Americas
Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC won a $167.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for 263 full-rate production Lot 8 Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles or AARGM. The deal for the subsidiary of Northrop Grumman includes the conversion of US government-provided AGM-88B High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles into 260 AGM-88E AARGM all-up rounds and 3 Captive Air Training Missiles as well as supplies and services needed for manufacture, spares and fleet deployment. AARGM is a supersonic, medium-range, air-launched tactical missile compatible with US and allied strike aircraft, including all variants of the F/A-18, Tornado, EA-18G, F-16, EA-6B, and F-35. Designed to upgrade the AGM-88 High-Speed, Anti-Radiation Missile system (HARM), AARGM features an advanced, digital, anti-radiation homing sensor, millimeter wave radar terminal seeker, precise Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) guidance, net-centric connectivity, and Weapon Impact Assessment transmit. Missile Impact Transmitter capability is available for approved customers. The missile offers extended-range engagement, as well as organic, in-cockpit emitter targeting capability and situational awareness. Work under the contract will take place in California and is scheduled to be finished by March 2022.
PAE Aviation and Technical Services won a $50.4 million contract modification for organizational, selected intermediate, and limited depot maintenance and logistics support for the F-5F and F-5N aircraft. The F-5 is a supersonic light fighter. The F-5N is a single seat, twin-engine, tactical fighter and attack aircraft providing simulated air-to-air combat training. The F-5F is a dual-seat version, twin-engine, tactical fighter commonly used for training and adversary combat tactics. The aircraft serves in an aggressor-training role with simulation capability of current threat aircraft in fighter combat mode. The F-5F Tiger II and F-5N Freedom Fighter are used by the Navy and Marine Corps for adversary training purposes. They serve as proxies for third-generation Soviet-era fighters due to their small size, maneuverability and relatively primitive sensor gear compared to modern aircraft like the F/A-18. PAE will perform work in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida. Estimated completion date is in July next year.
Middle East & Africa
The 38th Contracting Squadron awarded Sierra Nevada a $23.2 million modification to support the A-29 pilot and maintenance training for the Afghanistan Air Force at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia; and in Afghanistan. The modification involves building partner capacity/pseudo-Foreign Military Sales to Afghanistan. In April, the company won an almost $43 million contract for the A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft training for the Afghan Air Force. The Super Tucano is a flexible two-seat aircraft designed for counter-insurgency roles. It can also be used for reconnaissance missions in low-threat environments and for pilot training. Estimated completion date for the contract modification is December 31, 2023.
Europe
According to local reports, Russia has started serial production of the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets. Sukhoi began to implement its contract for the delivery of the jets to the Russian Air Force. The deal entails delivery of 76 Su-57 fighter jets to Russia’s Aerospace Force. The first plane is scheduled to be delivered by the end of the year. The Russian Air Force was expected to receive two Su-57s prototypes by the end of 2019 and two more aircraft in 2020. The Su-57 is designed to destroy all types of air targets at long and short distances and hit enemy ground and naval targets, overcoming its air defense capabilities.
The German Chief of Defense Staff, General Eberhard Zorn, selected a new replenishment tanker for the German Navy on July 17. The two new Type 707 replenishment tankers will be able to carry 15,000 m3 of fuel and 20 containers, compared with 11,500 m3 and two containers for the two Type 704 Rhön Class tankers Rhön and Spessart they will replace. The Type 707 will have a speed of over 20 kt, compared with 16 kt for the Type 704. They can keep up with other warships such as frigates. The German Navy expects the new class to serve until the 2050s. The new Type 707 tanker will have a crew of 42.
Asia-Pacific
India has reportedly paid approximately $218 million to buy a batch of R-27 air-to-air missiles. The missiles will be equipped on the SU-30MKI aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The missiles have been acquired under 10-I projects, which mandate the three services to maintain critical weapon systems and spares for a specified minimum period. The R-27 is a medium-to-long-range air-to-air missile developed by Russia for its MiG and Sukhoi series of fighter jets. Russia developed these missiles to add capability to the Sukhoi and MiG warfare aircrafts. Indian Air Force has signed $1.1 billion deals in the past two months. These deals were supposed to acquire equipments under emergency requirements.
Today’s Video
Watch: SCORPENE SUBMARINE FOR PHILIPPINE NAVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JnnlyzoiYA
