DID - 461st Flight Test Squadron Receives New F-35A | Slovakia: MiG-29s Not Handed Over To Ukraine | Australia Commences Pitch Black Exercise

Americas

A new F-35A was delivered to Edwards Air Force Base on August 1 for assignment with the 461st Flight Test Squadron (FLTS). It is the first of six F-35As that the squadron and the F-35 Lightning II Integrated Test Force will use to test the Technical Refresh 3 and Block 4 configurations. For all three variants of the F-35, the 461 FLTS is the lead developmental flight test unit for sensors, weapons, and software.

BAE Systems Land & Armaments won an $88 million contract for Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV). The total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,910,796,347. This contract modification procures labor and material for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle Mission Role Variant Medium Caliber Cannon (ACV-30) for post-critical design review design and development, production representative test vehicles, and support for test activities. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Work will take place in California, Maryland, Norway, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, California, Minnesota, Michigan, Phoenix, New Mexico, Italy and Mississippi. Estimated completion date is July 2025.

Middle East & Africa

Vertex Aerospace won a $62.8 million deal, which provides for organizational level and authorized intermediate level aircraft maintenance, logistics support, and limited repair of common support equipment for three KC-130J aircraft for the government of Kuwait. Kuwait flies its three KC-130Js on a mix of transport and tanker missions. Work will take place in Kuwait and Mississippi. Expected completion will be in August 2027.

Europe

Slovakia’s Minister of Defence has refuted media reports that the country’s MiG-29 fighters have been transferred to Ukraine. “Our MiG-29 fighters are not in Ukraine. This is false information. They are still at Slia?,” Jaroslav Na? was quoted as saying. He added that an official retirement ceremony for the MiG-29s will be held on Aug. 27 at the Slovak International Air Festival.

Asia-Pacific

Philippine officials are considering a US offer to provide heavy-lift helicopters like its widely used Chinooks after Manila scrapped a deal to buy military choppers from Russia due to fears of Western sanctions, the Philippine ambassador to Washington said Monday. Then-President Rodrigo Duterte approved the cancellation of the signed deal to buy 16 Russian Mi-17 helicopters due to concerns over possible Western sanctions, which could hamper fast bank transfers of the income Filipino workers send home from the U.S. and other Western countries, Ambassador Jose Romualdez said.

About 100 aircraft and 2500 military personnel from 17 nations will arrive in Australia’s Northern Territory in mid-August to commence Exercise Pitch Black 2022. The German Air Force is set to travel to Australia to make its debut in the country’s multi-national exercise, marking the first time the German and Australian forces have trained together.

Today’s Video

WATCH: Slovak MiG-29 in action, part 12, go around and landing in pair by sunset and at night

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