Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said that funding for the program to acquire of 36 Apaches has been cut from 10 billion won ($7.29 million) to just 300 million won, according to local media.
To help fight inflation, the Pentagon was given $1.05 billion to disperse to industry. Now, documents reviewed by Breaking Defense and interviews with key officials reveal how and why certain programs won out.
As aircraft shrink, threats expand, and technology accelerates, aircraft engines must iterate along with the threats.
"What characterizes war, it's a battle of will and magic bullets don't exist. There is certainly a need for precision and really high-end weapon systems, but there's also a need for mass, relatively inexpensive weapon systems." Australian Maj. Gen. Vagg told Breaking Defense.
Any integration of the JQL on board a surface vessel will mark the first time JAGM has been fired at sea.
It remains to be seen how many aircraft Warsaw will commit to, should it go ahead with an order of the US Army aircraft or if a wider industry competition is to begin near term.
In addition, the State Department announced three other Foreign Military Sales approvals, for the Netherlands, Finland and Australia.
Modeling and simulation get an AI upgrade for more realistic training and improved autonomous platforms.
Poland's defense minister teased further deals, saying "The Polish army needs hundreds of thousands of drones, primarily reconnaissance, which will cooperate with Apache helicopters. We are working on this together with the American government.”
From an Apache perspective, Lockheed's JAGM is a "very capable addition to the current weapon inventory,” said Lt. Col. Rich Simcock, 3 Regt. Army Air Corp (AAC) Commanding Officer.
“We've seen some improvement … and so readiness is there: We have enough retrofit generators right now [and] it's not impacting readiness,” said John Chicoli, the director of Boeing’s global services for vertical lift and special operations.
China has displayed its Z-10ME, the first time the aircraft has appeared at a show outside China. Looking similar to the US Apache attack helicopter, it was displayed with rocket launchers, GR5 guided rockets and air-to-air missiles.
The U.S. Army’s MAPS Gen II program of record for assured PNT provides an authoritative and reliable source of truth for combat vehicles in a highly contested battlespace.
Despite last week’s aviation upheaval, the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) is slated to meet before the end of March to debate the path ahead for a formal program of record.
"When the tough but necessary decision was made last year to expedite the withdrawal of the MRH-90s [Taipans] from service, it meant that we needed to look at all options when it came to filling the capability gap and the training which our servicemen and women need,” Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement.
The FY23 total marked a 55 percent hike in weapon sales and deliveries to foreign countries over the previous year.
“A long-term solution is under investigation. Engineering effort will commence once the program is funded,” an Army spokesman told Breaking Defense.