Last updated: Friday Jun 05, 2020 - 05:00 UTC ()
CH-53K: The U.S. Marines’ HLR Helicopter Program
Super Hornet Fighter Family MYP-III: 2010-2018 Contracts
Rapid Fire | Friday, June 5, 2020, 05:00 UTC ()
Blue Angels receive first Super Hornet | 3rd British Poseidon Receives Special Name | Philippines Suspend Termination Of US Defense Pact
Americas
Sikorsky won a $7.7 million order, which procures support to update existing CH-53K system/subsystem specifications produced by the original equipment manufacturer. The Sikorsky CH-53K Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter is being developed by Sikorsky Aircraft to replace the CH-53E helicopter of the US Marine Corps. The Super Stallion can be fielded from amphibious assault ships for the transportation of personnel and equipment. It will also be used to carry external cargo loads. The aircraft can be operated from austere and remote forward operating bases. Work will take place in Stratford, Connecticut. Estimated completion will be by October 2022.
Boeing announced that it delivered the first Super Hornet test aircraft for the US Navy’s Blue Angel flight demonstration squadron. The jet is now at NAS Patuxent River. Boeing says the jet comes with an oil tank for the smoke-generation system, fuel systems that enable the aircraft to fly inverted for extended periods of time, civilian-compatible navigation equipment, cameras and adjustments for the aircraft’s center of gravity. The Blue Angels, whose demonstrations this year have been limited to salutes to COVID-19 workers in US cities, have flown F/A-18 Hornets, referred to as Legacy Hornets, for the past 34 years. Super Hornets are about 20 percent larger, faster and more advanced variants of the planes they replace.
Middle East & Africa
GeoSpectrum Technologies, a subsidiary of Israel’s Elbit Systems, announced on June 2 that it was selected to deliver its Long-Range Acoustic Messaging (LRAM) system to a Western customer, marking the company’s latest sale of the long-range underwater communication technology. Nova Scotia, Canada-based GeoSpectrum recently delivered LRAM equipment to the Canadian government. The LRAM system is designed to send acoustically encoded tactical messages from a user-controlled station to a submerged asset such as a submarine. Two-way communication can also be provided.
Europe
Lockheed Martin won an $18.7 million contract for the procurement of maintenance and sustainment operations support for the Norway Italy Reprogramming Laboratory systems and consumables in support of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the governments of Norway and Italy. The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF), is being developed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company for the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and the UK Royal Navy. The stealthy, supersonic multirole fighter was designated the F-35 Lightning II in July 2006. The JSF is being built in three variants: a conventional take-off and landing aircraft (CTOL) for the US Air Force; a carrier variant (CV) for the US Navy; and a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft for the US Marine Corps and the Royal Navy. Work will take place at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Expected completion will be by December 2022.
The third of nine british P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft has been named after the highest scoring pilot in Coastal Command in the Second World War. Poseidon MRA1 tail number ZP803 is currently being completed in the USA and sports the name ‘Terence Bulloch DSO
- DFC* RAF’ in recognition of the pilot who made the greatest number of attacks against submarines in the Battle of the Atlantic. In April this year, the RAF has formally declared Initial Operating Capability for its brand-new P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
Asia-Pacific
The Philippine president has suspended his decision to terminate a key defense pact with the United States, at least temporarily avoiding a major blow to one of America’s oldest alliances in Asia. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Tuesday he dispatched a diplomatic note to the US ambassador in Manila informing the US government that the Philippines is delaying its decision to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement by at least six months.
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More In-depth Contract News & Updates
F-35 Lightning: The Joint Strike Fighter Program
| Lockheed Martin won an $18.7 million contract for the procurement of maintenance and sustainment operations support for the Norway Italy Reprogramming Laboratory systems and consumables in support of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the governments of Norway and Italy. The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF), is being developed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company for the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and the UK Royal Navy. The stealthy, supersonic multirole fighter was designated the F-35 Lightning II in July 2006. The JSF is being built in three variants: a conventional take-off and landing aircraft (CTOL) for the US Air Force; a carrier variant (CV) for the US Navy; and a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft for the US Marine Corps and the Royal Navy. Work will take place at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Expected completion will be by December 2022. More »
Snakes and Rotors: The H-1 Helicopter Program
| Northrop Grumman won a $79.1 million contract modification, which increases the ceiling for the research and development of AH-1Z and UH-1Y system configuration set mission computers in support of the Marine Corps. Efforts include researching alternatives, investigating and documenting new capabilities and anomalies related to avionics and weapons, designing, developing, integrating, verifying, validating and testing upgrades to existing mission computer software and ancillary hardware and/or improved functionality and obsolescence management of the mission computer. This modification also includes the logistics requirements to support the system. The Northrop Grumman mission computers are the heart of the company's integrated avionics system that powers the glass cockpit avionics of the UH-1Y and AH-1Z helicopters. The mission computer has a ruggedized 6U VME PowerPC-based single board computer. Interfaces include Fast Ethernet, four serial ports, parallel I/O, and built-in-test. FlightPro has a standard partitioned real-time operating system called INTEGRITY-178 tuMP for multicore architectures from Green Hills Software in Santa Barbara, Calif., with ARINC 653 and POSIX support. Work will take place in California, Utah and Maryland. Estimated completion will be by April 2021. More »
E-2D Hawkeye: The Navy’s New AWACS
| Northrop Grumman won a $27.6 million contract modification, which provides recurring production and non-recurring engineering in support of the incorporation of beyond line of sight, tactical targeting network technology, navigation warfare and electronic support measures cable modifications into full rate production Lots 7-11 of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The E-2 Hawkeye is an american all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft. The next-generation E-2D Advanced Hawkeye has a new radar system, theatre missile defense capabilities, multi-sensor integration and a Northrop Grumman Navigation Systems tactical glass cockpit. Work will take place in Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, California, New York, Maryland, Arizona and various locations within the continental US. Expected completion will be by September 2026. More »
Australia’s MH-60R Maritime Helicopters
| Lockheed Martin won a $37.8 million order, which provides for retrofits from the Generation III, V and VI Mission Computer configuration to the Generation 3i and 5i MC configuration on the MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopter (186 for the Navy, seven for the government of Australia, five for the government of Denmark, and two for the government of Saudi Arabia). MH-60R Seahawk is a multi-mission helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. The rotorcraft replaces the SH-60B and SH-60F helicopters in the US Navy’s fleet and combines the capabilities of these aircraft. The MH-60R is also referred to as ‘Romeo’. The helo is equipped for a range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search-and-rescue, naval gunfire support, surveillance, communications relay, logistics support and personnel transfer, and vertical replenishment. Work will take place in New York and Florida. Estimated completion date is in May, 2023. More »
THAAD: Reach Out and Touch Ballistic Missiles
| JoongAng Ilbo has found out that the recent equipment upgrades at the THAAD site in Seongju, South Korea was to allow its AN/TPY-2 radar to guide PAC-3 interceptors launched remotely. The South Korean government had said the upgrading exercise was merely to replace old THAAD missiles with new ones. With the upgrade, 100 Patriot launchers in South Korea can be directed by the THAAD’s radar. It was reported a few days ago that the United States Forces Korea have shipped a new batch of THAAD interceptors to the site at Seongju on May 28. These missiles are of the same type as existing ones which require replacement as the internal components are expiring soon. The operation took nearly one day and ended on Friday. Usually, parts were flown in but this time, the equipment were too heavy to be airlifted. The THAAD site in South Korea has six launchers with eight interceptors each. More »
