274: Iranian President's Helicopter Crashes in Mountainous Region + US Forces Begin Departing Niger + Latest Denmark Assistance to Ukraine worth $813.5 million + More

I - On Defense Podcast

For Review:
1. Iranian President's (Ebrahim Raisi) Helicopter Crashes in Mountainous Region.
Condition of passengers unknown. Heavy fog and bad weather challenge rescue efforts.
2. Israeli Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) rejects normalization with Saudi Arabia at the cost of a two-state solution- (with Hamas in control- marginalized or not).
3. US Forces Begin Departing Niger. All US Forces will depart country by 15 September 2024.
4. Latest Denmark Assistance to Ukraine worth $813.5 million.
5. The European Defense Fund (EDF) to invest $1.3 billion on 54 multinational research and development military projects.
These include: future main battle tanks; new airlift capabilities; counter unmanned aerial systems (c-UAS); and directed energy weapons.
6. MBDA will lead multi-national group for a European Hypersonic Defense Interceptor Study. Project partners include France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Project goal is to develop an endo-atmospheric hypersonic and ballistic missile interceptor by 2035.
7. Rheinmetall to open air defense repair facility in Ukraine.
Facility will serve as a repair base for IRIS-T SL, Skynex 30, and Gepard systems.
8. Germany and Slovakia negotiate to continue operating the KNDS repair hub for German & French manufactured combat vehicles damaged in Ukraine,