Prospect of an Autonomous Hercules Fast-Tracks Funding in Hopes of Quick Breakthrough

Merlin, hot off a few test flights aboard some KC-135s, has gotten a $105 million production contract to automate the C-130J. The contract was granted under an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to lay the groundwork for a "production-ready reduced aircrew capability" using their favorite fixed-wing aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules. Merlin notes that its previous partnership with the Air Force from 2022 included multiple phases in a similar vein, even including design integration for the C-130J, testing, flight testing, full takeoff & landing demos, maturation of autonomy skills, and additional integration in Special Operations Force aircraft. 

New Sensors, New Comms, Updated IFF, and Some New Ordnance Round Out the Upgrade List

NH Industries and the NATO Helicopter Management Agency (NAHEMA) have signed a contract to begin development of an NH90 Block 1 upgrade for the pan-European combat helicopter. NAMEA began the upgrade as a part of the expected NH90 roadmap, expecting to add some extra capabilities for both the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) variant, in use by land-based forces, and its navalized sister, the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH). The first phase of the program will run about €600 million in all, and will include an upgrade to the NH90's comms suite.

Airfield Hit Deep Behind Russian Lines

The Ukraine Defense Intelligence Agency (GUR) announced on Sunday that it had destroyed one of Russia’s most advanced Su-57 fighter jets in a drone attack on the Akhtubinsk airfield about 589 km (365 mi) inside Russia. The agency displayed before and after satellite images of the field that it says show the aircraft damaged after the strike. The popular pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Fighterbomber claimed that shrapnel from a multiple drone strike on Saturday damaged the jet.

Nine Others Also Lost In Military DO 228

Saulos Klaus Chilima, Vice President of Malawi, along with all nine others aboard were killed when the military aircraft transporting them went down in the dense Chikangawa forest in northern Malawi in southeast Africa. Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera made the announcement and said he was “deeply saddened and sorry” when he addressed the Malawian people on Tuesday. The plane disappeared from radar while flying in poor weather on a flight from the capital city of Lilongwe to Mzuzu, 250 miles to the north. Chilima had been scheduled to attend the funeral of former government minister Ralph Kasambara who had died four days earlier.