BAE And Lockheed Won F-35 Contracts | UK Spearfish And Stingray To Be Updated | Pakistan Received Drones From China
Americas
BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin each won a contract modification in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. BAE Systems won $81.3 million to procure 1,512 radio frequency countermeasures for Lot 12 of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in support of non-US Department of Defense participants, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers and for the Navy. Lockheed received $64.1 million for the procurement of Digital Channelized Receiver/Techniques Generator and Tuner Insertion program technology to upgrade F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft with Digital Tuner Insertion Program electronic warfare racks and high efficiency low voltage power supply. BAE Systems will perform work in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California and New Jersey. Estimated completion will be in March 2024. Lockheed Martin will perform work in Texas and is expected to be finished in June 2025.
Sierra Nevada Corp. won a $29.8 million contract modification for the MC-130J Airborne Mission Networking program low rate initial production. This order provides for the procurement of production kits, spares and weapon system trainer support. The MC-130J Commando II is a special operations transport that also flies clandestine, or low visibility, single or multiship, low-level air refueling missions for special operations helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft, and infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of special operations forces by airdrop or airland intruding politically sensitive or hostile territories. Work will take place in Colorado. Estimated completion date is January 19, 2023.
Middle East & Africa
Collins Aerospace won an estimated $27 million deal for KC-135 Aero-I satellite communications replacement. This contract provides to identify, develop, integrate and test a commercial off the shelf Iridium Satellite Communication system to replace the current C/KC-135 International Marine/Maritime Satellite system. The deal involves optional Foreign Military Sales to Turkey and France. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $3,800,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. Work will take place in Iowa and Oklahoma. Estimated completion date is July 31, 2026.
Europe
According to the British Ministry of Defense, Spearfish and Sting Ray torpedoes are receiving a £230 million ($315 million) maintenance uplift as part of a new contract. The Torpedoes Repair and Maintenance (TRAM) contract will run for six years. TRAM supersedes the Torpedo Capability Contract (TCC) with BAE Systems which ran for 10 years. Spearfish torpedoes – which use sonar to home in on targets – are carried by the Royal Navy’s Astute class and Trafalgar class hunter-killer submarines and the nuclear deterrent Vanguard class to neutralize underwater and surface threats. While Sting Ray torpedoes are deployed on Anti-Submarine Warfare mission, including frigates, Merlin and Wildcat helicopters.
Asia-Pacific
Pakistan has received five Cai Hong 4 (Rainbow 4, or CH-4) multirole medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles from China, according to export-import (EXIM) logs on the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website. The UAVs, which were delivered by Chinese defense contractor Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co Ltd, arrived in the South Asian country on 15 January, according to the website. It is unclear, however, which variant of the CH-4 was ordered by Islamabad, and whether this delivery is part of a larger UAV order or just a limited acquisition of this UAV type, possibly for testing.
The Indian Navy and the Republic Singapore Navy have signed a bilateral submarine rescue agreement, establishing mutual underwater emergency assistance between the two services. The agreement, which is known as the Submarine Rescue Support and Co-operation Implementing Arrangement, was signed at the fifth iteration of the India-Singapore defense minister’s dialogue that was held via video conference on January 20. The RSN currently operates a fleet of two Archer-class and two Challenger-class diesel-electric submarines and is anticipating the delivery of four new Type 218SG boats from Germany. The service also operates the 84 m submarine rescue ship, Swift Rescue , which is capable of conducting intervention and hyperbaric rescue operations.
Today’s Video
Watch: The Royal Navy Has Developed The World’s Most Advanced Torpedo
