Alert 5

Troubled history of Australia’s MRH-90 fleet highlighted by recent crash landing

Posted on March 28, 2023 by alert5

An Australian Army Taipan helicopter made a dramatic emergency landing into the sea at Jervis Bay on Wednesday night during a counterterrorism exercise. All ten personnel on board, including special forces soldiers, escaped with no serious injuries. Eyewitnesses reported seeing sparks at the top of the rotor blades and an explosion before the Airbus-manufactured helicopter came down just after 9 pm. The incident has prompted a renewed focus on Australia’s troubled history with its European designed MRH-90 fleet.

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Taiwan was cleared to purchase the GLSDB last year

Posted on March 28, 2023 by alert5

UpMedia in Taiwan reports that Taipei was given the green light last year to purchase the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB). However, Washington told Taipei that the current policy was to prioritize the delivery of this weapon to Ukraine and that production has just started. Thus, Taiwan will only be able to receive the GLSDB three years later.

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Canada selects Boeing P-8A as CP-140 Aurora replacement

Posted on March 28, 2023 by alert5

The Canadian government has announced that the Boeing P-8A Poseidon has been selected as the preferred candidate to replace its aging CP-140 Aurora fleet. The decision was made after a thorough process that included engagement with industry and Canada’s closest allies.

Image: Boeing
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Ukrainian fighter pilots have been secretly training in France to fly the Mirage 2000

Posted on March 28, 2023 by alert5

French newspaper Le Figaro reported last week that a group of about thirty Ukrainian pilots have been undergoing secret flight training at Mont-de-Marsan and Nancy air bases since Feburary to fly the Mirage 2000 fighter.

Jerry Gunner from Lincoln, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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U.S. Air Force to use Varda reentry capsules for hypersonic test flights

Posted on March 24, 2023 by alert5

The U.S. Space Force has requested nearly $16 billion over the next five years to continue building a new class of spy satellites that can help track missiles moving at hypersonic speeds. The budget represents an increase of almost twice as much as previously estimated. The Space Force’s budget request for FY24 includes $2.3 billion for the development of small spacecraft in orbits less than 22,000 miles above Earth to identify and track enemy missiles. However, the Space Force is looking for steeper funding increases in the years ahead. The Resilient Missile Warning Missile Tracking Program is being developed to increase defenses against Russia and China, who are currently developing weapons that travel and maneuver above Mach 5 speeds. In the next few years, the program should produce several smaller satellites that can be launched into more diverse orbits, replacing the Space-Based Infrared System and Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellites currently in orbit.

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