Covid-19: Spain’s UME deploys multirotor UAVs to combat pandemic

Spain’s specialist Military Emergency Unit (UME) is making use of modified unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support military intervention efforts to mitigate coronavirus outbreaks in large and often difficult to access urban areas.
As part of the military Operation ‘Balmis’, the unit has deployed as many as 1,100 of its personnel daily, with operations centred on cleaning streets and major infrastructure such as airports and railway stations.
As well as its other tasks in co-ordination with the three main armed services, the para-military Guardia Civil police, and regular police forces, the UME has been “seeking ways to improve procedures to each day be more effective in the fight against Covid-19”, a spokesperson for the unit told Jane’s .
For its Transmissions Battalion (BTUME) that has included fielding two DJI Agras MG1 multirotor UAVs loaned by local company Stock RC and a Hexa AG system from Sevilla-based manufacturer DroneTools.
janes

KC-46 and P-8 production line to reopen

Boeing will restart production of the P-8 and KC-46 on Monday after a three-week pause in operations spurred by the spread of the novel coronavirus in Washington state.
The company temporarily shut down operations in the Puget Sound region on March 25. Boeing’s sites in Washington focus primarily on the development and production of commercial airliners and militarized variants of those aircraft, such as the KC-46 tanker made in Everett and ­­the P-8 submarine hunting plane made in Renton.
defensenews

LEONARDO TO SUPPLY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM FOR PILATUS PC-21 ORDERED BY SPANISH AIR FORCE

Pilatus has contracted Leonardo to supply its RT-700/A V/UHF airborne communications system and other equipment for installation on PC-21 trainers ordered for the Spanish air force.
Announcing the award earlier this month, Leonardo said its contract also includes the provision of cockpit control panels and associated electronics for the turboprop-powered type.
Deliveries of Spain’s PC-21s are scheduled to commence this year, with the type to enter service in 2021. Madrid is acquiring 24 examples under a €204 million ($222 million) deal to replace its aged CASA C-101 jet trainers.
flightglobal

A THIRD OF CHARLES DE GAULLE FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER INFECTED BY COVID-19

A third of the nearly 2,000 sailors who were aboard France's aircraft carrier and support craft when a coronavirus outbreak occurred at sea have tested positive for the virus, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
With two-thirds of test results in, 668 sailors from the Charles-de-Gaulle and escort vessels in its battle group are confirmed to have the virus, it said.
Thirty-one were being treated in hospital, and one was in intensive care, a ministry statement said.
Last week, it was decided to bring the Charles-de-Gaulle home 10 days early from a deployment in the Atlantic after some crew members showed coronavirus symptoms.
The carrier which had helicopters and fighter jets on board, was accompanied by two frigates -- one for aerial defence and the other an anti-submarine vessel.
Sailors from the Charles-de-Gaulle, one of the frigates and the pilots who returned the aircraft to their respective bases, are all placed in isolation for 14 days, the ministry said.
There had been no virus outbreak on the other frigate.
france24

Luxembourg Armed Forces A400M makes its maiden flight

The Airbus A400M ordered by the Luxembourg Armed Forces has made its maiden flight, marking a key milestone towards its delivery. The aircraft, known as MSN104, took off from Seville (Spain, at 16:08 local time (CET) and landed back on site 5 hours later.
The Luxembourg aircraft will be operated by the armed forces of Belgium and Luxembourg within a binational unit based in Belgium. MSN104 is scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2020.

MOROCCO CLEARED TO BUY AGM-84L ANTI SHIP MISSILES FOR ITS F-16s

Morocco has been cleared to buy 10 AGM-84L 'HARPOON' anti-ship missiles in a Foreign Military Sale package worth $62 million.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in Transmittal No: 20-10 that Morocco intends to use those missiles from its F-16s.
dsca

FIRST FLIGHT OF F-15QA FOR QATAR EMIRI AIR FORCE

Boeing has conducted the first flight of the advanced F-15QA fighter jet for the Qatar Emiri Air Force. Chief Test Pilot Matt Giese started the flight test off in spectacular fashion with a so-called "Viking takeoff," which involves climbing at an extremely high angle at full afterburner to rapidly gain altitude.
The flight took place around Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, Missouri. Boeing says the aircraft demonstrated its agility with both the Viking takeoff and other maneuvers, some of which involved pulling up to 9 Gs, over the course of the 90-minute test.
Qatar signed a contract to buy 36 F-15QAs, via the U.S. military's Foreign Military Sales program, in 2017.
thedrive

US MARINES PATCH HMM-466 CH-53E SUPER STALLION MCAS MIRAMAR ''WOLFPACK''

Watch

PATCHES EJERCITO DEL AIRE USAF US NAVY

Watch

Watch

US awards Lockheed $512 million for Bulgarian F-16 production

The US government has awarded Lockheed Martin $512 million to produce eight F-16 Block 70 fighters for Bulgaria.
The project is expected to be completed by 31 January 2027, says the US Department of Defense in a contract announcement.
The work will take place in Fort Worth, Texas and at Lockheed’s new F-16 line in Greenville, South Carolina.
Sofia approved the deal in July 2019. The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) package includes six single-seat aircraft and a pair of two-seat aircraft.
The new fighters – Bulgaria’s biggest military procurement since the fall of Communism – will be used to replace its ageing fleet of RAC MiG-29s, which were delivered in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The original FMS deal, announced in June 2019, totals $1.67 billion. In addition to the eight fighters, it also includes a broad range of sensors, weapons, training devices, software, training, support, and spares.
flightglobal

GREECE HELLENIC AIR FORCE PATCH F-4 PHANTOM II "I AM YOUR PHATHER" STAR WARS PVC PATCH

watch
watch

ROYAL AIR FORCE RAF PATCH EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON BEAR-HUNTING RUSSIA TU-95 BEAR

watch
watch

Airbus suspends Spanish production as outbreak restrictions tighten

Airbus is suspending most of its production in Spain for more than a week, as it continues its efforts to address the coronavirus situation.
Spain has been particularly hard-hit among European countries.
Airbus says it is to suspend the “majority of production” until 9 April, in the aftermath of new measures imposed by the Spanish government from 30 March.
The measures restrict all non-essential activity across the country.
flightglobal

Turkish defense ministry sends COVID-19 supplies to Italy and Spain

Turkey on Wednesday sent health supplies including masks to Italy and Spain, the two European countries worst hit by the novel coronavirus, the defense ministry said.
“Health supplies prepared to fight COVID-19 together, and with the hopes of seeing brighter days were sent en route to Spain and Italy” by a military plane, the ministry tweeted in English.
An accompanying video clip showed a Turkish military A-400M cargo plane preparing to take off.
The defense ministry posted the same message in Turkish, Spanish and Italian.
The supplies including masks, overalls and anti-bacterial fluids, produced in the defense ministry’s factories and sewing facilities.
Local resources were being sent “on the instructions of President” Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the ministry statement.
The coronavirus pandemic has killed over 30,000 people in Europe, more than three-quarters of the deaths registered in Italy and Spain
thedefensepost

Boeing gets contract to build 6 P-8As for South Korea and 4 New Zealand

The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] a $1.5 billion production contract for the next 18 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The contract includes eight aircraft for the U.S. Navy, six aircraft for the Republic of Korea Navy and four aircraft for the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
The Republic of Korea Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force acquired the aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales process and will receive the same P-8A Poseidon variant designed and produced for the U.S. Navy. The Royal New Zealand Air Force is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2022 and the Republic of Korea Navy is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2023.
boeing

USS Theodore Roosevelt Sailors will be quarantined in Guam hotels

The governor of Guam announced Wednesday the territory will provide vacant hotel rooms to house crew from the USS Theodore Roosevelt who do not have coronavirus.
Nearly 100 sailors have tested positive for COVID-19 since the San Diego-based aircraft carrier docked at Guam last week, and the ship’s captain appealed to the Navy to provide shore housing for his crew to prevent further cases.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Rear Adm. John Menoni, commander of the Navy’s Joint Region Marianas, announced the quarantine plan at news conference in Hagatna, the island’s capital.
timesofsandiego

Perú to double number of C-27Js Mi-17s

Peru intends to acquire a range of new fixed- and rotary-wing transport aircraft across its armed forces, in part to bolster the country’s resources to cope with humanitarian relief operations.
The South American country’s shopping list includes additional Leonardo C-27J battlefield transports, heavy transport aircraft – including for in-flight refuelling – more Viking Aircraft DHC-6 Series 400 Twin Otters, plus a substantial number of Mil Mi-17 helicopters.
Peru’s air force already operates four C-27Js and, will buy another two before the end of 2020, with six more to follow over the next three years. In addition, the Peruvian army is considering the twin-turboprop to replace a fleet of three Antonov An-32Bs, all of which are approaching 30 years old.
Peru already operates a substantial fleet of Mi-8/17-series helicopters across the three branches of its armed forces, as well as the country’s national police, and will stick with the Russian-built rotorcraft for future purchases to maintain commonality.
flightglobal

Covid-19: ILA Berlin Airshow cancelled

This year’s ILA Berlin Airshow was cancelled on 18 March as a result of the increasing spread of the coronavirus, the organisers announced.
The event, held every two years at the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport in the outskirts of the German capital, was due to go ahead from 13 to 17 May.
Gareth Jennings-janes

PRODUCTION OF US MILITARY PLANES KEEPS ON DESPITE COVID 19

The Pentagon has started a daily dialogue with its top vendors as it attempts to measure and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the defense industry. Meanwhile, Boeing and Lockheed Martin said production on major acquisition systems like the KC-46 tanker and F-35 strike fighter will continue.
Boeing has directed all staff who can telecommute during the pandemic to do so; however, production and fabrication on the KC-46, F-15, F/A-18, and T-7 continue, with enhanced hygiene on the production line.
Similarly, production of the F-35 will continue despite temporary line stoppages in Italy and Japan, and the Pentagon is staying in regular contact with its top vendors.
Italy’s F-35 Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) facility closed March 16 and 17 for a “deep cleaning,” according to a source familiar with the program, but production of parts and other line activities will resume on March 18. Japan’s F-35 FACO in Nagoya also was closed March 9-13, but is back up and running again, sources said. One reported that Nagoya, run by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was already well ahead of its production goals so there should be “no impact” from the temporary stand-down.
Lockheed is not anticipating “any significant impact on the supply chain” from its worldwide vendors, according to a source familiar with the program.
airforcemag

Ejercito del Aire Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons from Ala 14 Ala 11 at Red Flag 2020-2 Nellis AB

SPAIN: NO, "MILITARY HELICOPTERS" AREN NOT GOING TO FAUMIGATE ALL TOWNS IN MÁLAGA: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND MALAGA COUNTY COUNCIL DENY IT

Amid the current coronavirus outbreak in Spain, many Maldita.es readers have enquired about an alleged statement signed by the Spanish Government, the Spanish Air Force, Andalucía's regional government and Malaga County Council that claims "military helicopters" are going to fumigate all towns in Málaga on March 14 at 23:00 due to COVID-19. However, the Ministry of Defence and the County Council have both denied that is going to happen.
The Spanish Ministry of Defence told Maldita.es that they are not going to fumigate Málaga or any other Spanish town,
malditobulo

Boeing starts ‘Air Force One’ modifications of 747-8

Boeing has begun modifications to the first of two commercial 747-8 airliners which are to be turned into US Air Force (USAF) VC-25B aircraft.
Known by its “Air Force One” call sign when the US president flies aboard, two VC-25B are to operate as the USA’s top executive transports for the next 30 years. Modifications are being done at Boeing’s San Antonio, Texas facility, says the USAF.
“The first phase of aircraft modification involves cutting out large skin and structure areas in both the forward and aft lower lobes of the aircraft and then installing two newly manufactured superpanels,” says the service. “The superpanels contain structural upgrades and cutouts for the VC-25B lower lobe doors, including internal airstairs for mission requirements.”
The USAF is working to replace its current fleet of presidential aircraft, two 747-200-based VC-25A aircraft delivered in 1991, with two 747-8s originally built for Russian carrier Transaero, which filed for bankruptcy in 2015 before it could take delivery. The commercial airliners need extensive retrofits to be transformed into the VC-25B configuration.
flightglobal

Germany withdraws Tornados from Jordan, deploys radar system in Iraq

In its capacity as a member of the international coalition against Daesh, Germany will withdraw its Tornado reconnaissance aircraft in Jordan and instead install a radar system for air defense in western Iraq.
The jets have until recently been used against Daesh across Syria and Iraq; however, the German Council of Ministers has since adopted amendments that envision changes in the mandate of 700 soldiers serving within the framework of the international coalition.
The country's Tornado reconnaissance jets in Jordan are scheduled to be withdrawn at the end of the month. However, in order for the Tornado jets to retreat, another country must be able to take over reconnaissance flights, according to the plan adopted by the Council of Ministers.
dailysabah

US extends carrier strike group Middle East mission, sends Patriot missile defense system to Iraq

The U.S. military extended the deployment of two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East and has begun moving Patriot air defense missile systems into Iraq after an attack blamed on a Hashd al-Shaabi militia.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved his request to extend the deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which has been in CENTCOM’s area of operations since December. “We’re gonna keep them for a while,” McKenzie said, declining to specify how long.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier joined the USS Truman and the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group in the CENTCOM area of operations earlier this month.
Typically only one carrier strike group operates in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, and keeping the Truman in theater marks the first period of extended dual U.S. carrier operations in the region since April 2012.
thedefensepost

Israel strikes Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza and Syria

Israeli aircraft struck the Islamic Jihad militant group in both the Gaza Strip and Syria late Sunday.
In the latest tit-for-tat violence ahead of a fresh general election in the Jewish state, the Israeli Air Force targeted “Islamic Jihad terror sites” throughout Gaza and near the Syrian capital Damascus, a February 23 military statement said.
It followed more than 20 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza, themselves a response to the killing of a Jihad militant along the Gaza-Israel border.
thedefensepost

Azerbaijan to buy M-346 Master jet

Azerbaijan is to buy an undisclosed number of Leonardo M-346 Master trainer and light attack aircraft, the country's president announced on 20 February.
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov and Leonardo Executive Director Alessandro Profumo exchanged a 'declaration by agreement' between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Leonardo for the acquisition of "an integration system for M-346 aircraft", the website for the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, announced.
No details pertaining to a contract value or delivery timelines were disclosed.
janes

Airbus makes Tranche 3 Eurofighter offer to Colombia

Airbus has formally offered the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to the Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana: FAC) to replace its ageing fleet of Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) Kfirs. The company has offered 15 Tranche 3 aircraft (12 single-seat and 3 twin-seat) to Colombia.
Colobia is currently evaluating and examining proposals from several countries and manufacturers for its air superiority fighter replacement programme. According to the air force, the Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70/72 and Saab JAS 39 Gripen E/F have been shortlisted as a potential replacement for its Kfirs.
janes

Sikorsky wins contract to build six more VH-92A ‘Marine One’ helicopters

Sikorsky has won a $471 million contract from the US Navy (USN) to build six production VH-92A presidential helicopters.
The helicopters are to be operated by the US Marine Corps (USMC) and are to replace the Sikorsky VH-3D, popularly known by its call sign of “Marine One” when the US president flies aboard.
The USN plans to buy 23 examples of the VH-92A as part of its programme of record.
Sikorsky will deliver the six VH-92A helicopters in 2022 and 2023.
flightglobal

India approved the purchase of 24 MH-60R for its Navy

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has approved the purchase of 24 Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters for its navy.
A green light from the CCS is the final step before the inking of a formal contract under India’s procurement process.
Deliveries are expected within five years of contract signature. Media reports suggest the deal could be consummated during a visit to India by US president Donald Trump from 24 to 25 February.
The MH-60R will be acquired via the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route and provide anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities, which has also contracted for weapons such as AGM-114 Hellfire, Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, Mk54 torpedoes, and two types of crew served guns.
flightglobal

US Air Force hopes for major KC-46 fix by March

After more than a year of deliberations, the U.S. Air Force is hoping to have a fix in hand for the KC-46 tanker’s most critical technical problem by the end of March, the service’s top general told Defense News in an exclusive interview.
The hope is for the Air Force and Boeing to sign off next month on a finalized design for the KC-46’s Remote Vision System, or RVS — a series of cameras and sensors that allow its users to steer the aircraft’s boom into a plane for aerial refueling.
For several years, the KC-46 program has grappled with a critical deficiency involving the RVS, which is manufactured by Rockwell Collins. Under certain lighting conditions, the imagery is difficult to see and sometimes distorted, making it difficult for operators to safely move the boom without scraping the aircraft receiving fuel.
defensenews