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Americas
The US Army is seeking industry input on a spy aircraft that can launch unmanned aerial systems. The aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform will be based on an executive jet aircraft, such as a Bombardier G6500, and operate at medium to high altitudes. This announcement seems to attempt to expand the capabilities of the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program, which is also based on the Global 6500 and operate at medium to high altitudes.
The US Air Force has enhanced its forward posture in the Indo-Pacific with the deployment of F-35A Lightning IIs from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS) to Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Jan. 13. The move comes as the service begins to retire its ageing fleet of F-15C/D Eagles in Japan, some of which have been in service for more than four decades. The US Air Force is retiring its fleet of F-15C/D Eagle aircraft, which have been operational for over 40 years, and the 18th Wing, formerly the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, first received the F-15C on 29 Sept. 1979. The 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron was the first to be fully operational with the Eagle in the Pacific Air Forces.
Middle East & Africa
The Biden administration in its final days is shifting more than $100 million in military aid from Israel and Egypt to Lebanon as it tries to bolster a ceasefire agreement it helped mediate between Israel and Hezbollah. In separate notices sent to Congress, the State Department said it was moving $95 million in military assistance intended for Egypt and $7.5 million for Israel toward supporting the Lebanese army and its government. The notices were dated Jan. 3 and obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Europe
German police said Monday they were investigating recent drone sightings over two military facilities, at a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put the country on alert for espionage. Police in the southern state of Bavaria said they, together with prosecutors, were looking into several incidents in which drones have flown over military installations in Manching and Neuburg an der Donau.
Asia-Pacific
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is set to conduct a critical evaluation of the Saab Gripen fighter jet, focusing on its ability to operate from makeshift airstrips on public highways, the Nation reports. This test, scheduled for February, is a pivotal moment in the RTAF’s assessment of the Swedish-built Gripen E fighter as a potential replacement for its ageing fleet of F-16 aircraft. The Gripen, known for its short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities, was originally designed with dispersed operations in mind. This concept was born from the Swedish Air Force’s (SwAF) Cold War-era need to operate from multiple locations, a strategy that culminated in the “Bas 90” system, which involved scattering fighters across the country to make surprise attacks difficult. Consequently, the Gripen was engineered to operate from dispersed airbases and even regular roads.
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