Air

The MQ-28 has completed three operational flight tests on the Point Mugu Sea Range at US Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California, to validate autonomous operations and demonstrate rapid deployment and sustained operations.

The Royal Australian Air Force has taken delivery of its 14th and final P‑8A Poseidon aircraft.

Bombardier Defense will provide three Global 6500 aircraft to fly maritime surveillance missions for the Australian Border Force.

Japan has selected one of the unmanned aerial vehicle platforms that will form part of its recently advanced SHIELD unmanned littoral defence network, the nation’s Ministry of Defense announced on 12 May | Corey Lee Bell

ISTEC Services has signed a key collaboration agreement with SiNAB. The agreement brings together complementary experiences in platform integration and advanced mission systems to deliver next-generation integrated Counter UAS.

The Japanese government has created a draft public-private investment roadmap for small drones and is examining a raft of other measures to adapt to the “new ways of warfighting” on display in the Ukraine and Iran conflicts | Corey Lee Bell

Embraer and Bharat Forge have signed a contract for the supply of forged raw materials.

Latrobe City Council has appointed Yarra Drones to design and establish an Advanced Air Mobility Command Centre at Latrobe Regional Airport, supported by funding from the Victorian State Government.  

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RAAF Tindal redevelopment

By the time this article is published Lendlease expects to have finished all but a tiny portion of two separate contracts for Defence at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory | Gregor Ferguson

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Spartan finds its niche

Few current Australian defence capabilities have experienced as long a period of gestation as the C-27J Spartan light tactical aircraft | Max Blenkin

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AALTOport for the Top End

The NT is set to become home to unmanned stratospheric surveillance and communications relay aircraft that are capable of staying aloft for up to 90 days and able to provide persistent coverage of large areas of the Earth’s surface | Nigel Pittaway

Nova Systems has marked ten years of continuous support to Lockheed Martin Australia’s Pilot Training Systems for the Australian Defence Force.

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US bombers in the Indo-Pacific

Mark Ayton recently gained a valuable insight to the US Air Force bomber task force model and the significance of Australia as a deployed location, when he spoke with Lieutenant General Jason Armagost | Mark Ayton

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Sustained Lightning

Australia now has all 72 of its planned F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters in country and with Final Operational Capability declared on 7 July last year, we need to be prepared to support them through their long life | Max Blenkin

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Australia’s Ghost Bat hits targets

Aside from the successful missile shot performed in December, Boeing Defence Australia’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft has recorded several key milestones | Nigel Pittaway

Rheinmetall and Boeing Australia have entered into a strategic partnership to offer the MQ-28 Ghost Bat as a mature solution for the Bundeswehr’s procurement of collaborative combat aircraft into Germany by 2029.