Americas
BAE Systems Controls won a $7.7 million contract modification, which provides for non-recurring engineering for the Forward Defense Weapons Systems cockpit controls and cabin intrusion reduction effort and associated prototypes in support of the tiltrotor aircraft, CV-22. The CV-22 Osprey is the US Air Force special operations variant of the V-22 tiltrotor transport aircraft. It features enhancements and flight control systems that enable it to operate in high-risk combat environments to rescue downed pilots, or insert and extract special operations forces behind enemy lines. The third variant of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, the CMV-22B, took flight for the first time recently on January 21. Work will take place in Endicott, New York, Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Estimated completion date is in June 2022.
The US Army awarded BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP a $400.9 million deal to procure 160 armored multi-purpose vehicles. The contract modifies an earlier deal for procurement of armored multi-purpose vehicles, awarded in 2014 and modified in February 2019. The vehicles are expected to replace Vietnam War-era M113s and operate alongside the M1 Abrams Tank and the M2 Bradley as part of the rest of the Armored Bridgade Combat Team. The Army plans to buy 2,897 AMPVs in total, at a total cost of $10.723 billion, or $3.7 million per vehicle. The previous deal obligated $382.7 million in Army research, development and testing funds for five vehicle variants: general purpose, mission command, mortar carrier, medical evaluation, and medical treatment vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Penn., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2023.
Middle East & Africa
The Civil Aviation Organization of Iran confirmed that a Tor-M1 launched two missiles at Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752) before it crashed soon after taking off from Tehran’s international airport on 8 January. The Tor-M1 is a mobile short-range air defense system that can intercept guided weapons, including cruise missiles, as well as aircraft. Russia announced in December 2015 that Iran had ordered “up to 30” Tor-M1s. The confirmation that one of these fired at the airliner came in a second preliminary report on the accident released by the CAOI on January 21. It indicated that the missiles were launched from the north and said their impact on the airliner is under investigation. In the immediate aftermath of the crash US officials were cited as saying that the airliner was hit by two missiles from a Tor-M1 system.
Europe
The Portuguese government completed the liquidation of the country’s defense industrial holding company Empresa Portuguesa de Defesa or EMPORDEF. The dissolution of EMPORDEF was agreed by the Portuguese Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Finance in 2015. EMPORDEF was responsible for managing state holdings in firms directly or indirectly involved in defense activities. The defense companies will be managed by the public platform IdD, which will be restructured, within the scope of the liquidation of EMPORDEF. From the initial twelve in the EMPORDEF universe, the number of companies will increase to eight and then to six in the IDD – National Defense Industries Platform.
Asia-Pacific
South Korea is participating in Exercise Sea Dragon for the first time, it dispatched a P-3C to Guam. South Korea had previously sent observers to the exercise. The Exercise Sea Dragon began on Monday and will last through the end January. Sea Dragon also involves Australia and New Zealand. It was designed to enhance the countries’ maritime patrol relationship and build anti-submarine warfare proficiency, according to the officials. It is the first time that South Korea partook in this exercise, a Navy official said, adding the Navy sent its P-3C patrol aircraft. The exercise comes amid concern that North Korea could launch an advanced type of submarine-launched ballistic missile. The communist country fired a Pukguksong-3 SLBM in October 2019 as the latest such test and pledged earlier this year to show off a “new strategic weapon” in the near future.
Leonardo says it has signed a contract with Indonesian company PT Len Industri to provide a RAT 31 DL/M radar system to the Indonesian Air Force. The press release added that Leonardo and PT Len Industri plan a joint production of radars in Indonesia for this and future contracts. PT Len Industri will supply local components, infrastructure support. The contract signing came just after an announcement made in November 2019 at Defense & Security exhibition in Bangkok, where Leonardo revealed it will also provide a RAT 31 DL to the Thailand Air Force. The RAT 31 DL/M is part of Leonardo’s RAT 31 radar systems family, and it shares its architecture with the RAT 31 DL Long Range GCI (Ground Control Interceptor) an advanced, L-band, solid state solution for 3D surveillance, with an effective range of over 470 km.
Today’s Video
Watch: Air Refuelling – The Hidden Force Multiplier
