http://www.janes.comYour subscription to Jane's Defence Procurement entitles you to receive this weekly alert. The following alert highlights the new and updated Platform Programmes in Military Aircraft.en-gbCopyright: (C) Jane's Information Group. All rights reserved.http://www8.janes.com/public/images/janes_rss.gifhttp://www.janes.comVisit http://www.janes.comhttp://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41492.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Airbus Military C-295M has been selected as the Mexican Air Force's new medium transport aircraft, it was announced on 15 November. According to an announcement by the Mexican Treasury Department (MTD), five C-295Ms configured as military transports have been ordered, together with a logistics, aircrew training and ground maintenance package. The C-295Ms will be operated from the military air base (BAM-1) at Santa Lucia, home of the Mexican Air Force's transport fleet. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41509.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Belgian Air Component (BAC) officially accepted into service its new Airbus A330-300 personnel and freight transport aircraft on 19 November, the Ministry of Defence announced. Melsbroek is the home of the 15th Air Transport Wing, which is responsible for the BAC's transport and VIP fleets. The station currently operates Airbus A310, Lockheed Martin C-130H, Embraer ERJ-135/ERJ-145 and Dassault Falcon 20/900B aircraft. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jni73271.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIWith ageing single-role auxiliary vessels nearing the end of their lives, smaller navies are seeking to retain their blue water capability by replacing them with cheaper multipurpose logistic ships, combining strategic sealift and replenishment capabilities. The programme for a new support ship - the Joint Logistiek Ondersteuning Schip (JLOS - Joint Logistic Support Ship), more usually referred to as the Joint Support Ship (JSS) - started to take shape in 2003-04. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41508.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWAccording to officials from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), up to 250 examples of the JF-17 (also known as the FC-1 or 'Thunder') will be inducted into the air force in the next six to eight years, giving the aircraft a key position as the main second-line fighter to replace older Chinese F-7 fighters and A-5 ground attack aircraft. The JF-17, the unveiling of which was scheduled to take place at the PAF-run Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) north of Islamabad, joins the eight JF-17s built in... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41472.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWUS private equity firm JF Lehman & Company has agreed to sell guidance and navigation systems specialist Atlantic Inertial Systems to Goodrich Corporation for USD375 million. Atlantic will be integrated within Goodrich's Sensors and Integrated Systems business within its Electronic Systems unit. Atlantic Inertial Systems comprised BAE Systems' Inertial Products business (which was housed within what was then the Electronics & Integrated Solutions unit). - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41504.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC) has taken delivery of another four Mil Mi-17 'Hip' transport/assault helicopters, the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced on 19 November. The four Mi-17s will provide combat airlift, logistical and medical evacuation support to Afghan forces and government officials. With these aircraft, the ANAAC currently fields 25 Mi-17s, including six former Czech and three former Slovakian aircraft as well as another seven 'Hips' funded by the United... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41511.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe chief executive officer (CEO) of South Africa's defence acquisition agency, Armscor, was suspended with immediate effect on 18 November, the board of directors announced. Sipho Thomo had been asked to resign on 4 November following a series of statements inflating the cost overruns of the development programme for the Airbus A400M transport aircraft. His parliamentary testimony in October initiated a chain of events that ultimately led to South Africa's decision to cancel its order for ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41475.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe C-295 MPA fleet is fitted with the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/APN-241 navigation radar; Elta Systems EL/M 2022A(V)3 maritime surveillance radar; FLIR Systems Star Safire IV thermal-imaging, night-vision and infrared camera system; a Swedish Space Corporation Ericsson side-looking airborne radar, an Elisra Electronic Systems radar warning receiver; panoramic windows; life rafts; and a pod-mounted searchlight system. Three of the aircraft will be fitted with Airbus Military's ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80132.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINUK countermeasures specialist Chemring saw its order backlog jump 37 per cent to GBP559 million (USD939 million) during the year to 31 October, reflecting last year's acquisition of NIITEK and a record contract win in the United States. The USD132 million purchase of the New York Stock Exchange provider of energetics solutions primarily for US defence and aerospace programmes was Chemring's largest acquisition to date. Chemring noted that the USD30 million acquisition of mine-detection ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41490.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe US Air Force (USAF) and Boeing have partnered to test a new mobile, ground-based solid-state laser that can shoot down small unmanned aircraft. Boeing declined to elaborate on the range of the MATRIX laser, except to say that it provided acquisition, pointing and tracking at "long ranges using relatively low laser power," according to Gary Fitzmire, vice-president and programme director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems' Directed Energy Systems unit. Other systems tested at China Lake ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41489.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe growing demand for situational awareness and protection has pushed US Army Stryker infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) to their performance limits and an upcoming modernisation plan will have to augment many of their core systems, according to a programme official. Col Lamb said the modernisation programme therefore intends to redesign the vehicle's driveline, suspension, power generation and data management systems. Strykers were to serve as an interim vehicle while the army developed its ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80134.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINJordan's King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) has signed five separate defence production and technology transfer deals with western defence companies, it was reported on 19 November. KADDB will work with Turkey's Aselsan to produce night-vision and thermal imaging technologies in Jordan, said the Jordan Times . The organisation will also design and develop unmanned aerial vehicles with Italian company Selex Galileo and maintain F-16 aircraft in collaboration with Dutch ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12643.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRRockwell Collins has awarded ARINC Engineering Services a contract to upgrade the US Air Force's (USAF's) two Boeing OC-135B observation aircraft. ARINC announced on 19 November that it will install new navigation systems and communications equipment on the two aircraft that have been in service since 1962. The company will initially develop the installation plan and strategy for the upgrade, then install the Rockwell Collins Block 40 Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) navigational upgrade ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41479.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) will purchase two Saab 340 airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft for a total of SEK1.5 billion (USD21 million), the company announced at the Dubai Air Show on 17 November. The Saab purchase fills a long-standing capability shortfall of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence; strategic air-defence requirements including airborne intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) emerged in the mid-1990s but were delayed over funding issues. - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12641.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRSwedish contractor Saab has signed a contract worth approximately SEK1.5 billion (USD234 million) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for two Saab 340AEW (airborne early warning) aircraft, alongside associated ground equipment, logistics support and operator training services. In a related move, Saab has also announced that the Saab 300AEW aircraft ordered by Thailand during 2008 made its first flight in Thai colours on 13 November. Thailand's Saab 340AEW airborne early warning aircraft made ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41470.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed a contract in excess of CHF500 million (USD500 million) for 25 Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainer aircraft, the company announced on 17 November. The United Arab Emirates Air Force & Air Defence (UAE AF & AD) pilot training is carried out in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In February the UAE revealed that it had agreed to purchase 48 Aermacchi M-346 Master advanced lead-in fighter trainer aircraft to fulfil its Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) requirement. - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jni73266.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIThe US Navy (USN) has awarded Boeing a USD275,000 study contract associated with its plans to operate the MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from its P-8A Poseidon multirole maritime patrol aircraft, a company spokesperson told Jane's on 17 November. The contract, which was originally announced on 11 November, will see Boeing undertake a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system of the magnetic anomaly detector (MAD)-equipped ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41486.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has withdrawn its Westland/Aerospatiale SA 330E Puma HC.1 transport helicopter force from Northern Ireland, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 18 November. Nine helicopters from 230 'Tiger' Squadron, based at Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station [formerly RAF] Aldergrove, near Belfast, performed a diamond formation flypast as they left the station on 17 November en route to the Pumas' main operating base at RAF Benson in southern England. A nine-ship ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80112.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINUS private equity firm JF Lehman & Company has agreed to sell guidance and navigation systems specialist Atlantic Inertial Systems to Goodrich Corporation for USD375 million, representing a USD235 million premium in comparison with the USD140 million JF Lehman paid for the former BAE Systems subsidiary in 2007. Atlantic will be integrated within Goodrich's Sensors and Integrated Systems business, within the Electronic Systems unit. Atlantic Inertial Systems comprised BAE Systems' Inertial ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41466.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe US Navy (USN) has awarded Boeing a USD275,000 study contract associated with its plans to operate the MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from its P-8A Poseidon multirole maritime patrol aircraft, a company spokesperson told Jane's on 17 November. The contract will see Boeing undertake a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system of the magnetic anomaly detector (MAD)-equipped MECC. Boeing will begin testing the MECC sensor ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12636.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRDubbed PILOTT (Portable Integrated Laser Optical Target Tracker), the system weighs 9.3 lb (4.2 kg) without batteries and alone provides most of the functionality currently available to US forces through a combination of the company's own M25 SPOTTR (Stabilised Portable Optical Target Tracking Receiver) and Northrop Grumman's SOFLAM laser designator and Mk VIIE laser target locator. PILOTT is also likely to be offered for the UK Joint Fires Integration (JFI) programme, the successor to the ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80108.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINSaab has signed an SEK1.5 billion (USD220 million) contract with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to supply two Saab 340 airborne early warning systems, it was announced on 17 November. The accord covers the provision of Saab 340 aircraft equipped with the Erieye radar system. "We've been conducting discussions with the UAE for several years concerning an airborne surveillance system," Saab President and Chief Executive Officer Ake Svensson added. - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41465.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe first conventional variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to be 'optimised' with an improved structure and aerodynamics has made its inaugural flight, the company announced on 16 November. The aircraft, known as the AF-1, is the second conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) fighter to roll off the F-35 production line. During the test-flight on 14 November, the optimised AF-1 took off from Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth production facility in Texas and... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41468.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThales Angénieux will provide the French military with 1,500 night-vision goggles for its helicopters, the company announced on 13 November. Deliveries of the HELIE (Helicopter Light Intensifier Equipment) will begin in 2011 and continue for the following five years. The goggles have been ordered for the helicopter pilots of the army air corps, the air force, the navy, the Gendarmerie, Civil Security and Customs, Thales said in a statement. - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12638.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRThe UK arm of Selex Galileo is to supply 21 of its Titan 385ES-HD multi-sensor turret systems (MSTS) for Project Julius - the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) upgrade of the Chinook helicopter fleet. As well as the new turrets, the contract - worth in excess of GBP10 million (USD17 million) - also covers the upgrade of four existing Chinook Titan 385ES turrets to the 385ES-HD configuration. Four existing Titan 385ES turrets, one of which is seen here under the nose of a Chinook HC.2 (NEP) of 7 ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12633.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRAgustaWestland's AW159 Lynx Wildcat (formerly Future Lynx) helicopter took to the air for the first time at the company's Yeovilton facility in southern England on 12 November. The British Army, which will operate 34 Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopter (BRH)-variant Lynx Wildcats, will, in addition to battlefield reconnaissance, use the aircraft for command-and-control, transportation of troops and light stores, special forces fire control, to offer force protection and military aid to ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41474.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWEurofighter has signed a EUR600 million (USD892 million) contract with the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) to provide support for the Typhoon fleet of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiano - AMI). The contract will support AMI technical and logistical support activities at the Grosseto and Gioia del Colle airbases and at the 1st RMV (Reparto Manutenzione Velivoli) at Cameri: the air force's main logistics base. On 21 June the air wing obtained NATO's ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41467.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe first Saab 340 Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has made its maiden flight, the company announced on 16 November. The aircraft was joined for the flight, which lasted just over two hours, by the first Saab JAS 39D Gripen combat aircraft for the RTAF. The order included six Gripen C/D aircraft with associated equipment and services; a Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft equipped with Erieye radar and datalinks; a Saab 340 aircraft for ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80110.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINEurofighter has signed a EUR600 million (USD892 million) contract with the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) to provide support for the Italian Air Force's (Aeronautica Militare Italiano - AMI) Typhoon fleet. The contract will support AMI technical and logistical support activities at Grosseto and Gioia del Colle airbases and at the 1st RMV (Reparto Manutenzione Velivoli) at Cameri, the air force's main logistics base. On 21 June the air wing obtained NATO's certification... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jdw41445.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIThe US Navy has taken delivery of the first of five Eurocopter H-72A training helicopters, EADS North America announced on 12 November. The navy's H-72A fleet will be based at the US Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland, where it is to be used to train test pilots from the US military and allied countries. In addition to the current production of H-72As and UH-72As, EADS North America is offering an Armed Scout 645 variant for the US Army's armed aerial scout ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80099.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINEADS recorded almost static sales in the third quarter of 2009, but its earnings fell into the red as the company gave warnings about further negative impacts relating to its A400M military transport aircraft programme. Airbus Military, which includes the A400M programme, recorded EADS' biggest revenue decline in the third quarter, as sales by the division plummeted by 26 per cent to EUR782 million (formerly EUR1.05 billion). Revenues from EADS' Defense & Security division fell 14 per cent to... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41454.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWA Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) Panavia Tornado IDS strike aircraft crashed on 15 November, according to local media reports. The RSAF has been involved in a comprehensive upgrade of its ground attack Tornado fleet known as the Tornado Sustainment Programme (TSP). RSAF Tornado TSP aircraft have been seen operating from BAE Systems' Warton site in the UK carrying test versions of the Storm Shadow long-range cruise missile and Brimstone anti-armour weapon, as well as the Air-Launched ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41449.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe first of an expected six Royal Air Force (RAF) AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HC.3/3A transport helicopters has arrived in Afghanistan to boost the UK's battlefield-lift helicopter capability, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 16 November. The helicopter from 78 Squadron, based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, was airlifted from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, to Camp Bastion - the main base for British forces deployed to Helmand province - aboard a 99 Squadron Boeing C-17 Globemaster ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDF/JDFCVP/jnDocViewResults.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41445.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe US Navy (USN) has taken delivery of the first of five Eurocopter H-72A training helicopters, EADS North America announced on 12 November. The navy's H-72A fleet will be based at the US Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland, where it is to be used to train test pilots from the US military and allied countries. In addition to the current production of H-72As and UH-72As, EADS North America is offering an Armed Scout 645 variant for the US Army's armed aerial ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00