Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has selected Curtiss-Wright to provide complete Data Acquisition System (DAS) solutions to its new fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
The new aircraft is being developed under the Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X) multirole aircraft programme.
The fully integrated DAS will include the Axon miniature data acquisition unit (DAU) (pictured) along with the KAM-500 DAU, airborne network switches, a tri-band transmitter, an engineering unit processor, an L/S-band antenna, an airborne-rugged 5-inch diagonal display and an active GPS splitter.
Lynn Bamford, president of Defence and Power Segments at Curtiss-Wright, said that the company ‘offers the components and expertise needed to provide FTI [flight test instrumentation] customers with complete fully integrated FTI system solutions.’
Bamford added that ‘this contract represents the largest win to date for our industry-leading Axon DAS technology, as well as the first fifth-generation fighter jet deployment for Axon’.
With a rising defence budget and equipment list, Poland’s air market is set to grow as the country continues to modernise its transport and helicopter fleets while seeking out uncrewed aerial vehicles and loitering munitions.
As the launch customer for the NATO-configured variant, Portugal also took delivery of the first five A-29N aircraft from its order for 12, placed in 2024.
As Europe ramps up defence investment in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, the spotlight is turning to how nations sustain their growing fleets.
The first of the 12 M-346 aircraft are expected to be delivered to the Austrian Air Force by 2028, according to the company.
Qatar and Indonesia followed the US’s high spending on new uncrewed aerial vehicle contracts across 2025, while MALE and micro drones and loitering munitions were particularly popular subcategories this year.
With all 31 aircraft set to be delivered by 2030, the helicopters will gradually replace the ageing Sea Lynx fleet which are due to be retired in 2026.
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