ARLINGTON, Va. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) chose nine companies to produce initial operational system and demonstration system conceptual designs for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aerial system (UAS) -- nicknamed the AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY program or "ANCILLARY -- that will be able to deploy and retreat without the large mechanical launchers and landing/recovery equipment currently used today. 

KONGSBERG, Norway. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace won a contract valued at NOK 320 million ($29.55 million) for the first phase for development of tactical radio equipment -- which it calls Combat Net Radio -- for Norway's armed forces. 

PARIS, France. The Italian Air Force has begun training first group of pilots and sensor operators for MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) at General Atomics' Flight Test & Training Center (FTTC) in Grand Forks, N.D., the company announced in a statement.

TAUFKIRCHEN, Germany. Hensoldt will upgrade helicopters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with advanced detection and self-protection sensor technology called the Airborne Missile Protection System (AMPS), which will be installed in 16 Ukrainian military helicopters, according to a company statement.

LONDON. The DSEI 2023 exhibition and trade show -- now in its 24th year -- will tackle the theme of "Achieving an Integrated Force," as it highlights the pertinence of integrating across the five operational domains of air, cyber and electromagnetic activities (CEMA), land, sea, and space.

LE BOURGET, France. Safran Electronics & Defense will upgrade the Greek Army's drone fleet through the addition of four new Patroller tactical drones, following a selection process coordinated by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), according to Safran.

HAIFA, Israel. Elbit Systems has won a contract to provide three Watchkeeper X tactical uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to the Romanian government, according to a company announcement, which adds that the initial order will supply the Romanian Ministry of National Defense with the first three of potentially seven advanced tactical UAS.

LE PLESSIS-ROBINSON, France. European defense consortium MBDA announced it will lead a pan-European consortium focused on countering hypersonic missile threats from other nations. 

PARIS, France. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) chose Belgium-based avionics supplier ScioTeq to provide detect and avoid (DAA) technology for its uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), aiming to achieve Technical Standard Order (TSO) authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to a GA-ASI statement.

PARIS AIR SHOW. AMETEK Abaco Systems and SYSGO announced that they are teaming up to equip a developer of uncrewed air systems (UASs) with jointly developed certifiable mission computer hardware and software components, including hardware -- Abaco’s SBC314C flight-safety certifiable single-board computer (SBC) -- and SYSGO’s real-time operating system and hypervisor PikeOS.

PARIS AIR SHOW. Honeywell announced that it will lead several consortia under the SESAR [Single European Sky ATM Research] 3 Joint Undertaking partnership and its Digital European Sky program, projects that are intended to accelerate development of innovative air-traffic management (ATM) solutions for Europe focused on advanced levels of automation in all types of airspaces to improve operational efficiency and sustainability.  

WASHINGTON, D.C. The State Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to the government of the Netherlands which includes MQ-9A Block 5 unmanned aerial systems (UASs) and related equipment, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced in a statement, adding that the DSCA delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden. Saab's Arexis sensor suite has been selected by Germany's defence procurement office (BAAINBw) to be integrated into the German Eurofighter for electronic warfare (EW) adaptation, according to a company announcement.

SAN DIEGO, California. Northrop Grumman's MQ-4C Triton flying test bed (FTB) demonstrated persistent long-range targeting at the Northern Edge 2023 military training exercise, according to a statement by the company.

ARLINGTON, Va. The James Webb Space Telescope Flight Operations Subsystem Development Team at Raytheon Technologies was recently recognized with a NASA Group Achievement Award for its contributions in developing the Webb Flight Operations Subsystem (FOS).