Israel grounds 11 F-35 JSF jets after U.S. crash

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) reported on Sunday that following the crash of a U.S. F-35 Type B fighter jet in Texas earlier this month, and the recommendation of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (JPO), 11 Israeli F-35 fighter jets will be grounded.

"The IAF will analyze the findings from the incident and will draw conclusions and recommendations for the safe return of the aircraft to operational duty," the IDF Spokesperson's Unit added.

Lockheed Martin said at the time that they were aware of the incident and that the pilot succeeded in ejecting safely.

Earlier this year, the U.S. military grounded its entire fleet of F-35s after a malfunction detected in their ejection seat system.

ynetnews 

Spain orders Brimstone missiles and naval helicopters for 2023

The Spanish Ministry of Defense plans on awarding production contracts to industry for Brimstone air-to-surface missiles and new naval helicopters in 2023.

An acquisition to replace Spanish Navy SH-60B rotorcraft has already received interest from Airbus, offering an adapted NH90 Sea Lion helicopter, which is already in service with Germany.

The Brimstone missile will eventually be equipped on Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons, adding to an existing arsenal that includes GBU-10 and GBU-16 Paveway bombs, AIM-120B AMRAAM, Meteor and IRIS-T munitions.

“Hopefully, by the end of next year we will be able to carry Brimstone, which Spain is acquiring,” said Lt. Col. Jesus Salazar Ortiz de Landazuri, 14th Wing Air Group Commander, during the annual Airbus Trade Media Briefing.

The acquisition is expected to be supported by the UK’s Royal Air Force, as the weapon was originally developed for that service.

After a contract has been signed with European missile manufacturer MBDA, Spain’s Weapons and Experimentation Logistics Center (CLAEX) will then work on acquiring an initial implementation certification.

Spanish Air Force Eurofighter fleets from the 11th Fighter Wing at Morón Air Base, Seville and the 14th Tactical Fighter Wing at Albacete Air Base, Castile-La Mancha will both receive the weapon.

As plans currently stand, the 20 Eurofighters under order from Airbus as part of the €2 billion Halcon program designed to replace Spanish Air Force F-18s based on the Canary Islands, will not be equipped with the missile.

Meanwhile, as the Spanish Navy readies to replace Sikorsky SH-60B helicopters, a selection decision should be made in 2023.

breakingdefense 

Colombia will replace Kfirs fleet with Rafales

The IAI Kfir of the Colombian Air Force (FAC) would be replaced by 16 Dassault Rafale, for a value of USD 3.15 billion, as confirmed Colombian Minister of Defense, over the proposals of the F-16 Block 70/72 and the Gripen E.

The Kfir of the FAC will begin to be decommissioned next year. The aircrafts have more than 40 years on service and Colombia is the only active operator of the model, with a very high maintenance cost and spare parts are difficult to obtain.

Minister affirmed that the Rafale has a flight hour cost 30% cheaper than that of the current Kfir, and the is a cheaper acquisition than the F-16 Block 70.

Colombia is currently negotiating with Francethe terms of the purchase. The acquisition of a first batch of between three and five Rafale, is expected to arrive during 2023 and the complete fleet of 16 aircraft will be implemented over the next 10 years.

That the Rafale could start arriving in 2023 may be indicative that these units could come from the French Air and Space Force stocks, similar to what was offered to Greece and Croatia.

aviacionline

Gripen to be inducted into Brazilian Air Force service on Dec. 19

Brazil is set to officially add the Saab Gripen NG, locally designated as F-39, to the combat fleet of its air force on Dec. 19.

The first of five F-39s, delivered from Sweden between December 2021 and April 2022, are now at Anapolis Air Base near the federal capital Brasilia. They were initially used for testing and training flying from Sao Paulo and other places.

Now the Gripens will become operational and officially part of 1st Aviation Group and tasked with the defense and control of air space over nearby Brasilia.

This milestone will also mark the beginning of the retirement of the around 45 F-5EMs in service with the Brazilian Air Force.

defensenews

New Zealand receives first P-8A Poseidon

New Zealand received the first of four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft

The milestone comes four years after the New Zealand Government entered into an agreement with the U.S. Navy for the P-8A.

Boeing Defence Australia will provide sustainment services for New Zealand’s.

New Zealand’s three remaining P-8 aircraft are all in advanced stages of production and will be delivered in 2023. The aircraft will replace New Zealand’s current fleet of six P-3K2 Orions and will be based at Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Ohakea.

navalnews

Argentina Starts Evaluating US-Origin F-16 Fighting Falcons In Denmark

A top delegation of the Argentine Air Force is reportedly in Denmark to evaluate second-hand F-16s. The South American nation appears to have postponed the technical evaluation of India’s Tejas Light combat aircraft (LCA).

Along with the Danish alternative, Argentina is also considering the Chinese-built JF-17 Thunder and India’s Hindustan Aeronautic Limited (HAL) Tejas aircraft. 

The delegation consisted of experts and technicians that went to the European nation to assess the offered aircraft.

Technical teams and experts are currently researching and reviewing bids from China, India, and Denmark. The F-16 A/B MLU aircraft is proposed to Argentina under the joint efforts of Copenhagen and Washington. 

Previously, there were speculations that Argentina had finalized the Chinese JF-17 for its Air Force during the pandemic. 

Reports claimed that China had sent a few JF-17 jets to Argentina for evaluation. In response to this preemptive news, the United States reportedly pressured Argentina to abandon the deal. 

China would have gained a foothold in America’s backyard had the deal been approved. Since then, it appears Washington has been attempting to sell the Argentine Air Force used Danish fighter jets. 

Meanwhile, India has also aggressively promoted its Tejas light combat aircraft to the South American nation. According to sources familiar with the subject, the top defense authorities from Argentina frequently brought their best pilots along when they visited HAL facilities in India to inspect the LCA Tejas. 

Buenos Aires purportedly asked for another round to test the homegrown fighter plane, but HAL postponed it until sometime in 2023. An Argentine mission led by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chief of Argentina, General Juan Paleo, visited India’s DefExpo 2022. 

Previously, a high-level delegation from HAL also visited Argentina, demonstrating India’s effort and Argentina’s interest. 

Argentina’s Internal Challenges

Buenos Aires has been struggling to modernize its air force. Following the Falklands War, the United Kingdom put a complete embargo on exports of defense hardware to Argentina. 

eurasiantimes