The Royal Australian Air Force's AP-3C Orion detachment has chalked up a remarkable milestone of 20,000 hours of operational missions in support of operations in the Middle East.

Australian construction company, Abigroup has won a national Defence contract to prepare RAAF airbases around Australia to receive the air force's next generation of fighter jets.

Insitu has announced that its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system surpassed 500,000 combat flight hours and more than 56,000 combat sorties to deliver actionable intelligence.

The US Navy has awarded a contract to Avidyne Corporation to field a traffic collision avoidance system for the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor out of concerns Osprey crews are having in Afghanistan.

The Department of Defence has launched the New Air Combat Capability Industry Support Program providing $8.2 million to support Australian industry and research organisations involved in the JSF Program.

Lockheed Martin's JSF program manager told media correspondents that the current fly-away price of the first 14 Australian aircraft would average out at $65 million.

BAE Systems reports that ADF pilots who took the controls of the AgustaWestland GrandNew helicopter at Nowra last week were enthusiastic about its handling and performance.

Insidedefense.com reports that the Pentagon's tethered-aerostat program, an $8.5 billion effort to detect cruise missiles and fast-moving aircraft, successfully completed its first endurance test last month.

The Royal Australian Air Force has successfully completed a series of bilateral flying operations with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for the first time.

BAE Systems has completed a successful Production Readiness Review for manufacturing critical airframe components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.

Loren B. Thompson of the Lexington Institute says the US Army has been seeking a successor to the OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter for over a decade, and it has been a frustrating experience.

Harris Corporation has signed a long term agreement with TAE for the manufacture and supply of advanced liquid cooled electronics enclosures for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

BAE Systems has completed a successful Production Readiness Review for manufacturing critical airframe components for the F35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.

Senator John McCain has written to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta regarding the Armed Service Committee's concerns over the reallocation of US$264 million to pay for cost growth on the first three F-35s.

Russia's Irkut aircraft holding is in talks with the Defense Ministry on the delivery of up to 40 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters to the Russian Air Force, the company said, according to RIA Novosti.

Writing in The Australian, Peter Leahy, who was Chief of Army from 2002-2008, has warned that there is confusion over the nation's mission in Afghanistan and what it wants to achieve.