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Australia cleared to buy 12 MQ-9Bs

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The U.S. government has cleared the sale of 12 MQ-9B unmanned air vehicles to Australia for an estimated cost of $1.651 billion.

An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle comes in for a landing at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Nov. 20. Reapers are remotely piloted and can linger over battlefields, providing persistent strike capabilities to ground force commanders. This Reaper is deployed to the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron from Creech Air Force Base, Nev.

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M-SHORAD being deployed to Europe

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The Mobile Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system is to be deployed to Europe by the U.S. Army.

The 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADA), 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, is the first unit in the Army to receive the Mobile Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system. The M-SHORAD integrates existing guns, missiles, rockets and sensors onto a Stryker A1 vehicle. The system is designed to defend maneuvering forces against unmanned aircraft systems, rotary-wing and residual fixed-wing threats.

Photo by Capt. Jordan Allen
10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command
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AC-130J going to Philippines for live-firing practice

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A AC-130J gunship from the 73rd Special Operations Squadron will be participating in the Balikatan exercise in Philippines.

Air Force Special Operations Command’s first Block 30 AC-130J Ghostrider gunship arrives at Hurlburt Field, Florida, March 6, 2019. This is the first Block 30 AC-130J for the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt, and will replace the AC-130U Spooky gunship as it retires from service after more than 20 years of operation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joel Miller)

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JASDF team learns how USAF defends the E-3 AWACS from cyber threats

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A team of officers from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force visited the 552d Air Control Networks Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base to learn how the unit carried out its cyber defense role.

Senior Airman Gabriel Coleman, 552d Air Control Networks Squadron, and Master Sgt. Christopher Bailey, U.S. Pacific Air Forces Cyber Defense and Mission Assurance, explain the capabilities of a deployable cyber defense weapon system, Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter, to Lt. Col. Akio Ohigashi and Capt. Shumpei Kawano from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The system is used by the 552 ACNS Mission Defense Team to defend the 552nd Air Control Wing’s Control and Reporting Centers and E-3 Sentry fleet and ground systems from cyber threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kimberly Woodruff)

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This RAAF C-17 picked up precision-guided weapons at Dover AFB last month

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A Royal Australian Air Force C-17 was in Dover Air Force Base on Mar. 13 to pick up a cargo of precision-guided weapons for use by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force.

A Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III prepares to be loaded with cargo at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, March 13, 2021. The U.S. and Australia maintain a robust relationship underpinned by shared democratic values, common interests and cultural bonds. The U.S.-Australia alliance is an anchor for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Faith Schaefer)

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