AARGM in USN captive carry flight test with an F/A-18F Super Hornet. (Photo: USN/Greg Davis)
US Naval Air Systems Command is exercising an option to procure full-rate production Lot 11 AGM-88E2 Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGMs) for the Royal Australian Air Force, the DoD revealed on 12 October.
Details of the $35.59 million FMS contract modification for Northrop Grumman subsidiary Alliant Techsystems include the production and delivery of AGM-88E2 tactical missiles, AGM-88E Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs) and guidance and control sections for AARGM.
Alliant Techsystems will also provide Australia with AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (the predecessor to AARGM) plus associated rocket motors, warheads, CATMs and M-Code GPS receivers.
Work will be performed in Northridge, California (60%); and Ridgecrest, California (40%), and is expected to be completed in March 2025.
The likely scrapping of Boeing’s Apache helicopter comes after a huge budget cut approved by the South Korean National Assembly. The helicopter procurement had already been reconsidered by the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier in the year.
The number of aircraft was stated by UK Defence Secretary John Healey during a Defence Committee hearing. It follows on from the UK’s decision to purchase F-35A aircraft to boost its nuclear deterrence, although hurdles and questions about the order still remain.
The use of air power by both sides in the ongoing conflict has been extensively focused on, influencing policy and procurement around the world. But are the lessons from the front line universally applicable, or should other nations be planning for very different scenarios?
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The takeover of the Italian firm by Baykar solidifies the company’s efforts to forge closer ties with Italian industry, bolsters its partnership with Leonardo to produce UAVs and secures its foothold in Europe.
The F-15EX Eagle II had already been singled out for further funding in January 2025, when it was chosen to replace the A-10 aircraft for the US National Guard.
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