Americas
* BAE Systems will provide Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) upgrade kits to the US Navy. The $181 million deal is funded under a recently announced indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract and will allow BAE to keep up with increased demand for APKWS rockets instead of more expensive laser-guided munitions such as the Hellfire missile. The APKWS mid-body guidance kit transforms standard unguided Hydra 70 (2.75-inch) rockets into highly accurate precision munitions by easily screwing into place between the warhead and the motor. Export customers can purchase the technology through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
* Lockheed Martin has won a $59 million USAF contract modification to provide fuselage trainers for systems used on the KC-10J. The firm will provide trainers modified from C-10 fuselages designed to represent the functions and appearance of the KC-130J tanker aircraft, and will allow for training on exterior and interior preflight and post-flight inspections and loading operations. Work will be conducted in Tulsa, Okla., and Marietta, Ga, with a completion date scheduled for December 31, 2021.
Middle Easy & North Africa
* Elbit Systems is planning to make the debut of its SkyStriker loitering munitions system at this year’s Paris air show. The system is able to locate, acquire and attack targets with high precision, with an operator using its electro-optical/infrared seeker to identify threats. The company added that the SkyStriker can engage targets from a variety of angles, while an operator will be able to abort a strike as little as 2s prior to impact, before re-engaging other authorised threats or returning to a recovery point. The air vehicle lands using a parachute and airbag.
Europe
* Switzerland has approved funds for the initial stages of its F/A-18C/D fighter successor program. $10 million has been allocated in order to cover preparatory studies, testing and other pre-acquisition costs, with a decision to be made by the end of 2020. Additional funds for the full procurement should be in place by 2022, with deliveries to commence in 2025. Bern is also planning to undertake a life extension program for its current fleet of 30 Hornets, which will bring their active service life to 2030.
* Boeing has been awarded a $411 million modification to an existing contract to provide 38 Apache attack helicopters to the UK. Also included in the deal are three crew trainers for the Apache’s latest Longbow variant of the aircraft, as well as spares for both systems. Work will be completed in Mesa, Ariz., and is estimated to be completed by Feb 28, 2023.
Asia Pacific
* Russian aerospace manufacturer Sukhoi has plans to build a spare parts factory in Indonesia as part of a deal to sell Su-35 fighter aircraft to the country. Indonesia’s Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu made the announcement, adding that the deal will benefit Jakarta as the factory can manufacture parts that can then be sold to neighboring governments—Malaysia operates the Su-30MKM—who operate Sukhoi aircraft. Negotiations between Russia and Indonesia over a deal for ten Su-35 aircraft are still ongoing.
* A crashed North Korean drone found in South Korea is believed to have been spying on the US THAAD system prior to its crash. The drone, mounted with a camera, was found last week in a forest near the border between the two Koreas, where ten photos of the THAAD were found. North Korea has about 300 unmanned aerial vehicles of different types including one designed for reconnaissance as well as combat drones, the UnitedNations said in a report last year.
* Dassault and Indian partner Reliance Defense & Aerospace will break ground next month on a components facility for Rafale fighter aircraft. Construction of the facility comes as part of ‘Make in India’ commitments stipulated in September’s $8.8 billion Rafale fighter jet deal. Dassault are also currently training the first group of Indian engineers at its facilities in France, and the Indian facility is expected to be operational and producing components by the first quarter of 2018.
Today’s Video
* Japan’s first F-35 makes its maiden flight:
