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Daily Rapid Fire

DARPA’s CODE Program: Collaborative Unmanned Air Sys | Aermacchi Presents First M346 for Poland | France & Germany Discuss Inter-governmental Arms Exports

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Americas * DARPA has awarded eight companies contracts to work on Phase 2 of the Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program. The Lockheed Martin and Raytheon led program aims to make unmanned systems perform sophisticated tasks both individually and in teams under the supervision of a single human mission commander. Joining Lockheed and Raytheon […]
Americas

* DARPA has awarded eight companies contracts to work on Phase 2 of the Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program. The Lockheed Martin and Raytheon led program aims to make unmanned systems perform sophisticated tasks both individually and in teams under the supervision of a single human mission commander. Joining Lockheed and Raytheon include Daniel H. Wagner Associates, Scientific Systems Company, Smart Information Flow Technologies, Soar Technology, SRI International, and Vencore Labs dba Applied Communication Sciences.

* The USAF has claimed it is not looking at a road-mobile option for its next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Under the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program the aging Minuteman III ICBM fleet will be replaced. Speaking about the mobile option, a service official said “We want to make sure that as we look at GBSD, we’re building it modular so if changes need to be made in the weapon system you don’t have to open up, let’s say, the software to redo the entire software.”

* Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion has insisted that the government still has leverage over the controversial contract to sell light armored vehicles (LAVs) to Saudi Arabia. It had been earlier reported that any cancellation of the sale by the Canadian government would see them liable for a multi-billion dollar cancellation penalty. Dion assured reporters that Canada’s hands are not tied when it comes to ensuring “that the military equipment that any Canadian company is selling abroad is not used against human rights and the interests of Canada and our allies.”

Middle East North Africa

* The newly appointed defense minister of Turkey, Fikri Isik and his Pakistani counterpart met to discuss increasing bilateral defense ties. Among last Friday’s discussions was the potential sale of Turkish developed T129 attack helicopters. Other potential deals include the purchase by Turkey of the Pakistani-made Super Mushshak basic trainer aircraft.

* Kilgore Flares has been awarded a $24.8 million contract modification from the US Army to provide infrared countermeasure flares to the governments of Qatar and UAE. Delivery of the stocks is expected to be completed by June 30, 2017. Kilgore Flares, which operates within the countermeasures business group of Chemring North America, manufactures expendable IR decoy flares and other countermeasure systems.

Europe

* Aermacchi unveiled the first M346 advanced jet trainer for Poland at its plant in Venegono-Superiore. The June 6 event was attended by Polish Deputy Defense Minister, Bartosz Kownacki, the Italian State Under Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Gioacchino Alfano, and by the Managing Director of Leonardo-Finmeccanica Aircraft, Filippo Bagnato. Warsaw has ordered eight of the aircraft in total at a cost of $383 million.

* The French and German governments are currently in discussions over an inter-governmental arms export agreement. Such a bilateral pact for foreign sales of weapons is seen as key to the future of the 50/50 joint venture holding company created by France’s state-owned Nexter and family-controlled Krauss-Maffei Wegmann of Germany, two specialists in land systems. The partnership will have annual sales of almost $2.3 billion and an order book of $10.2 billion, and employ more than 6,000 staff, the companies said.

Asia Pacific

* An Indian order worth over $200 million for Black Shark torpedoes from WASS, a subsidiary of Leonardo-Finmeccanica, has been cancelled. News of the decision comes in the wake of corruption charges involving another subsidiary of Italy’s Leonardo-Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland, and the Indian National Congress political party. A ban on new deals with Leonardo and its subsidiaries was put in place in 2014 following the coming to power of the Indian People’s Party (BJP), although existing contracts continue. No alternative for the order is currently in place.

Today’s Video

* Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program:

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