The Philippines’ Commission on Audit (COA) has raised concerns that the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC), the agency responsible for managing the country’s offset obligations, is straining to perform its tasks and draining government funding. the COA has advised the government to reassess the PITC’s purpose “as a going concern” and to consider repurposing or reforming the Countertrade Department.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has restated the country’s plans to acquire diesel-powered submarines – on the condition that they are developed locally. The two leading competitors, Naval Group and Hanwha Ocean (formerly DSME), have both prepared “complete offset packages” with promises of technology transfer.
General Electric proposal to co-manufacture F414 engines with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is making headway. It is is now in “final discussions” with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly manufacture the engines not just for the Tejas MK-II light combat aircraft (LCA).
Senior US officials have outlined plans to “clear a path” for technology transfer under AUKUS, the trilateral security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Speaking to the US Foreign Affairs Committee on 30 May, assistant secretaries from the US Department of Defense (DoD) described a three-pronged approach to overcoming bureaucratic hurdles and export controls.
The White House has released new details on Russia’s cooperation with Iran for the production of military drones, as part of declassified intelligence aimed at increasing sanctions.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) is requesting defence-specific exemptions to the new local content requirements that have been implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council since October 2022.