US Army Sends Two Army Patriot missile batteries to Poland Amid Ukraine War
Roughly 4,700 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division were dispatched to Poland last month to bolster NATO’s deterrence posture as Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Poland’s border has been a conduit through which man-portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons have traveled to Ukrainians fending off the Russian military.
The Patriot systems will come from the Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Germany. Russia has fired more than 600 missiles into Ukraine, and the Patriot system could also guard against a stray shot if the war creeps closer to Polish borders.
Philippines receives 2 T129 helos from Turkey
The first T129B attack helicopters arrived in the Philippines , six months later than originally expected.
Two Airbus A400M airlifters of the Turkish Air Force touched down at Clark Air Base outside the Philippine capital Manila , carrying two T129Bs along with logistics support equipment.
The Philippines has six helicopters on order under a $269 million government-to-government contract with Turkey that was signed in July 2020.
The helicopters are manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries and is based on the AgustaWestland A129 Mangusta design. The new helos will be assigned to the Philippine Air Force’s 15th Strike Wing.
The T129Bs will complement a pair of used Bell AH-1S HueyCobra attack helicopters acquired from Jordan, along with armed light observation and transport helicopters in the Philippine Air Force’s inventory.
The Philippines has also been recapitalizing its transport helicopter fleet with S-70i Black Hawks built under license by Poland’s PZL Mielec to complement the Air Force’s fleet of Bell UH-1 Huey utility/transport helicopters.
US National Guard gets funds to get 20 more C-130J transport aircraft
Sixteen of the added C-130Js would go to the Air National Guard to modernize two operational wings. The remaining four would go to the Reserve.
The Air National Guard is now in the midst of a multiyear effort to upgrade its mobility fleet and replace its three-decade-old C-130H Hercules planes with modern C-130Js.
In November 2020, the Air Force announced it had selected Air National Guard bases in Kentucky, West Virginia, Texas and Georgia to receive 24 C-130Js to replace their aging “H” models.
The budget deal also would considerably increase spending on C-130 modifications including upgrading older C-130s with eight-blade propellers and engine enhancements to make C-130Hs more efficient as well as to provide more thrust during takeoff and while climbing.
Turkey revives insterest in developing developing domestic new generation combat aircraft
War between Russia and Ukraine, two Turkey’s partners, has given an unexpected jolt to the country’s quest for new fighter jets and its domestic program to make new-generation aircraft.
The war has practically killed all potential Turkish-Russian deals in strategic weapons systems.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has maintained a delicate balance with Russia and Ukraine.
Turkey faced suspension from the U.S.-led multinational program that builds the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, as it insisted on becoming the first NATO ally to deploy on its soil the Russian-made S-400 air defense system. Meanwhile, Turkey supplies armed drones to Ukraine.
The U.S. suspension of Turkey’s partnership in the F-35 program has left the country with limited options, given its fleet of F-16s will be phased out in the early 2030s. A Turkish request to acquire a new fleet of F-16 Block 70 aircraft will likely face opposition from U.S. lawmakers. In the past, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan indicated his government’s interest in Russian aircraft in place of the F-35.
One stopgap option for Turkey is to buy scores of the Eurofighter Typhoon and, in return, bargain for European know-how for its own fighter program, the TF-X.
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