Griffon Defense Systems (GDS) has successfully completed the crash testing of the Australian Defence Forces award-winning crashworthy CH-47 troop seat.

Lithgow Arms is showcasing a prototype of the first new civilian rifle to be designed and built in Lithgow for over 40 years, which will be the only mass-produced rifle currently made in Australia.

Victoria's advanced manufacturing strengths in defence, aerospace and automotive will be on show during a trade mission to the US led by Minister for Manufacturing David Hodgett and supported by the Chair of the Defence Council Victoria, Ric Smith AO PSM.

The next meeting of the Land Environmental Working Group (LEWG) will be held on 21 June 2013 at the National Convention Centre, Canberra.

Queensland Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney hosted a reception in Brisbane on Wednesday night (22 May 2013) to introduce Queensland's newly-appointed defence industry envoy Lindsay Pears.

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Lockheed Martin has revealed that an F-35B fighter jet made its first vertical takeoff on May 10 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

The US Navy and its Littoral Combat Ship builders, Austal and Lockheed Martin, have agreed to delay delivery of the ship for the sake of holding down cost as the two builders transition from prototype construction to serial production under a block buy of 10 ships each, officials said last week.

BMT Group Ltd (BMT) has announced another strong financial performance for the year to September 30, 2012.

The UK MOD has signed a GBP15 million contract to replenish the Army's stock of supersonic Hellfire missiles used by Apache helicopters.

Cubic Corporation has been awarded a $21 million foreign military sales contract for its Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 (EST 2000) Plus, virtual small arms training system.

The full version of Defence Week Premium no.253 of 16 May 2013 can be downloaded here as a PDF. A separate PDF of the latest Defence tenders can also be downloaded here.

The Budget's capability activities in 2013-14 will include further consideration of Australia's Air Combat Capability, P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, land mobility, future armoured vehicles, afloat support vessels, communications and interoperability capabilities, intelligence and surveillance systems, electronic warfare, space and cyber.

Following the widely reported selection last year of L-3 for the supply of medium-size WGS capable satellite terminals under JP 2008 Phase 3H, it has been announced that Defence has finally signed two multi-million dollar contracts with L-3 Oceania.

In announcing Rod Drury's recent space systems appointment, Lockheed Martin Australia's CEO Raydon Gates noted that LMCO has an established portfolio of military satellite platforms and services including the AEHF and MUOS satellite-based communications systems.

While we suspect that the JLTV option under Land 121 Phase 4 for 1300 Protected Mobility Vehicles Light is wearing somewhat thin under pressure from the locally-developed Thales Hawkei PMV-L, it may be worth reporting that automatic spending cuts triggered by US DOD sequestration are poised to delay testing of the US Army-Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicle by three to four months.