LOCATIONS
MARITIME
12 Apr 24. HII Delivers Amphibious Transport Dock Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) to US Navy. Richard M. McCool Jr. is the 13th San Antonio-class ship delivered by Ingalls and is the final Flight I transition ship before Ingalls moves into production of the LPD Flight II line.
“The LPD 29 delivery demonstrates how our shipbuilders are enabling our combined Navy and Marine Corps team,” said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. “It is the most recent example of what U.S. industry and government partnerships can accomplish by putting another player on the field. We will now bring the full weight of this collaborative team to bear on steady-state Flight II execution going forward.”
Ingalls has two Flight II LPDs under construction including Harrisburg (LPD 30) and Pittsburgh (LPD 31). In March 2023, Ingalls was awarded a modification to the contract for the procurement of the detail design and construction of Philadelphia (LPD 32), the 16th ship in the San Antonio class and the third LPD Flight II. The San Antonio class is foundational to the U.S. Marine Corp’s Force Design construct and can support a variety of crisis response, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions. LPDs can operate independently or as part of amphibious readiness groups, expeditionary strike groups, or joint task forces. These capabilities allow the U.S. Navy to protect America’s security abroad and promote regional stability and preserve future peace. (Source: ASD Network)
AIR
17 Apr 24. Equatorial Guinea flying new Chinese helicopters. The Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea (FAGE) is now operating two new Harbin Z-9 helicopters, the country’s ruling Democratic Party (Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial: PDGE) revealed on 9 April when it reported that Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue had inspected the aircraft. The PDGE released photographs showing the vice-president with at least one of the new helicopters at a location that could be identified as the airbase at Malabo International Airport. It was fitted with a gimballed electro-optical system under its nose and pylons for weapons that can include guns, rockets, and anti-tank missiles. The Z-9 is the Chinese-made version of the Airbus AS365 Dauphin. The PDGE identified the new helicopters as the Z-9WE variant. It added that Equatorial Guinea is considering acquiring additional combat helicopters. The FAGE was not previously known to have any Chinese aircraft in its fleet, which consists almost entirely of Soviet-era types. (Source: Janes)
12 Apr 24. British Atlas transport aircraft cleared for low level parachuting. Atlas aircraft have been cleared to conduct low-level parachuting following the successful completion of a capability demonstration, say the Royal Air Force. Following trials in the United States last year, a capability demonstration was given by the Air and Space Warfare Centre to RAF Brize Norton based 24 Squadron in March.
“In a series of day and night sorties, paratroopers were dropped simultaneously from both side exit doors over Everleigh Drop Zone on Salisbury Plain. 24 Squadron and the Airborne Delivery Wing will now train their instructor cadre, aircrew, and despatchers before the broader airborne force.
Richard Curzon, Head of Air Mobility Capability Delivery in the RAF and responsible for delivery of the Atlas Programme, recognises this clearance as a significant milestone in the incremental expansion of a deployable airborne forces capability. He thanked a combined effort from the RAF and Army, trials evaluation teams, Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and Airbus in achieving this clearance, with additive manufacturing techniques being used to increase the speed in which technical challenges have been overcome.”
Atlas is a four-engine turboprop aircraft that can deliver 37 tonnes of cargo over 2,000 nautical miles at an impressive speed. As well as deploying troops and equipment between theatres, the aircraft has been used to support many humanitarian missions recently including the dropping of aid in Gaza. (Source: UKDJ)
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
12 Apr 24. Ms Victoria Harrison has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia in succession to Mrs Tiffany Sadler who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Harrison will take up her appointment during August 2024 and will be accompanied by her guide dog Otto.
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
16 Apr 24. The U.S. Army’s Network Cross-Functional Team is slated for a leadership shakeup. Maj. Gen. Jeth Rey, the team’s director, will be succeeded by Brig. Gen. Patrick Ellis, according to a personnel announcement shared by the Department of Defense. Rey has led the team at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, since 2021. He pinned a second star in his time there. Ellis is expected to take over this summer. Rey will become the director of architecture, operations, networks and space at the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-6. The Network Cross-Functional Team is an outgrowth of Army Futures Command, established in 2018 to tackle the service’s modernization requirements. It is one of eight original teams convened and works closely with the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical, or PEO C3T. Other foundational cross-functional teams include Long-Range Precision Fires, Next-Generation Combat Vehicles, Future Vertical Lift and Synthetic Training Environment. The change of directors comes as the Army pays increasing attention to connectivity and digital security. Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in October described an overhauled network as his priority. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
INDUSTRY
PERSONNEL
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
18 Apr 24. Academy Securities, a registered broker-dealer, certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), today announced the addition of Lieutenant General David Fridovich to its Advisory Board and Geopolitical Intelligence Group. Lieutenant General David Fridovich retired from the United States Army in 2011 after more than 37 years of service. His active-duty career culminated with his role as the Deputy Commander of US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). His previous assignments include the Director of the Center for Special Operations at SOCOM, the Commander of Special Operations Command – Pacific, the Commander of the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) where he led the Army Special Operations Task Force: Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines, and the Commander of Combined/Joint Special Operations Task Force in Operation Joint Forge, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
15 Apr 24. Siemens Government Technologies (SGT) announced that Elizabeth “Liz” Larson has been appointed its Chief Financial Officer. Larson joins SGT from Siemens Industry Inc., where she most recently served as Head of Finance for the Apparatus Segment of Electronic Products since 2019. An essential member of the business leadership team, she played a key role in increasing business volume more than 200% while also increasing profitability 20% over the past five years. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
16 Apr 24. Skydweller Aero, Inc., a pioneering transatlantic aerospace company developing and manufacturing a fleet of large solar powered aircraft for defense and commercial missions, today announced the appointment of Barry A. Matsumori, a former senior executive at both SpaceX and Impulse Space, as Skydweller’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Skydwellers are uncrewed solar-powered aircraft with wingspans greater than a 747 that leave zero carbon footprint. Skydwellers are autonomous and capable of perpetual flight, staying aloft for 90 days or more, at altitudes of up to 45,000 feet. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)