-generation fighter in Southeast Asia.
The US Marine Corps has awarded Textron Aviation an $18.6 million contract for an additional Beechcraft King Air 360CER, designated the UC-12W+. The award expands the service’s utility transport fleet with another aircraft in the UC-12W+ configuration.
A U.S. military demonstration in Morocco will test an uncrewed Cessna Caravan configured for casualty evacuation. The trial explores whether autonomous aircraft can support medical rescue operations in remote or difficult-to-reach locations, with potential relevance beyond the demonstration site.
Greece has placed a follow-on order for Shield AI’s V-Bat uncrewed aerial system, which is already operated by the Hellenic Navy. The ducted-fan aircraft can take off and land vertically, operate without a runway and remain airborne for up to 12 hours, offering flexible basing for military missions.
Poland is finalizing a transfer of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine in return for drone technology, reviving a deal suspended in June over unmet commitments. The arrangement links a legacy combat-aircraft transfer to access to unmanned systems, though the available report provides no details on aircraft numbers, technology or timing.
Poland and Ukraine have agreed on a reciprocal military-technology exchange after several months of negotiations, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said. Warsaw will provide Kyiv with additional MiG-29 fighters, while Ukraine will share anti-drone technologies with Poland; one report specifies that Poland plans to transfer two aircraft.
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