Thales has won a Fr2.4 billion ($346 million) contract for new reconnaissance pods from the French procurement agency, the DGA, that will allow the French air force and navy to replace their current reconnaissance platforms. The system will include pod-mounted electro-optical day/night sensors and an air-to-ground datalink as well as data processing stations. The pods will equip air force Dassault Mirage 2000Ns from 2006 and navy Dassault Rafales from 2008.
Source: Flight International
A repeat star of the Farnborough air show is back in new-look guise, as the three-nation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) continues its progress towards service entry in 2035.
MBDA is on target to add an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven collaborative capability to its precision-guided weapons range, and has named the developmental Spear missile as the first to benefit.
Lockheed Martin believes it could attract orders for potentially another 300 F-16s, with prospective buyers for new-build jets currently including the Philippines, Thailand and Turkey.
