Last updated: Friday Jan 17, 2020 - 05:00 UTC ()
Virginia Block III: The Revised Bow
The JAS-39 Gripen: Sweden’s 4+ Generation Wild Card
AMRAAM: Deploying & Developing America’s Medium-Range Air-Air Missile
Rapid Fire | Friday, January 17, 2020, 05:00 UTC ()
Lockheed To Provide Modular Masts For Virginia Block V | Gripen Engine Serviced At Trollhättan | IN Cuts Back Some Of Its Procurement Plans
Americas
Lockheed Martin won a $19.4 million contract modification to exercise options for the procurement of eight multi-function modular masts for new-construction Virginia Class submarine Block V hulls. Virginia Class subs are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions, including anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering operations. The Block V submarines include some significant upgrades and changes when compared to the Virginia-class submarines already built. Work will take place in New Hampshire and New York. Estimated completion date is in September 2023.
The US Army awarded Sig Sauer a $10 million contract to manufacture ammunition for use in the branch’s bolt-action sniper rifle. The contractor will manufacture MOD 0 .300 Win Mag ammunition at its facility in Jacksonville, Ark. The contract also funds production of MK 248 MOD 1 ammunition for the military. In 2011, the Army transitioned from the 7.62mm to the .300 Win Mag round, providing the new round to sniper teams in Afghanistan. The new round allows snipers to engage targets from 1,200 meters as opposed to the 800-meter range of the older M24 sniper system.
Middle East & Africa
Raytheon won a $9 million delivery order, which provides for repair and sustainment services for 155 high-speed anti-radiation missiles in support of the Air Force, the government of Morocco and the government of Turkey. The HARM is an air-to-surface anti-radiation missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It can detect, attack and destroy a radar antenna or transmitter with minimal aircrew input. Work will take place in Tucson, Arizona. Estimated completion is in December, 2020.
Europe
Sweden has decided not to sell its General Electric F414G engine that powers the Gripen E to the United States for scheduled servicing. It has now decided that the engines will be serviced at Trollhättan instead. All F404 engines for the Swedish Gripen C/Ds are currently maintain at Trollhättan. The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. The Swedish Armed Forces commissioned the Swedish Defense Material Administration to establish technical support and maintenance for RM16 / F414 for Gripen E at GKN in Trollhättan. This means that technical support and maintenance down to component level will be co-located in the Trollhättan for the JAS 39 Gripens engines
The French defense procurement agency Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) has signed a deal with Thales and Thales Alenia Space to conduct a concept study regarding intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications for a Stratobus-type platform, Thales announced on January 8. Stratobus is a stratospheric airship high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) designed by Thales and Thales Alenia Space. It is intended to fly at an altitude of more than 65,500 ft. Stratobus can be used for different missions including ISR and communications both for civilian and military purposes. The study launched by DGA will include an operational concept study for an ISR mission including exercises simulating its use in theaters of operation. A full-scale demonstrator concept will also be studied.
Asia-Pacific
Faced with a continuing financial resource crunch, the Indian Navy is cutting back on some of its procurement plans. The move will reportedly affect the service’s long-delayed modernization and operational efficiency. Faced with a continuing financial resource crunch, the Indian Navy (IN) is cutting back on some of its procurement plans: a move that, according to senior officers, will adversely affect the service’s long-delayed modernization and operational efficiency. The Navy has reduced its long-standing requirement for 12 mine countermeasures vessels (MCMVs) to eight and for 10 Russian-made Kamov Ka-31 Helix early warning and control (AEW&C) helicopters to just six platforms. The Indian Ministry of Defense had approved the acquisition of the MCMVs and Ka-31s in February 2015 and May 2019, respectively, but a steadily declining monetary outlay has resulted in the service procuring fewer platforms than expected.
Today’s Video
Watch: Indian Defence Updates : INS Visakhapatnam Gets Next-Gen Barak,2nd BrahMos Order,INS Vikrant Trials
More In-depth Contract News & Updates
France’s Rafale
| Egypt now has the capability to aerial refuel combat aircraft, Janes’s reports. An official video released by the Ministry of Defense shows 'buddy-buddy' systems fitted to Air Force MiG-29M 'Fulcrum' fighters. The video is supposed to highlight capabilities of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It shows a pair of MiG-29Ms equipped with centerline hose-and-drogue units preparing to offload fuel to two Dassault Rafale combat aircraft. The 'buddy-buddy' system seen fitted to the MiG-29M in the video is called the PAZ-MK Refueling Pod. According to its manufacturer, Zvezda-NPP, it was designed to increase the range of carrier-borne MiG-29K/KUB aircraft, as flown by the Russian and Indian Navies. More »
Eurofighter’s Future: Tranche 3, and Beyond
| The first Eurofighter combat aircraft configured for Kuwait made its maiden flight towards the end of 2019, the company announced. Instrumented Series Production Aircraft (ISPA 6), equipped with the Kuwait Air Force configuration, departed the Flight Test Centre of Leonardo Aircraft Division in Turin-Caselle on December 23, 2019. As written by Eurofighter, ISPA 6 is the most advanced iteration of the aircraft to date, and while other elements have previously been flight tested, this is the first time that all of the enhancements have been brought together. ISPA 6 is the first to fly the Captor E-Scan Radar with Phase Enhancement 3 b (P3Eb), for which Kuwait is to be the launch customer. Other enhancements for Kuwait include the Lockheed Martin Sniper advanced targeting pod, the introduction of the DRS-Cubic ACMI P5 combat training pod and an enhanced Very High Frequency (VHF) Omni-Directional Range navigation aid. More »
P-3 Orion’s SMIP Program Keeps on Rolling
| Japan has dispatched two P-3 maritime patrol aircraft to the Middle East from Naha Air Base on January 11. The aircraft will be used to patrol the Gulf of Aden, the northern Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. They are deployed at Djibouti. Defense Minister Taro Kono said at the base on the day: "In addition to antipiracy operations, you will engage in new missions. Peace and stability in the Middle East are extremely important for the international community. Do your duty with courage and pride." The MSDF aircraft were dispatched based on the "survey and research" provision stipulated in the Defense Ministry Establishment Law. More »
Global F/A-18 Hornet Fleets: Keeping ‘Em Flying
| Boeing won a $14 million delivery order for spare items in support of the Flight Control Surfaces utilized on the F/A-18 aircraft. The F/A-18 Hornet is a single- and two-seat, twin engine, multi-mission fighter/attack aircraft that can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases. It fills a variety of roles: air superiority, fighter escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, reconnaissance, forward air control, close and deep air support, and day and night strike missions. The aircraft has a digital control-by-wire flight control system which provides excellent handling qualities, and allows pilots to learn to fly the airplane with relative ease. At the same time, this system provides exceptional maneuverability and allows the pilot to concentrate on operating the weapons system. A solid thrust-to-weight ratio and superior turn characteristics combined with energy sustainability, enable the F/A-18 to hold its own against any adversary. Boeing will perform work in Missouri. Estimated completion date is May 30, 2022. More »
Aging Aircraft: USAF F-15 Fleet Sees Renewed Interest
| Advanced Electronics Co. won a $17 million contract modification for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) F-15SA Cyber Protection System (CPS) and Related Facilities program. This modification provides for three years of in-Kingdom Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) for the CPS. The scope of this contract effort will include the extension of existing CLS support for three additional years, as well as related mobilization, de-mobilization, transportation and housing expenses for CLS personnel. The contract is a foreign military sales acquisition through the US and Saudi Arabia, authorized in 2015 as part of an agreement that also authorized the sale and upgrade of several F-15 variant aircraft to the kingdom. Advanced Electronics is a Riyadh-based electronics research and manufacturing firm, specialized in advanced electronics research for defense and communication. It was established in 1988 under the directives of the government of Saudi Arabia. The company will perform work at RSAF facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Expected completion date is May 31, 2022. More »
