Americas
Northrop Grumman won a $60.2 million modification, which is to procure the non-recurring engineering, material, tooling, and labor required to complete the Integrated Functional Capability 4 change requests and engineering change proposals in support of the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System air vehicle B11 for the Navy. Work is expected to be completed February 2029. Fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $60,249,668 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Saudi Arabia has produced the first locally made parts for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile launcher, as part of a partnership with Lockheed Martin to boost Riyadh’s domestic manufacturing. The achievement was announced during a meeting in Jeddah between the initiative’s partners consisting of Lockheed Martin, the Saudi General Authority for Military Industries, and the Arabian International Company for Steel Structures (AIC).
Europe
The US government has cleared the potential sale of Raytheon AIM-120C-8 and AIM-9X Block II air-to-to air missiles to Turkey. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the possible sales in a pair of notifications to congress. The first notification covers 53 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and is valued at $225 million. In addition to the missiles, the potential package includes a range of other equipment and services. The second DSCA announcement covers the potential sale of 60 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinders and is valued at $79.1 million. As with the first package, it also includes a range of equipment and services related to the weapons.
Asia-Pacific
Taiwan’s military has conducted the first live-fire test of its domestically developed Land Sword II surface-to-air missile, marking a significant step in the island’s efforts to strengthen its air defenses. Troops from the 43rd and 58th Artillery Command fired three Land Sword II missiles within 30 minutes at a base in Pingtung County, successfully striking drone targets. Colonel He Hsiang-i, deputy commander of the 43rd Artillery Command, said the drill aimed to validate unit readiness and training standards amid growing tensions with China.