Aerospace

Babcock has formally entered Western Australia’s Defence Forge selection process. Its proposal centres on uncrewed aircraft manufacturing at the planned advanced industrial hub.

BAE will supply F-35 electronic warfare systems for Lots 20–22. The contract also covers equipment for retrofit and modernisation of aircraft delivered under earlier production configurations.

Germany now has direct access to dedicated SAR reconnaissance satellites. Production has also started in Neuss, where Rheinmetall ICEYE is building, integrating, testing and certifying spacecraft for the constellation.

Britain has started long lead work on Typhoon Phase Four. The delivery schedule for P4E and ECRS Mk2 integration remains under development with Eurofighter programme partners.

HAL has delivered its 2,000th aero-engine from the Koraput complex. New investment will raise AL-31FP capacity to 50 engines annually and establish a second Shakti production line.

York’s Nemesis spacecraft have cleared their Delta design review milestone. Tetra 3 and Tetra 4 will carry infrared, LiDAR and GPS sensors for geosynchronous space domain awareness and proximity operations demonstrations.

Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue completed its first autonomous flight. The company funded aircraft performed taxi, take-off, manoeuvring and landing autonomously as Northrop moves the collaborative combat aircraft design into flight testing.

LAHAB has completed qualification of its UAE-made MK 82 Penetrator. The programme moves an indigenous hardened-target munition through performance and environmental testing as development continues on a larger MK 83 version.

Embraer delivered three defence aircraft during the third quarter alone. One C-390 and two A-29s accompanied improved production levelling as the manufacturer manages a growing international military aircraft workload.

Northrop Grumman has launched its US-built FORTITUDE gallium nitride chip. The device consolidates radio-frequency functions for radar, electronic warfare, satellite, GPS, and communications applications while reducing component count, weight, and power demand.