EUROPE
20 Sep 21. FNSS Develops A New Variant Of PARS Family, Following An RFP Issued In Late 2019/Early 2020. The company’s proposal is the Pars IV, an 8×8 version that builds upon the experience of the Pars II sold to Malaysia as the AV8, PARS III to Oman in both 6×6 and 8×8 configurations, and Pars IV 6×6 special operations vehicle developed for the TSK.
“TLF [the Turkish Land Forces] have started a new requirement for the procurement of New Generation Wheeled AFVs, considering lessons learned from recent operational deployments,” Gökhan Tekin, FNSS programme manager, told Janes in a September interview. “Pars IV is therefore designed to meet current and future combat requirements for TLF and its allies,” he added.
The Pars IV 8×8 follows a similar design philosophy to earlier generations, with the commander and driver seated side-by-side at the front of the vehicle and the power pack located behind the driver’s compartment. “This serves two purposes – it provides the commander and driver with good situational awareness, and it alters the weight distribution of the vehicle to give a better on and off-road performance,” Tekin said. (Source: https://staging.taktikz.com/)
REST OF THE WORLD
22 Sep 21. Argentina MoD refutes reports on airforce fighter jet selection. The denial follows several reports in the media suggesting allocation of funding to purchase of JF-17 jets. The Argentinian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has issued a statement refuting media reports regarding the selection of a fighter jet for the country’s airforce.
The clarification comes in response to several reports that emerged last week suggesting that the country was purchasing 12 Pakistani – Chinese JF-17 Thunder Block III jets.
The reports claimed that the Argentinian Government recently unveiled a draft budget for fiscal 2022 that included funding for the jets. It is awaiting approval from the country’s Congress.
In a statement, Argentinian MoD said: “The Ministry of Defense informs that, by means of a Public Credit Operations Authorization note, it has requested the inclusion for the 2022 Budget of the authorisation to manage credit for up to $664m for the acquisition of multipurpose fighter aircraft, for the surveillance and control of the air space.
“Likewise, this ministry clarifies that it has not been issued regarding the purchase of supersonic aircraft of any origin and is in the technical-economic and financial evaluation stage of five alternatives.”
The JF-17 Thunder is a single-engine, lightweight, multipurpose combat aircraft that was developed jointly by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) of China and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) of Pakistan.
The newest variant JF-17 Block-III features an electronically scanned radar and many advanced electronics. According to sources, South Korean FA-50 aircraft, Swedish firm Saab’s Gripen multirole fighter jet and more are the other potential options. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
21 Sep 21. Argentina plans to spend $664m on fighter jets, possibly from China or U.S.. Argentina is looking at buying up to $664-worth of multipurpose fighter jets to safeguard its airspace, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. A source with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters that planes from China, the United States, Russia, South Korea or Israel were being considered. The process “is in the technical-economic and financial evaluation stage of five alternatives,” the ministry said in an official statement. Argentina is in the midst of the severe economic crisis that was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The ministry said the financing for the planned acquisition of the jets was outlined in the 2022 budget proposal that will be voted on in congress, where the governing coalition has a majority, in the coming weeks. (Source: Reuters)