The three-year Battage—a moniker combining "battery" and "age"—is led by Italy and involves participants from Belgium, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands.
Dublin has ordered four Airbus H145Ms for the Irish Air Corps through a €91.7 million ($95.2 million) contract to replace the force's EC135/H135 helicopters.
The SATS and China-based Sinotrans Air Freight link-up will potentially see the pair set up gateway hubs for Sinoair in Belgium, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
The Netherlands has declared its Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet ready to take on the dual-capable aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission from the F-16.
Upcoming talks could set the stage for Belgium to step up from “observer” to “partner” status on the Franco-German-Spanish future combat air system project.
Belgium’s deputy prime minister and mobility minister Georges Gilkinet said he was pushing for short-haul flight caps at both Belgian and European levels.
Belgian airports face a weekend of disruption as activists target the country’s aviation sector with planned protests starting Dec. 15 through Dec. 17.