Jane's Defence Weekly - The Americas

The Americas

*France agrees to further Argentine defence modernisation
France is to modernise 10 of the Argentine Navy's Super Étendard aircraft to Super Étendard Modernisé standard as part of a series of defence ...
06-Nov-2009

US DoD looks to counter threats from larger IEDs
The US Department of Defense (DoD) is reinforcing its efforts to protect troops against dynamic roadside bomb threats, which now include some less sophisticated but...
06-Nov-2009

Lockheed Martin wins Thunderbolt Lifecycle Program Support contracts
Lockheed Martin has received three contracts totaling USD7.7 million to modernise A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft under a new US Air Force acquisition programme. ...
06-Nov-2009

Afghan troop boost 'would need supplemental funding'
The top US military official says the White House will have to ask Congress for supplemental funding in Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) if the Obama...
06-Nov-2009

ANG to exclusively operate C-27Js
The US Air Force (USAF) has announced that the Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft that are due to enter service under the ...
05-Nov-2009

Salvadorian forces shift role
The Salvadorian armed forces are to re-engage in the internal security role, providing 6,500 troops to support public security forces, mainly in the fight ...
05-Nov-2009

Colombia's Congress approves budget
On 22 October the Colombian Congress approved the country's 2010 national budget, which includes allocating COP21.12 billion (USD11 billion) to the Ministry of Defence. ...
05-Nov-2009

Colombia, US sign defence co-operation accord
The Colombian and US governments signed the Defence and Security Co-operation and Technical Assistance Agreement on 30 October. The new agreement expands US access ...
05-Nov-2009

Ecuador orders two Mi-17s
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa signed an order for two Mi-17 medium-lift helicopters as well as agreeing an energy co-operation accord with Russia on 27 ...
05-Nov-2009

Ecuadorian Air Force receives Mirage 50s
The Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) received the first three of six Mirage 50s donated by the Venezuelan government on 29 October. The aircraft were ...
05-Nov-2009

HAL Druv helicopter crashes during ceremony
An Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) HAL Dhruv (FAE-604) multirole helicopter crashed on 27 October during a military ceremony to commemorate the FAE's 89th anniversary. ...
05-Nov-2009

Raytheon and USN complete free-flight demonstration of new missile
Raytheon and the US Navy (USN) recently completed the first free-flight demonstration of a long-range anti-ship missile that has developed into a serious contender to...
04-Nov-2009

'Salitre II' highlights trend towards co-operation in South America
The multinational air exercise 'Salitre II', held in northern Chile during the last two weeks of October, highlighted the new trend in South America ...
04-Nov-2009

US Navy Turbo Mentor crashes
This is a revised version of an article originally published on 30 October A US Navy (USN) Beechcraft T-34 Turbo Mentor basic trainer...
04-Nov-2009

UN makes progress with conventional arms treaty
Years of negotiations culminated on 30 October with the adoption of a resolution by the UN Committee on Disarmament and International Security to create ...
03-Nov-2009

Brazilian Grand Caravan crashes during flight over Amazon
A Brazilian Air Force Cessna C-98/208B Grand Caravan utility aircraft (tail number FAB2725) crashed during a flight over the Amazon region of the country ...
02-Nov-2009

USAF announces preliminary F-35 basing locations
The US Air Force (USAF) announced the list of candidate locations for basing the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) on ...
02-Nov-2009

*AeroVironment's HALE UAV to undertake first flight
AeroVironment (AV) will undertake the first flight of its liquid-hydrogen powered Global Observer high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) before the end of...
30-Oct-2009

Lockheed Martin completes first tests of paveway II Plus LGB
Lockheed Martin recently completed the first in a series of flight-tests of the paveway II Plus laser-guided bomb (LGB) guidance kit. The paveway II...
30-Oct-2009

US FY10 defence budget makes progress
US President Barack Obama signed into law on 28 October the Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) Defense Authorization Act, which cuts some major programmes and ...
30-Oct-2009

Northrop Grumman/EADS teams seeks level playing field in tanker contest
Northrop Grumman says it will consider a range of options, including legal action, to compel Boeing to release pricing information that could prove critical in...
30-Oct-2009

US Army gears up for Land Warrior deployment
The US Army plans to outfit a special forces battalion with soldier-worn Land Warrior equipment in about 12 months, according to Colonel Wil Riggins, the...
30-Oct-2009

US Army fields MK48 to lighten load in mountain operations
The US Army has begun fielding the 7.62 mm MK48 machine gun to serve as a lighter-weight alternative to the M240 for soldiers operating in...
30-Oct-2009

US Coast Guard and Marine Corps aircraft collide
A US Coast Guard (USCG) aircraft and Marine Corps (USMC) helicopter are believed to have collided off the southern Californian coast on 29 October. ...
30-Oct-2009

Morocco requests Chinook helicopters
Morocco has requested the sale of three Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy/medium-lift transport helicopters from the US government, the Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) announced ...
30-Oct-2009

Super Hornet favourite in Indian and Brazilian tenders
The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is well placed to fulfil both the Indian and Brazilian fighter requirements, the company and its industry partners said ...
30-Oct-2009

Senator attacks USAF's tanker draft RfP
The US Air Force's (USAF's) latest attempt to award a USD35 billion contract for new aerial refuelling tankers continues to draw controversy, with industry competitors...
29-Oct-2009

Canadian Chinooks to get EO/IR sensor upgrade
L-3 Wescam is to provide Boeing with 15 MX-15 digital electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensor turrets to equip the 15 CH-47F Chinooks being built ...
29-Oct-2009

Brazil/US defence accord on the cards, says minister
The Brazilian and US governments are discussing a comprehensive defence accord, Brazilian Defence Minister Nelson Jobim has announced. The specific elements of the agreement ...
29-Oct-2009

US conducts first test of enhanced multirole Hellfire missile variant
Lockheed Martin and the US Army have announced the first test of an enhanced, multirole Hellfire missile that will become the sole production variant within...
29-Oct-2009

Boeing begins work on US Army high-energy laser programme
After completing recent design reviews, Boeing has started work on a beam control system for the US Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL ...
28-Oct-2009

*Schiebel Camcopter UAV chosen to support 'Yellow Jacket'
The Schiebel Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been selected as the platform for the US military's 'Yellow Jacket' counter-improvised explosive device ...
27-Oct-2009

US Army Black Hawk helicopter crashes during exercise
A US Army Sikorsky UH/MH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter crashed on 22 October during an exercise with the US Navy (USN) off the coast ...
26-Oct-2009

Obama's revamped Sudan policy offers 'incentives and pressure'
The United States has developed a Sudan policy that it says strikes a balance between incentives and increased pressure to simultaneously resolve the humanitarian ...
23-Oct-2009

US Navy to upgrade Orion fleet
The US Navy (USN) is to upgrade the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability of its Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, the company announced ...
23-Oct-2009

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