“Gloves are off” as US Defense Secretary memo calls for sweeping drone procurement reform
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has promised to usher in a new era of “military drone dominance”.
Flight tests of the Oron CAEW have begun. (Photo: Israeli MoD)
In a recent ceremony attended by senior officials from the Israeli defence establishment, the MoD and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) celebrated the successful integration of intelligence systems into the Oron aircraft.
The MoD said in a statement that 'this achievement represents a significant milestone in the aircraft’s development and testing programme and the aircraft will now advance to the joint test flight phase conducted by the Israeli Air Force and IAI'.
The Oron was jointly developed by the MoD and IAI's Elta division together with the Israeli air force, intelligence service and navy.
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The system is based on a Gulfstream G550 adapted for AEW&C, EW and ISTAR missions. The original Israeli platform was designated G550 CAEW Eitam and Oron is an improved version of this system. The original is also in service with Australia, Italy, Singapore and the US.
The launch customer was the IAF, which ordered the first of three aircraft from Gulfstream in 2003, with IAI Elta as the prime contractor for the integration of its ELW-2085 AEW system. The first aircraft entered service with the IAF in 2006.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has promised to usher in a new era of “military drone dominance”.
The possible sale for nine HH-60W by the US government could make Norway the first Foreign Military Sale customer for the rescue and combat helicopter and add to the country’s ongoing acquisition of Sikorsky-made helicopters.
The programme first began in 2023 with Bell and Boeing’s concepts progressing to Phase 1B, in which testing has been carried out over the last year.
The report discloses that while the capability provided by the F-35 is superior to previous UK aircraft, delays from the UK Ministry of Defence on the programme have significantly impacted the country’s warfighting capabilities.
The new ‘Entente Industrielle’ will work on a range of other projects to boost the UK economy and defence industry, including joint development on new high-tech frequency weapons and extended range air-to-air missiles.
The E-7A is one of three aircraft submitted for the South Korean AEW&C II competition, which seeks to acquire four more aircraft of the type for its air force by 2028.