UK: F-35B Will Be Fitted with Meteor, Canadian Officers in Ex TS21, Talisman Sabre Amphibious Phase
Channel: 🔥Daily Breaking News🔥
Date: 29/07/2021

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $62.2 million contract to supply the US Air Force with parachute and drag chute systems for its F-35 Lightning II fighters. The contract includes 190 parachutes and 56 drag chute systems to be delivered on or before September 2025. Similar to conventional parachutes, the drag chute system slows the F-35A on landing, providing control and stability for pilots. The wind force employed allows the aircraft to land safely on short, wet, or icy runways. All contracted work will take place in Fort Worth, Texas.  The $67 million agreement will reportedly fill second source canopy tooling and other capacity gaps for the navy, marines, and air force. Work for the order will be performed in California, Texas, and Melbourne, Australia. The contract is expected to be complete by August 2023.

2.   The Taiwanese military will soon test-fire Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 systems in the US. The live-fire verification drill will happen at the US Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The test can be conducted in the US only due to security reasons. The exercise is geared towards strengthening the Taiwanese military’s air combat capabilities against the Chinese missile threat. The exercise occurs every two years on American soil and involves firing off two Patriot missiles targeting a drone simulating a Chinese medium-range missile, Taiwan News revealed. If the missiles miss the target, another projectile is launched immediately. The island territory spent 179.14 billion New Taiwan dollars ($6.38 billion) to acquire six PAC-3 systems between 2007 and 2021. The amount also includes the upgrade of three PAC-2 systems to the latest variant.

3.   British F-35B jets will be equipped with Meteor missiles by the ‘middle of this decade’ say the Ministry of Defence. The information came to light in a response to a written question submitted in the House of Commons. Initial development work for Meteor integration has progressed well. The Lightning Delivery Team within Defence Equipment and Supply (DE&S), through F-35 Joint Program Office has signed a contract to integrate Meteor in the middle of the decade. Previously, a team of BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and MBDA engineers are enhancing the capability of the UK’s fleet of F-35 Lightning aircraft by commencing work on the integration of next generation weapons. this initial package of work BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin will also complete further integration work with MBDA on ASRAAM and with Raytheon on Paveway IV, initially integrated in support of delivering Initial Operating Capability for the UK.

4.   The Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) liaison officer for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21), Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Aldous, has affirmed Canada’s intent to strengthen military ties in the Indo-Pacific. TS21 is Australia’s largest bilateral exercise with the United States. “We have a long history with America and Australia, and being here highlights the Five Eyes partnership,” Lieutenant Colonel Aldous said. Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing agreement, and Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are signatories. All those nations are participating in TS21, being held in Queensland from July 14 to 31. Despite a reduced Canadian presence due to COVID-19, HMCS Calgary, a Halifax-class frigate with an embarked Cyclone helicopter air detachment, joined a multinational naval task group consisting of vessels from Australia, America, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

5.   The key focus of Exercise Talisman Sabre (TS21) is moving from land to sea, as forces from Australia, the US, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, NZ and the UK prepare for an action-packed amphibious phase. Activities will be concentrated around the Bowen and Ingham area between 23 and 31 July and will feature air operations, beach-landings, armoured vehicles, and urban operations. Commander Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, Major General Jake Ellwood, said the amphibious phase includes complex joint force manoeuvres. “This is the culminating activity we’ve been working towards throughout the year. It’s the final test of our ability to operate as a joint force in a contested environment across land, sea, air, space and cyber,” Major General Ellwood said. “Around 20 ships and 60 aircraft will conduct war-at-sea training off the Queensland coast as part of a fictitious scenario.” A beach landing in Ingham on 29 July will include Australian, the United States, Japanese and British amphibious forces working together for the first time off the same ship. “This will be a big milestone for our forces, demonstrating the strength of our partnership,” Major General Ellwood said.

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