Switzerland’s plan to buy 22 SAAB Gripen fighters has been voted down in a public referendum. Held on May 18, 53.4 per cent of respondents voted to reject the proposed Gripen Fund Law, effectively bringing to a halt Swiss plans to replace its F-5E/F fleet with the Gripen. This content is available exclusively to Australian
Defence Minister Senator David Johnston has again raised the possibility of Australia acquiring a number of Lockheed Martin F-35B short take off and vertical landing (STOVL) versions of the Joint Strike Fighter for operation from the RAN’s new Canberra class LHD vessels. Speaking to The Weekend West on May 17, Senator Johnston said the acquisition
The next Pacific International Maritime Exposition is due to be held in Sydney on October 6-8, 2015, at the Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island. “The change in dates from the traditional January-February timeslot is a result of the success of Pacific 2013, which was held in October 2013 to coincide with the Royal Australian
The RAN’s NUSQN725 MH-60R Romeo Seahawk training unit embedded with US Navy training squadrons at NAS Jacksonville in Florida has started dipping sonar operations. The unit has received, installed and calibrated its first Airborne Low Frequency Sonar System (ALFS), and has been conducting trials in an exercise area off the Florida coast. The ALFS comprises the
Northrop Grumman has announced it has set up a collaboration effort with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University to study the airworthiness requirements for operating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in Australia. The collaboration involves developing solutions for safely and efficiently operating UAS in all airspace environments with a particular focus on larger systems
The US State department has approved the sale of the Raytheon AIM-9X infra-red air-to-air missile to Australia. The request submitted by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and valued at $US534m (A$568m) is for “up to” 350 AIM-9X missiles, and also includes training and captive missiles, tactical guidance units, test sets and support equipment,