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Outgoing Finnish Air Force chief confident in F-35 program’s success

Posted on November 29, 2024November 29, 2024 by alert5

Maj. Gen. Juha-Pekka Keränen, outgoing Commander of the Finnish Air Force, recently offered insights into Finland’s progress toward transitioning to the F-35A. The first aircraft are due to arrive in Finland in late 2026, with full operational capability (FOC) scheduled for the end of 2030. Keränen is confident that the ambitious transition timeline, which sees the Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet phased out completely by 2028, will be met. He was quoted as saying, “I see no major obstacles ahead of us – on a large scale we’re doing well and I’m pleased with the progress of the program.”

Photo: Finnish Air Force
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Elbit’s WACHUD to replace outdated displays in USAF F-16 Block 40/42 jets

Posted on November 29, 2024 by alert5

Elbit Systems of America has scored a major win with the U.S. Air Force, securing an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract with a ceiling of $89 million for replacing outdated Head-Up Displays (HUDs) in the service’s F-16 Block 40/42 fleet. The contract, announced on Nov. 21, calls for the installation of Elbit’s Wide-Angle Conventional Head-Up Display (WACHUD) in place of the existing Diffractive Optic HUDs currently in use. The first delivery order, worth over $57.5 million, was placed in September 2024, with work scheduled to be carried out at Elbit America’s Talladega, Alabama facility and systems expected to be delivered by September 2027.

A 138th Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcon from Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma, flies next to a KC-135R Stratotanker April 25, 2019. The Stratotanker, from the 507th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, refueled four 138th Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcons during flight operations over Kansas. (Courtesy photo by Mike Killian)

3d Marine Littoral Regiment takes charge of NMESIS

Posted on November 28, 2024November 28, 2024 by alert5

The 3d Marine Littoral Regiment (3d MLR) has formally accepted the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS). A ceremony was held on Nov. 26 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii to mark the occasion. NMESIS is a truck-mounted, ground-based anti-ship missile launcher. It provides the Marines with a significant boost in their ability to control access to coastal areas and deny the use of the seas to adversaries, a concept known as “sea denial”.

U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, participate in a ceremony on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Nov. 26, 2024. At the ceremony, 3d MLR officially received the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System from Marine Corps Systems Command, becoming the first U.S. Marine Corps unit to field the system. The NMESIS provides 3d MLR with enhanced sea denial capabilities and maritime lethality. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jacqueline C. Parsons)

New Zealand’s C-130J touches down in Antarctica for the first time

Posted on November 27, 2024November 27, 2024 by alert5

The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has begun a new chapter in its long history of supporting Antarctic operations with the first flight of its new C-130J Hercules to the icy continent on Nov. 26.

Photo: RNZAF
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Utah National Guard enhances aerial lethality with AH-64E acquisition

Posted on November 26, 2024 by alert5

The Utah Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, received the first four of 24 new Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters during a ceremony in West Jordan, Utah on Nov. 23.