Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines. Tony has covered avionics, unmanned vehicles, the supply chain and cyberwarfare.
The Swiss selection—announced June 30—adds to the F-35s growing tally of competition wins, the aircraft proving unbeatable in virtually every tender it has taken part in.
The agreement with Draken also includes the option for the contractor to purchase another 28 F-16s from the Netherlands, which are to be phased out of service through May 2024.
Pegasus—short for Persistent German Airborne Surveillance Systems—will see Hensoldt equip a trio of Bombardier Global 6000 business jet platforms with a signals intelligence system called Kalaetron, a development of the company’s Integrated Signal Intelligence System (ISIS) which was developed for the failed Eurohawk program.
