Americas
The US Navy awarded BAE Systems a contract to produce multiple types of Vertical Launching System (VLS) canisters for $955 million. “The new five-year VLS contract has a total lifetime maximum value of $955 million. The initial contract was awarded in February with $24 million funded, followed by contract modifications of $99 million and $43 million received in March and May respectively. Options on the contract include additional canister types for future Navy production requirements,” the company said in a statement. VLS canisters serve in a multifaceted role as containers for missile shipping and storage as well as launch tubes when loaded into the VLS. They also provide identification and firing support to multiple missile types, including the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, Standard Missile-2, Standard Missile-3, Standard Missile-6, and the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile. Under this latest contract, BAE Systems will produce canisters not only for the US fleet but also for allied nations under a Foreign Military Sales program.
Last month, the 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron applied the popular “ghost” paint scheme to another F-16C assigned to the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base. Joining #84-1220, which was the first jet to get the new scheme, is #86-0299. This jet is a newer Block 32D aircraft. Whereas a typical F-16 paint job would take 12 days, this ghost scheme took 12 people working over 18 days on three different shifts to apply blue, black, two different grays and red paint to the aircraft.
Middle East & Africa
A leaked video confirmed that personnel from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are operating Russian-made Pantsir-S1 air defense systems in Libya, according to Operation Burkan al-Ghadab, the co-ordinating body for forces fighting for the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) against the rival Libyan National Army (LNA). The Free Libya channel broadcast the short video, which appears to show an Emirati officer, instructing forces from the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by renegade commander Khalifa Haftar , to bomb a GNA target. The recording also shows the Emirati officer inside the Russian-made Pantsir S1 air defense system in eastern Libya.
Europe
A plan to remove one-third of US soldiers currently stationed in Germany was confirmed by the outgoing US ambassador to Germany. “American taxpayers no longer feel like paying too much for the defense of other countries,” said Ambassador Richard Grenell in an interview. He added that plans include US troop reductions in Japan and South Korea. Earlier this month Grenell formally resigned as ambassador to join Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. There are more than 34,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Germany, including 20,000 from the Army and 13,000 from the Air Force, a Pentagon deployment report indicated.
Saab has together with the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) and Swedish Armed Forces have conducted the first tests with the Saab Lightweight Torpedo (SLWT) from a corvette and a submarine. The tests are the first of its kind for the new torpedo and were undertaken during February and March 2020 at sea ranges outside Karlskrona, on Sweden’s east coast in the Baltic Sea. The tests were conducted from a Gotland-class submarine and from a Visby-class corvette. The purpose of the firings was to verify that the torpedo can be safely launched from the vessels, which also included verification of the integration on the vessels as well as SLWT’s target seeker.
Asia-Pacific
Japan has finished the deployment of the PAC-3 MSE interceptors at four of its bases between March and June this year. This was disclosed by General Yoshinari Marumo, Chief of the Air Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, during a press briefing on June 12. The four locations are: JGSDF Camp Narashino; JASDF Hamamatsu Base; JASDF Ashiya Base and JASDF Tsuiki base. The deployment of the new missile interceptors were supposed to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, previously scheduled to be held this year.
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