Dubai Airshow 2021: UAE to host ViDAR centre of excellence
Will the ViDAR SCAR reconnaissance pod make an impact in the Middle Eastern ISR market?
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced on 8 November that it has received a $360 million contract from the Iraqi MoD to repair and maintain a fleet of trainer aircraft.
Under the three-year deal, KAI will perform MRO services for T-50IQ supersonic advanced trainers (the Iraqi designation of the T-50 Golden Eagle).
Additional work will include training programmes for Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) pilots and engineers.
Iraq received 24 T-50IQs from 2013 to 2019, to meet an IQAF lead-in fighter trainer requirement. Shephard Defence Insight forecasts an out-of-service date of 2038 for the Iraqi T-50 fleet.
The aircraft can be converted to light attack missions with weaponry such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile or Joint Direct Attack Munition.
Will the ViDAR SCAR reconnaissance pod make an impact in the Middle Eastern ISR market?
Horizon Technologies and Airborne Technologies to jointly develop BlackFish SCAR-Pods.
The Indonesian MoD placed an order for two A400M aircraft in multirole tanker and transport configuration, according to the Airbus announcement on 18 November 2021.
A planned $23 billion FMS package for the UAE has still not been fully approved, 12 months after it was first proposed.
Welcome to Episode 46 of the third series of The Weekly Defence Podcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more.
As well as finally ordering the A400M, an aircraft Indonesia has been contemplating for some time, the Asian country has agreed to continue financing the KF-21 fighter programme.